Up North - July 2017 - Days 5 & 6

July 5, 2017 (Wednesday)

Rainy Lake

Lots of driving…luckily not a lot of traffic and just a small amount of construction.  We headed out early enough to be able to visit all three of the Voyageurs National Park visitor centers. The Ash River Visitor Center was the first visitor center that we came to. The visitor center was housed in the historic Meadwood Lodge that over looked Kebetogame Lake. There were a few hiking trails around, but since we were in a time crunch we passed (it was also really buggy).  Next up was the Lake Kebetogama Visitor Center that was also quite small. Lastly we reached the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. We had some time before the Rainy Lake Grand Tour (boat ride - $30/adult) so we watched the 20 minute film. The boat ride stopped at Little American Island, which explored the 1890’s Rainy Lake gold rush, and we got to view an old commercial fishing camp from the boat.  We saw numerous eagles on the 2+ hour ride.

Leaving the park we stopped at Dairy Queen for a sweet treat before heading back to the campground.

July 6, 2017 (Thursday)

Heading out early we visited the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Visitor Center.  We watched the short film and checked out the displays before taking a peak of the river. There are lots of canoeing, kayaking, and tubing opportunities along the river.  We did not have time to take part in any rides, but it is an area we would like to revisit.

Two Harbors Lighthouse

Once back to the campground we hooked onto the trailer and headed to the next campground – Cascade River State Park in Lutsen, MN. There were numerous pit stops we made along the way. 

Our first pit stop was the Two Harbors Lighthouse. There is a fee to go into the lighthouse, but there are plenty of opportunities to take photos through the fence. There is even a little trail around the site. It was a beautiful place to stop to take in the scenery.

Gooseberry Falls State Park

Gooseberry Falls State Park had gorgeous waterfall views. Parking was crazy and there were a lot of people in the water by the middle and lower falls.  The upper falls was clear of people.

We came across the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. There was a $10/adult fee to get to the lighthouse, which I thought was a little steep. There was a vista point south of the light house that provided a lovey view and we took photos from there. The entry fee does allow you to watch a film and explore the exhibits.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Cascade River State Park

We made it to the Cascade River State Park late afternoon. Mike got us checked in and we located our campsite and then it
started to hail!  The weather was bad for about 15 minutes before clearing. The weather had made the campsite a little muddy.  The campground must have been redone the previous fall. The bathhouse was like brand new. A bonus perk was that it was a short walk to the waterfalls! The trail was a bit muddy but we did get to see the falls. It was a very nice place to take photos.