High Falls Trail

High Falls on the Baptism River is the highest waterfall lying entirely within Minnesota, dropping 60 feet over a single basalt ledge into a deep plunge pool surrounded by vertical lava-flow walls. The distinction of being entirely within Minnesota, as opposed to the higher Pigeon River falls on the Canadian border, gives High Falls an official status that draws visitors from across the state to this remote gorge in Tettegouche State Park. The trail from the Baptism River trailhead follows the river upstream through a mature boreal forest, gaining elevation gradually through several forested ravines before dropping to the gorge rim above the falls. The final approach reveals the falls through a gap in the spruce canopy, the white cataract clearly audible before it becomes visible. The observation area at the gorge rim looks directly down the 60-foot drop into the rectangular plunge pool, its walls showing the individual basalt flow contacts as horizontal bands in the cliff face. A suspension footbridge spans the gorge just above the falls, providing access to the opposite bank and views looking upstream into the narrower canyon above. The bridge deck vibrates in the mist-laden updraft from the falls, and the railing cables are often coated in ice well into May. During spring snowmelt the falls volume can triple, filling the gorge with spray that reaches the bridge and soaks observers in a refreshing mist.