Grand Portage State Park: High Falls (Blog Hike #320)

Trail: High Falls Trail

Hike Location: Grand Portage State Park
Geographic Location: northeast of Grand Portage, MN (47.99990, -89.59227)
Length: 1 mile

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Dates Hiked: July 2010, July 2017
Overview: An out-and-back on paved trail to “Minnesota’s” highest waterfall.

Park Information: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00173#homepage

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=943480
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: The state park entrance is located on SR 61 6 miles north of the village of Grand Portage.  Turn left to enter the park, and park in the main asphalt parking lot in front of the Visitor Center.

The hike: With a park entrance only 1000 feet south of Canada (literally!), few people today accidentally wander into the Grand Portage area of Minnesota.  Yet 200 years ago, Grand Portage was located on the main commercial route through this part of the world.  In summers during the early 1800’s, hearty French-Canadian travelers called Voyageurs would leave the city of Montreal and head into the wilderness seeking to buy beaver furs in northern Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and southern Ontario.  Their annual canoe route led up the Ottawa River, then across Lake Nipissing, then through the North Channel of Lake Huron and across Lake Superior to the mouth of the Pigeon River.

            Since some of the best beaver hunting could be had northwest of Lake Superior, the Voyageurs desired to paddle up the Pigeon River (now on the United States-Canadian border) and on to the lakes beyond.  Unfortunately, two high, rocky waterfalls make the Pigeon River impossible to navigate.  Thus, the Voyageurs had to unpack their canoes and carry, or portage, their cargo and canoes around the waterfalls.  As a result, this area became known as Grand Portage, a name it retains today.

            Interestingly, the Voyageurs were not the first people to realize the value of this portage route.  Hundreds of years before the French arrived, the Chippewa Indians called this route Gitchi Onigaming, or “the great carrying place,” for the same reason.  Today, the Chippewa still live on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, which encompasses all of extreme northeast Minnesota.  Thus, this state park land is actually owned by the Chippewa, but they have been kind enough to lease the land to the State of Minnesota for use as a state park.

            You can still hike the Voyageurs’ 9.5 mile one way grand portage route, but it is not located within the state park.  To reach the route itself, you need to backtrack to the town of Grand Portage, the home of Grand Portage National Monument.  Even if you don’t plan to hike the portage route, a stop at the Monument’s Visitor Center is still highly recommended, as it features some interesting exhibits, good Lake Superior views, a nice gift shop, and an excellent film (from the 1960’s in Canada!).  On the other hand, the state park showcases the Pigeon River itself.  The route described here features an outstanding waterfall and lets you see why the Voyageurs had to portage the lower part of the Pigeon River.

Main trailhead near Visitor Center

            The wide paved trail begins on the right side of the Visitor Center with the river and associated marshland on your right.  At this point in its journey, the Pigeon River is calm, muddy, and marshy, giving little indication of the drama that lies ahead.  Upon my visit, the Visitor Center was being renovated, but it was scheduled to reopen later that month.  I suspect it will contain some nice exhibits once it reopens.

            At 0.3 miles, a side trail exits right down some wooden steps, heading for the river bank.  The dirt spur trail makes an interesting side trip, but it was rather overgrown on my visit.  Thus, I chose to stick with the paved trail.  For its entire length the paved trail is wheelchair accessible; only some steps to the waterfall overlooks at the end bar full handicapped access.

A calm Pigeon River below the falls

            At 0.45 miles, you arrive at a trail intersection.  The gravel trail exiting left leads 1.6 moderate miles to Middle Falls, another worthwhile destination.  To reach the main attraction, continue straight as the paved trail turns into a boardwalk.  Also at this intersection is a restroom, an unusual site in the middle of the woods.

            The boardwalk climbs gradually and makes a 180-degree turn to the right before arriving at the main overlook of High Falls.  The Pigeon River is the largest river on Minnesota’s north shore, and hence there is plenty of water volume on this 120-foot drop.  The jagged, nearly vertical dark shale rock wall that forms this waterfall makes for a dramatic, imposing setting.  The waters gather in a small but deep pool before continuing their rollicking journey toward Lake Superior.  The railings on the other side of the river belong to Pigeon River Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada and remind you that the Pigeon River is the international border.  Thus, this waterfall is only partly in Minnesota, raising doubts to its claim of being the “highest in Minnesota.”

High Falls, from a distance

High Falls, up close

            A set of steps leads left to a second overlook of the waterfall, this one from a closer location and different angle.  The High Falls Trail ends at these overlooks, so you will have to retrace your steps first down the boardwalk and then along the paved trail.  If you have time, you can also visit Middle Falls, which would require an additional 3.2 miles of hiking.  Middle Falls are nice, but they are not as high or dramatic as High Falls, and they are easier to reach from Ontario's Pigeon River Provincial Park, which is described elsewhere in this blog.  Thus, most visitors simply follow the paved trail back to the Visitor Center to complete the hike.

Pigeon River, looking downstream from the falls