Animals on the North Shore

Here’s another post for Caleb’s and Sophia’s friends!

North Shore: Split Rock and Gooseberry Falls

I think the thing I loved the most about the North Shore was its peaceful, quiet atmosphere.  I felt like we saw and did a lot without feeling a lot of stress along the way. 

Below is the view of the Split Rock lighthouse from a little island we hopped across a few boulders to get to.  Peaceful.  Did I mention we had great weather while we were up there?

We also stopped by Gooseberry Falls the same day that we stopped at Split Rock State Park.  Gooseberry Falls was the exception to the peaceful atmosphere we enjoyed the rest of the week.  I don’t know if it was because we visited on a Friday or because Gooseberry Falls is the southernmost park on the North Shore, but it was teeming with people.  If we ever go back, I think I’d skip this park and enjoy the others farther north. 

Even though Gooseberry was a bit disappointing, there was an ice cream shop in nearby Two Harbors that was worth the stop!

North Shore: Silver Bay

Halfway through our week on the North Shore we moved from a cabin to a hotel farther south on the shore, partly due to booking our cabin the week before leaving.  But it also allowed us to see a different part of the area without driving so far each day. 

The Americinn we stayed at had a kiddie pool and slide, worth hours of entertainment.  It was a fun change from all the hiking and outdoorsy stuff we had been doing the rest of the week. 

The hotel was also nice in that our room had a door going directly outside.  Sophia and I spent the morning picking flowers before everyone else woke up. (And yes, she wears rocket ship and dinosaur PJs.) 

North Shore: Temperance River Gorge

Our hike through Temperance River Gorge took us near quite a few cliffs…enough to give me a few nightmares of Caleb jumping off cliffs and Sophia sliding down waterfalls as if she were going down a slide.  In reality, the kids did wonderfully and loved seeing all the falls.  We thought about hiking further up the trail to Carlton Peak, but opted to wade across the river and take a different trail back. 

On this vacation, I loved being able to take a leisurely hike and still be able to see something.  A lot of the waterfalls or points of interest were accessible for even a three-year-old.  We’d have breakfast, pack lunch, hike, have a picnic lunch at our destination, possibly play in the water, hike back, and possibly even have time for a nap.  I enjoyed the slower pace and the quiet trails as well as playing with my kids instead of trying to get something else done.

North Shore: Tettegouche State Park

Caleb had fun on this bridge, which he turned into an imaginary train. 

Luke and Sophia exploring and looking for a way to cross the river without getting too wet. 

North Shore: Grand Portage State Park

Grand Portage is close enough to the Canadian border that we saw customs from the car as we turned into the park. The trail at this park is pretty short and mostly paved, so this was a quick but beautiful stop. 

North Shore: Judge C.R. Magney State Park

Throwing rocks in the water:

Taking a break:

Enjoying the scenery:

We loved this park, but be warned—the trail has over 200 stairs.  This picture was taken after Caleb climbed all those stairs!