Devil’s Kettle and Temperance River State Park

After almost 2 days at Cascade River State Park, we went up past Grand Marais to Judge C.R. Magney State Park to cross something off my bucket list- the Devil’s Kettle.  If you have never heard of it, it’s a must see.  Pretty much, it’s a mystery because half the waterfall seems to just disappear.  They have tried dye, ping pong balls, and other tactics to figure out what happens to the other half of the water fall, but so far, nothing has been proven.

The hike to the falls was very pretty, but also semi crowded.  It was the first time on our trip I felt like a tourist, and maybe because it was a Saturday, but there were people everywhere.  The hike itself was pretty easy; stairs, railings, and many small waterfalls and river rocks to stop at on the way.  When we finally reached the kettle,  the water was really high, so seeing the affect was a bit different than the photos I had seen, but overall, just magnificent.

We looked for somewhere to picnic after, but the picnic area wasn’t all that scenic.  It was also starting to sprinkle, so we figured we would just start driving South until we found somewhere pretty to stop.

So we went back through Grand Marais and eventually hit Lutsen where my husband suggested we do the Alpine Slide and it was so FUN!  I highly recommend it.  If you ever want to be Sanka from Cool Runnings this is your chance.  I was too scared to go push the lever forward for max speed, but even at a slower pace, still an adrenaline rush!

We kept driving south until we hit Toft where we found the most perfect picnic spot on Lake Superior at Temperance River State Park.  This park was so pretty, I wish we could have spend the night.  This park was pretty similar to Cascade River in the way that most of the hikes we did climbed up and around both sides of the river bend.  Of course, there were more waterfalls, and we took a moment to hang our hammock between two trees and listen to the water gush.  We tied our dog, Zelda, up on a tree and we would have taken a very nice nap if Zelda hadn’t kept barking at us every five minutes.  Clearly, she wasn’t happy and wanted to keep moving.  So move we did, and after another long day filled with hiking and waterfall watching, we made our way back to Grand Marais for dinner and bed.

The North Shore really has my heart.  If you ever need a short getaway, all you need to go North for adventures.  I hope to get back there sometime before the winter, where are your favorite spots?

Here’s my last post on Cascade River if you are looking for more waterfall pics-

Cascade River State Park – Lutsen, Minnesota