Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Gooseberry Falls

During a midday lull in the migration, Jessa and I made a brief visit to Gooseberry Falls State Park, northeast of Two Harbors. The namesake falls are in three parts; this is Upper Gooseberry Falls. 


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Middle Gooseberry Falls lies almost immediately below but slightly downstream from Minnesota Highway 61. The highway bridge can be seen in these photos; indeed, it's very difficult to find a vantage point to shoot the middle falls without the bridge.



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Below a small riffle... 


...is Lower Gooseberry Falls. The Gooseberry River does not drain a lake and is not fed by springs; it is dependent entirely on rainfall and snowmelt, and its flow is therefore highly variable. The lower falls was rather thin during our visit, and the cobbles below mostly dry. I've seen pictures of it running much heavier.


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All three of these falls are within a mile of the river's mouth, and combined span only a quarter mile. The Gooseberry runs quietly through its lower reaches; in this last photo, Lake Superior can just be seen through the trees at upper right.


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