Treasures on Minnesota’s North Shore

Treasures on Minnesota’s North Shore include 4 waterfalls,

a Tall Ships festival,

and Gordy’s Hi-Hat. (What is THAT?!) 

You shall soon see, but first we will take a hike and witness the waterfalls.  😀

There are obviously MANY more waterfalls on the North Shore, but for this post we are exploring 4 of them.  😉

FYI. This post continues from my previous one. You can read it here, if you missed it.

Gooseberry Falls State Park on Minnesota’s North Shore boasts 4 waterfalls—the Lower, Middle, and Upper Falls, as well as Fifth Falls.

Smooth, pleasant trails

From the appealing visitor center, a short, paved path leads to the treasures of these falls.

The Fifth Falls trail offers a more adventurous trek via a dirt path that meanders alongside the river, featuring wooden and stone stairs to climb.

A North Shore must-see treasure: Gooseberry Falls

The Lower Falls is a scenic waterfall and represents the final, 20-foot drop before the river joins Lake Superior.

You can recognize it by the dead tree in the falls.  🙂

The stunning Middle Falls is just a couple of minutes further up the trail and is the most photographed of the three.

The 35-foot Upper Falls is above the bridge on Highway 61.

The Gooseberry Lower Falls

The stunning Middle Falls of Gooseberry State Park

Another view of Middle Falls with the pedestrian walkway underneath the Highway 61 bridge

Upper Gooseberry Falls

Continuing on, you will climb to the base of Fifth Falls. The path leads up across the river to a nice scenic overlook

before returning downhill on the other side, making a loop.

Everything is a treasure to me: tiny flowers peeking out, unique trees, and bright yellow mushrooms. ♥

We saw all these and more along the path to Fifth Falls.  🙂

We found this cool shelter on the way

So fun

Easy to walk up

Almost there!

The fun Fifth Falls, with foot bridge to get a better view

A more-hidden treasure on the North Shore

One can get close to all these falls, which is refreshing on a hot summer day. In my opinion, the Fifth Falls area was the most fun because of the rock surrounding it. It was easy to climb on with many pits, holes, and cavities, sometimes making tiny waterfalls, as well as caves all along the river.

And, it wasn’t as busy as the other three.

The rock area is expansive and great for exploring

You never know what you will find

I loved the miniature waterfall right beside my feet

They are always watching

Awesome scenery ♥

What a wonderful bridge!

Moving to the next treasure on Minnesota’s North Shore 

Split Rock Lighthouse and State Park were beautiful in all their glory on this perfectly sunny day.

Tours are available for the lighthouse and keeper homes, which we did on our previous visit with much delight.

Quite the treasure!

I’ll share a bit about the lighthouse (as I would want to know).

“It was completed in 1910, after a devastating 1905 storm, by the United States Lighthouse Service for $75,000, including the buildings and the land. It stands 54 feet high perched on the edge of a 130-foot rocky cliff with 1000 watts of ship-stopping power!” 

The sturdy and resolute Split Rock Lighthouse

Unending view of the lake

I love these houses, we got to go inside last time we were here

North Shore History Treasure

I absolutely love the history of the lighthouse and its grounds.

Initially, all materials were brought in by boat and hoisted up the cliff, as no roads existed at the time. Later, a tramway was built from the dock up to the lighthouse and homes, which was much safer.

Stimulating Remnants

The remnants of this tramway can still be observed as you walk the MANY stairs down to shore.

There is an old photo of the tram system with a large boulder nearby. That boulder is still there!

It originally had the name and date of the lighthouse marked on it. So neat!

See the (white) boulder in this old photo?

The boulder today

Remnants of the historical tramway

Steps down to the shore and old boathouse in Split Rock S.P.

For our last night on shore, we were blessed with a luminous full moon. It was so bright!!

I got up around 11:45, and the inside of our cottage was LIGHT, not dark, and the shimmering water was dazzling still!

Just coming up

Looks like Hawaii (10:12 pm)

Still glowing!

The next morning, it was time to say goodbye to our rustic dwelling and shore. The sun sparkled on the water and on us as we left, heading for Duluth and the Tall Ships Festival of Sail.

Three years ago just after our visit, I saw some inviting pictures of old-time ships docked near Two Harbors and knew I had to come back the next time that they did. Thus, this second trip to the Minnesota’s North Shore for more terrific treasure.  😎

(Remember Gordy’s Hi-Hat, I haven’t forgotten!)

The most-appealing photo that drew us back to the North Shore

I didn’t want to say goodbye

A nice mix of color

A subtle sunrise

We will for sure miss this place

Arriving in Duluth, the first sight was the William  A. Irvin freighter, a floating museum in Canal Park near downtown Duluth.

 “Launched in 1937 and 610 feet 9.75 inches in length, this retired vessel served as the flagship for U.S. Steel’s Great Lakes fleet

and is currently located as a tourist attraction in Duluth, Minnesota.”

Fancy guestrooms on board

We toured it back in 2022 and again on this trip of the Treasures on Minnesota’s North Shore.

It was interesting to learn some of the ore-shipping process and see all areas of the ship, especially the sleeping quarters.

There are luxurious staterooms on board for company guests as well as the standard sleeping quarters for the crew.

A fun floating museum in Duluth’s Canal Park

She is ~611 feet long

Even the stairs to the guestrooms were classy!

VERY long!

A view of Canal Park from the deck of the William A. Irvin

I want to share a couple of pictures of some ore docks

because they so intrigue me!  😛

The eerie and awesome ore docks at Two Harbors, MN

Not my photo, but I love it

Like I mentioned above, this whole trip was planned around the Tall Ships Festival of Sail.

“It features a gathering of historic tall ships, offering spectators opportunities to tour vessels, enjoy parades of sail, and experience maritime history.”

Tragic ending

We toured all the vessels, and paid for a sail on the When and If, a historic 63-foot wooden schooner commissioned in 1939 by General George S. Patton. It was named for Patton’s dream to sail it around the world “when and if” he returned from war. Sad note: he died in a car accident in Germany in December 1945 and never got to realize his dream.

There was a lot going on in the seaport. Note the silver aerial lift bridge on the far right and the line of ships on the left. The tower platform you see was for a high-dive competition.

The Pride of Baltimore, a reproduction of a typical early 19th-century “Baltimore clipper” topsail schooner. This was a style of vessel made famous by its success as a privateer during the War of 1812.

This is one of the former Coast Guard’s sea-going buoy tenders, launched in 1944, she served 60 years. It now sits in Duluth harbor as a maritime museum.

The Sundew in her heyday

Time for our cruise on the “When and If.” The crew was all so nice, and enlightened us on sailing and the history of the schooner.

Our turn next!

It was a fun and perfect day

Onboard the When and If

I love his sense of humor  😀

Well, guess what? It’s Gordy’s Hi-Hat time! We left Duluth to head home, staying the night in Mounds City. But on the way, we stopped in Cloquet to eat at the restaurant that was advertised all along the way.

A true and tasty Minnesota Treasure!

Gordy’s. It is a nostalgic, red-checkered-themed, counter-service restaurant with long lines that indicate the start of summer in Northern Minnesota. Renowned for its delicious menu and the generous portion of fries. It’s been family-owned and run since 1960 and was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and often on The Food Network. It’s a gem!

Outside of Gordy’s Hi-Hat

Rick waiting in line

The restaurant was full, so we ate on the covered deck. YUM!

⇑ We traveled through Minneapolis and lush farm land on our way home ⇓

And then went straight down to see Charlie and Liam ♥ ♥ ⇒ ⇒

We couldn’t wait to see them ♥

To summarize this post, we saw scores of Treasures on Minnesota’s North Shore for sure! Beautiful scenery, fun, easy hikes to tantalizing waterfalls, discovered more history, Duluth and the captivating ships, Gordy’s Hi-Hat, and more.

FYI. The Tall Ships Festival of Sail will be in Duluth again this year July 9-12.  Maybe take a road trip, and don’t forget to stop at Gordy’s!  😉

Thanks for being here today. I hope my posts bless you in some way as I share the joy in travel, discovery, and everyday life.

We are BLESSED!

Look for more travel adventure, amazing beauty, and a BIG announcement in my next post.  😉

Beauty and blessings until next time,

Pam

You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11

Relaxing on the shore of Pebble Beach