Palisade Head rises 300' above Great Lake

View of Palisade Head on Minnesota North Shore, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Topo map pf Palisade Head.

Hikers can walk atop an ancient 300-foot cliff overlooking Lake Superior at Minnesota’s Palisade Head.

The head offers about 4000 feet of frontage above the lake. It is located within Tettegouche State Park but is not contiguous with the main park area.

To reach the trailhead, from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, travel north on Minn. Hwy. 61 through Silver Bay. Near milepost 57, turn right/east onto a steep, narrow road that climbs to Palisade Head’s top. A parking lot is close to the cliff edge next to a large radio tower.

There are no designated paths, but white spruce, aspen, mountain ash, paper birch, and oak trees grow sparsely atop the hard, erosion-resistant rock, so you can walk between among them. You’ll be rewarded with fantastic views of the world’s largest freshwater lake. Shovel Point, which is made of the same rock as the head, can be seen about two miles distant to the northeast. Split Rock Lighthouse is to the southwest. On the clearest days, Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands and the Bayfield Peninsula can be seen to south across the lake.

The rock beneath your feet is called rhyolite. The entire palisade head is the hardened remains of a massive lava flow from about 1.1 billion years ago; the flow stretches about three miles long and two miles wide. Not only is walking across such old rock a rarity but so are rhyolite lava flows in general – only three have been recorded worldwide since 1900.

The great vistas almost certainly will include a variety of raptors. Peregrine falcons nest on the head while bald eagles nest nearby. Each fall, thousands of hawks from a variety of species migrate along this shoreline.

As walking along the head, also keep an eye out for wild blueberry bushes. The berries usually come out in late July through mid-August.

Except at the parking lot, there are no railings, so watch for the edges that fall straight into the lake. This is not a great place to let young or careless children roam free.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Hike to Shovel Point leads to fantastic vistas

View from Shovel Point.
Photo courtesy of Minnesota DNR.

Shovel Point Trail

Easy walk marks great spot
to see migrating birds

An incredible view of Lake Superior atop billion-year-old rock awaits day hikers on the Shovel Point Trail in Minnesota’s Tettegouche State Park.

The North Shore hike runs about 1.1-miles round trip. A fairly flat trail, it’s a wonderful autumn walk when the shoreline leaves turn an array of yellows.

To reach the trailhead from Silver Bay, drive north on Minn. Hwy. 61. After crossing the Baptism River, turn right/southeast into the park entrance. Go straight on the park entrance road and veer left into the northernmost lot. From the lot’s southeastern corner, pick up the interpretive trail that heads toward Lake Superior.

Shorebird mecca
The trail runs through a forested area of birch and aspen. A few pines are mixed in.

Within short order, the trail comes to the lake near a small rocky point with an overlook of the vast blue waters.

No matter what the season, you’re certain to find shorebirds flying over the lake and trail. During late May as birds migrate north, up to 150 different species can be spotted.

In summer, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and several varieties of wood warblers call the shore home.

Throughout autumn, the migration south moves at a steady pace. It usually begins in late August with flocks of the common nighthawk filling the warm evening skies. In early September, songbirds make their way through the area, and by mid-month through early October, various raptors make their push. Late October usually sees the arrival of Arctic birds.

Dramatic Shovel Point
From there, the trail veers northeast. Upon coming to the next overlook, the trail splits into a loop. Go right/southeast onto Shovel Point.

The point is the dramatic remains of 1.1-billion-year-old lava flows that were rich in rhyolite, a light-colored volcanic rock. Extremely resistant to erosion, the rock has held out through the eons against several glaciers and the lakes they’ve left, including cold Lake Superior, which it rises about 200 feet above.

Upon reaching the next overlook, which leaves the green forest for the beige rocks, you’ve come to the trail’s farthest incursion on the point. You may spend a good amount of the hike simply standing in awe here as the vast lake and a shoreline of sea caves, a sea stack, the Baptism River’s mouth, and Palisade Head stretch before you.

Following the overlook, the trail curves around its loop through the woods back to where it split. From there, retrace your steps back to the parking lot.

If hiking with children, make sure they stay on the trail and in sight, as the cliff edges are long, straight drops.

Map

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.

'Highest waterfall entirely within Minnesota’

High Falls in Tettagouche State Park.
Photo courtesy of Minnesota DNR.

Three waterfalls, cascades await hikers in state park

A trail to a 70-foot high waterfall awaits day hikers in Minnesota’s Tettegouche State Park.

High Falls Trail

Located on the North Shore, the High Falls Trail, including a couple of spurs, runs 3.2-mile round trip, as it heads past three falls and rapids. Though unnamed on park maps, the popular trail is christened here after what most hiker taking it come to see – the High Falls.

To reach the trailhead, from Silver Bay drive north on Minn. Hwy. 61. After crossing the Baptism River, turn right/southeast into the park. Veer right/south on the park road and pass the visitor center, heading into a wooded area. Park in the pullout lot on the road’s right/northwest side. You can pick up the trailhead on the lot’s southwest side.

Baptism River gorge
Take a right onto the trail, heading northwest. The trail goes under Hwy. 61 and parallels the Baptism River.

A short spur heads to the scenic river’s shore. The Baptism runs a mere 8.8 miles, as it flows from the Minnesota Arrowhead’s uplands then through a gorge of ancient rock into Lake Superior.

From the spur, the main trail curves northeast and quickly gains in elevation until it follows the rim overlooking the Baptism River gorge.

Below the rim are the Cascades, a set of rapids in the Baptism River. The hard black rock the river tumbles through is more than a billion years old.

Farther up the river, the trail passes Two Steps Falls, a pair of small waterfalls that flow into a large pool. The pool then drains downhill as the river rushes toward Lake Superior. A spur trial leads downhill to an overlook of the falls.

'Controversial' High Falls
Continuing north on the main trail, the route reaches the Superior Hiking Trail. Go left/west on that trail to High Falls.

One of four waterfalls in the park, High Falls is an impressive sight as it drops more than six stories over a black basalt cliff capped by stately evergreens.

There is some controversy over the bragging rights to the highest waterfall in Minnesota. Some would argue the tallest is the 120-foot high High Falls on the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park. As part of that waterfalls is technically in Ontario, however, the same-named High Falls on the Baptism River sometimes is advertised as “the highest waterfall entirely within Minnesota.”

A trail bridge crosses the Baptism above the falls, offering a dramatic view of the river valley below. The bridge also marks a good spot to turn around on this out-and-back trail.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.