Gooseberry Falls State Park

Gorgeous state park north of Duluth in Northern Minnesota that you should definitely take the time to visit. We were lucky enough to go on a Monday in April when it wasn't that crowded. It felt like we had the trails to ourselves. Still lots of snow on the trails, and the river and waterfalls were covered in snow and ice that added to its beauty. We had a great time exploring for two hours before heading home.

There is a decent sized parking lot (though I'm told it gets packed in warmer months). The visitors center is clean, informative, spacious, with a neat gift shop to satisfy all of your outdoorsy heart's desires.

The best part: visitors center, parking, trail access: it's all free!

A must see if you're in the north shore and especially with kiddos. Short hike to the falls. We explored both the upper and lower falls and played in both but the kiddo (5) had more fun in the lower falls. He did walk cautiously out with me and the hubby on the upper falls.

Note - this park is free! Great restroom facilities and a cool place to check out some great background on the park, animals...and a store too for a souvenir.

Our first state park on our road trip up north. Hooray for Minnesota and your State Parks!!! Y'all know me, a quick stop in the visitor center first for chit chat and shopping. There is so many goodies inside, we decided to hike first and go back to shop afterwards. Super friendly staff. Clean bathrooms.
This is actually a pretty busy park, but it is spread out so nicely you are able to still feel the beauty. (It was a Wednesday evening. Saturday the parking was out to the road. Yikes)

Paved sidewalks and gorgeous views. An easy walk makes for a fun stop for all.

I had a nice walk around Gooseberry Falls State Park this afternoon. It was super nice in mid-June with just the right amount of heat and a good breeze. I would imagine that in the winter, this place gets a little uncomfortable being as it is right on Lake Superior but today was nice.

The hiking trails were in good use with quite a few people coming and going. Everyone quite friendly with a wave or a nod or a good afternoon in passing.

Plenty of parking today and I had a surprisingly good cell signal throughout.

[Review 17890 overall - 110 in Minnesota - 1411 of 2022.]

We came here unplanned on a Monday towards the end of October. Of course the leaves were changing colors and it wasn't busy on a Monday.

We parked on the visitors center parking lot where you don't a Minnesota Park permit for your vehicle. The visitor center was great if you need to use the bathroom or get some water or grab a map if you're not familiar with the area! The trails and views were gorgeous for a fall day! We definitely would've stayed longer if we didn't do a day trip. I definitely will plan to come back and do longer hikes to check out all the great sites!

All the parks along the North Shore are great. Gooseberry has a nice gift shop. If you just want ti see the falls you do not need a park sticker. To get down to the shore you need the park pass. Lots of fun at Gooseberry. Great hiking trails, amazing views, peaceful setting.

Nice MN State park, make sure to bring your swimsuit as you can splash or take a quick swim in the falls. There is 2 trails the upper and lower around the falls. The lower pretty much goes directly to the falls. There is other trails as well. Gift shop and restroom on site as well. Vending machines as well.

We need to enact legislation that EVERY Minnesotan check out Gooseberry Falls at least once in their lives. It embodies what is truly Minnesotan: beautiful natural areas that no one likes to brag about (I'm a Minnesotan and a Yelper-so I'll brag for us all). It is free to visit (camping is extra), lots of parking area, walkable trail around all the waterfalls. Don't forget to stop in the Visitor Center! Really nice & knowledgeable park staff there waiting to answer your questions about the area.
Can't wait to come back here on bicycle on the Gitchi Game State Trail!

Beautiful park. We were the only ones hiking to the fifth fall in the rain and fog. We will visit again under better weather. Trails were well marked. The lower falls are easy to walk to for anyone. The bathrooms are plentiful and clean. Gooseberry is a perfect day trip from Duluth.

Gooseberry Falls State Park was one of my best highlights driving along 150-mile North Shore Scenic Drive going up the eastern coast of Minnesota.
To be exact, Gooseberry SP is located just outside the town of Two Harbors, MN.

I visited back in early June of this year, 2021 in late afternoon around 4pm. When I arrived, the parking lot was busy. In fact, I had difficulty finding a space to leave my car.

So overall, I'll say this right now...Gooseberry Falls is very popular. It was congested with a lot of visitors hanging out. Even for coming here at 4pm I felt pretty overwhelmed by the number families and tourists.
But...I could easily understand why this is the star attraction off of North Shore Drive.

Not only do you have 3 beautiful waterfall areas (The Upper, Middle and Lower Falls) to take pictures of, but during summertime you can bring your bathing suit and go swimming as well.
The Middle Falls section is the largest waterfall area of all 3 and there were so many people just lounging around and playing in the waters.

I give this Gooseberry SP credit. Because...the waterfalls are like an oasis of fun. You can snap family photos set upon wonderful surroundings and then hop into the pools of water for up close looks of the falls tumbling down the rock side.
It's a real cool setting and if you're a family with young children...they can spend all day splashing in the pools sort of like a resort/spa combo set in the heart of nature.

Just to back up a moment...

- After finding a parking spot...you'll walk towards the Visitors Center. I'd recommend stopping inside. The VC is complete with everything!
They offer all sorts of great souvenirs/gifts about the park and the other great attractions along North Shore Scenic Drive.
Plus, they sell snacks and drinks as well. You can even have your Parks Pass stamped for those park fanatics.
Gooseberry Falls is one of the best state parks out there that I have visited!

- In terms of the 3 waterfall sections, the Upper Falls stands alone by itself and can be easily accessed by a short walk.
Well...all the waterfalls are easy to get to.
But...the Middle and Lower Falls were situated next to each other and that's where most tourists came to hang out at.

- The Upper Falls were pretty awesome, imo. What makes it great is that in order to view them, you have to walk up to an observation/overlook spot where you can see the waters cascading down in the background. This vista point area was perfect for photo taking.
So...instead of being able to climb on the rocks and swim to the Middle/Lower Falls, here these Upper Falls are the tallest and cannot be accessed other than viewing them from afar.
But I appreciated this aspect and the different perspective for witnessing what makes these Upper Falls special. I used about 20 minutes at the overlook point for a few photos and to record a video.

- I was a little surprised how many people were swimming in the waters by the Middle and Lower Falls. The falls were hard to capture photos of especially with all the strangers around but...I highly recommend hiking the roundtrip falls pathway that circulates around the whole park!
This hiking path is terrific for seeing the Middle and Lower Falls from a distance. When you climb a short boardwalk pathway, you're afforded one giant backdrop of a setting looking out upon all of Gooseberry Falls SP.
This hike was pretty amazing! And after peering down on the park in its entirety (which is also absolutely worthy of a few family photos) if you continue on the walkway, it will lead you to the Upper Falls section.

My advice for exploring Gooseberry SP...
1. Stop in at the Visitors Center.
2. Walk towards the Middle and Lower Falls.
3. Hang out and swim in the Middle and Lower Falls area.
4. From the Lower Falls, return to the pedestrian pathway and start walking away from the action/happenings of the falls and follow the walk through the woods going towards the boardwalk.
5. Climb the steps of the boardwalk to a little viewing spot for a grand moment looking out upon the Middle and Lower Falls within all of Gooseberry SP.
6. Continue along the pathway to see the Upper Falls section.
7. Return back down towards the main plaza area.

In total, all 3 waterfall sections provide unique perspectives for this wonderful part of northeastern Minnesota.

I can't stress enough how pleasant the setting was here for early June. Although it was very crowded even for being towards the tail end of the day, I still felt like I was on vacation from my vacation, lol.

In total, I spent about 3 hours here at the park enjoying the fresh air ambiance while grabbing some memorable pictures.

If there is a next time I come here, I'll definitely take my bathing suit with me.

Gooseberry Falls is without a doubt one of the best state parks out there. And...along all of 150-mile North Shore Scenic Drive it's the host for one giant sanctuary of state parks. So...go and take advantage of being in nature at its finest