Gooseberry Falls

Hiking Club Trail #28

HIKE DETAILS
Date: October 13, 2018
Location: Two Harbors, MN
Length: 2.2 Miles
Difficulty: Easy
Cumulative Hiking Club Miles: 80.3 of 197

Due to my Mom's injury at Sibley State Park we have been on a month break from hiking. She felt better this last week so we thought we should go up to the North Shore and see if we could salvage the last of fall - some charts were saying Northern MN was past peak...

It was worth the drive - fall was in full swing and we were not disappointed!!!

And with it being 45 degrees and a bit windy, what normally would be an insanely crowded State Park was fairly low key. Especially out on the Hiking Club Trail. I have been to this park probably hundreds of times and I think this was the one trail I have never hiked because the trail is across the river - most people make it to the falls and that's it. 

Not to say the park wasn't full - by the time we got there they were expecting lots of people so anyone with a State Park Pass was sent into the park and down by the lake which is about 1.5 miles from the falls.

That being said the trip started with having to put Penny on a bus... This dog is afraid of everything. Good news this allowed me to test the new calming treats I got for her. Turns out they worked not only did I have to drag her onto a bus but we got the last seat which was right in front of another dog (see previous posts Penny has extreme dog anxiety) she didn't even bark... AMAZING - I NEED TO BUY THESE TREATS IN BULK!!!

After crossing the river and getting onto the HCT we maybe saw 8 people all day. The fall colors were amazing from the trees to the ground cover. This trail also has amazing views of the river and Lake Superior for 80% of it. And because you are up high on the ridge the views are spectacular and unlike the views you get from the rest of this park. The trail was mostly flat a few small hills here and there and very little obstacles so it was a perfect trail to try out after an injury.

I could write more but with this one I am just going to let the pictures do the talking - did any of you get up to the North Shore this fall? I've said it before Lake Superior is my happy place and this fall was more colorful than I have seen in years!!!

And I got the 25th Stamp in my Passport Club book - which means I got my Pin and one night of free camping - which means this club has already paid for itself! (I joined this one after the Hiking Club so I am still a couple of parks behind)