Gooseberry Falls is a pleasant 20 minute drive up the North Shore on scenic highway 61. Combining Lake Superior with the Gooseberry River provides some spectacular scenery. Known as the gateway to the North Shore Scenic Drive, Gooseberry Falls State Park entices visitors to stop and enjoy this area before continuing on the rest of the drive. The Gooseberry River plummets down a wall of rock creating the scenic falls that make the area so popular.
Learn more about the park’s history and nature at the Joseph N. Alexander Visitor Center or explore it yourself on some of the hiking trails that are provided in the area. Listen to the thunderous roar of the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls of the Gooseberry River as it plummets through a rocky gorge. Watch for waves, ships, or the moon rise on Lake Superior from an ancient lava flow known as the Picnic Flow.
Gooseberry Falls State Park was initially classified as a 640-acre scenic Game Preserve owned jointly by the Highway Department and the Department of Conservation. Although the site was acquired as a public hunting ground and game refuge, its striking views of the Gooseberry River and the North Shore of Lake Superior influenced the National Park Service to designate it a state park.
