Tettegouche State Park: High Falls and Two-Step Falls (Blog Hike #314)

Trail: Superior Hiking Trail to High Falls and Two-Step Falls

Hike Location: Tettegouche State Park
Geographic Location: northeast of Silver Bay, MN (47.34468, -91.21436)
Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Dates Hiked: July 2010, July 2017
Overview: An out-and-back hike to two fantastic waterfalls.

Park Information: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00269#homepage

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=722773
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Tettegouche State Park is located on SR 61 4.5 miles northeast of Silver Bay.  Turn right to enter the park, then immediately turn right again on the main park road.  Follow the main park road to its end at the trail center parking lot.

The hike: For my general comments on Tettegouche State Park, see the Shovel Point Trail blog entry.  The hike described here is the most scenic and popular hike among the interior (i.e. non-lakeshore) trails at this park.  The trail leads to 2 large and scenic waterfalls on the Baptism River, passing through some nice forest along the way.

Main Trailhead

            Start at the park’s main trailhead, where a spur of the Superior Hiking Trail leaves the parking area.  This point is labeled as point A on the park map and the information board.  The wide gravel trail climbs steadily on a moderate to steep grade, gaining 100 feet of elevation in 0.25 miles.

At 0.3 miles, the spur trail reaches point B and its intersection with the Superior Hiking Trail.  A sign directs you to turn right to reach waterfalls.  The single-track dirt trail descends gradually through a dark, thick forest featuring aspen, birch, white cedar, and hemlocks.  At 0.6 miles, the trail forks.  The Superior Hiking Trail heads left for High Falls, while a side trail heads right for Two Steps Falls.  To break the climb back up into smaller pieces, I suggest visiting High Falls first and Two Steps Falls second.

The trail descends some wooden steps to quickly arrive at an overlook of High Falls.  At the first overlook your view is obscured by trees, but descending a few more steps will give you a clearer view (you do not need to go all of the way to the river).  Water drops about 40 feet in a single column into a large plunge pool.  Bare rock cliffs line either side of the waterfall, making for a dramatic setting.

High Falls

Baptism River below High Falls

            After you have taken in High Falls, retrace your steps to the trail intersection and angle left to head for Two Steps Falls.  At first the trail maintains a relatively even elevation high above the river.  1 mile into the hike, the campground comes into view through the trees on the right, and soon a spur trail exits right for the campground.

Just past the spur trail’s exit, the steep descent to Two Steps Falls begins.  Elaborate wooden steps lead ever downward; the river can be heard before it will be seen.  At 1.1 miles, you reach the last set of steps as the river finally comes into view.  A platform gives you a great view of the first step, which is directly in front of you, while the second step can be seen through an opening in the trees on your right.  Each step is only about 10 feet high, but the wide river and crashing volume make the falls a nice sight to see.

First step of Two-Step Falls

Second step of Two-Step Falls

            The steps end at the river, but there is no bridge to allow a safe crossing to the other side.  Thus, you will need to climb back up the long sets of wooden steps to get back to the campground spur.  From here, you could return to your car either by retracing your steps along the Superior Hiking Trail or by walking through the campground and along the park road, a shorter but less scenic option.