Gooseberry River Falls Trail

Gooseberry Falls State Park is the entry point to Minnesota's North Shore and its five waterfalls — Fifth Falls, Upper Falls, Lower Falls, Middle Falls, and the Lake Superior entry falls — collectively represent the most accessible concentration of Lake Superior watershed waterfalls in the state. The Gooseberry River Falls Trail loops through the gorge where these cascades occur, crossing the river on two bridges that provide midstream perspectives unavailable from the banks. The river drops over a series of Precambrian basalt flows interbedded with red sandstone, the lava sequence similar to those at Copper Falls and Amnicon to the east. Upper and Lower Falls together drop about 30 feet each over near-vertical basalt faces into pools that glow a deep aquamarine in summer, their color intensified by the dark volcanic walls. The cobblestone beach where the Gooseberry River enters Lake Superior can be reached from the falls loop, and the contrast between the intimate gorge and the vast open lake is striking. Steelhead trout ascend the falls pool in April and October, and during these runs anglers line the observation platforms above the lower falls. The visitor center at the US-61 bridge provides an excellent geology orientation and the waterfall viewpoints are accessible from the parking area even for visitors with mobility limitations via a paved path to the main overlook.