Hidden away in Gurney, Wisconsin-it was only a 23 minute (15miles) drive from Copper Falls State…read morePark. Well, you're obviously into waterfalls-why not go to an less travelled waterfalls? Maybe this is a rhetorical question, but we didn't know that this little gem was so close by. Yes, there are steps to view the best vista of the falls. Believe me-it's worth it. Bring your sneakers or hiking boots because you are gonna wanna check out this area and it's not set up for lots of tourists (i.e. dirt trails not asphalt trails). Bathrooms are kinda rustic too. There's a shelter by the parking area. I only wish I could have gotten here by bicycle *sigh*

Very nice experience. Beautiful falls and just a short walk from lot. There are a few stairs.read more

We hiked the Lakeshore Trail from the Meyers Beach parking lot. (National Park Service. $5 parking…read morefee; $2.50 if you have a Senior Pass or Access Pass. May, 2023). As noted by others, this is a launch point for kayaks to launch for views of the sea caves and cliffs. We were at this location twice in late May, 2023, and national park Rangers were there on both days (Wednesday, Friday) ensuring that kayakers were prepared for the rough and cold waters, and to provide guidance to hikers. There are clean vault toilets at the location. Regarding the Lakeshore Hike, we did about 2.2 miles of the hike, returning on the same trail to make it about 4.4 miles roundtrip. The trail continues to a campground site (I believe NPS reservations are required) but we didn't go that far. The first 1.8 miles are largely inland, without views of Lake Superior. Of this segment, the first 0.7 miles are almost completely on a double plank boardwalk that goes over swampy land in parts. It requires some stepping up and down on planks, following terrain changes. After you cross a service road at 0.7 miles, the trail alternates between plank boards and regular trails. As you approach the crevasse at 1.8 miles, there are quite a few ascents and descents wherein you go down to a stream-bed and then back up. Some of these are steep but have logs to help with footing. The stream crossings all had sturdy boards or bridges to cross. At 1.8 miles, you reach the crevasse area with views of Lake Superior. Take a look on both sides to see sea caves and the deep crevasse. There are benches here too so it made a great lunch spot. Be careful not to get too close to the edges. It's a long way down! Beyond the crevasse, walk another 0.4 miles to the "basin". This stretch is relatively easy (flat) walking with spectacular views. My husband, who has been hiking in the Himalayas recently, found the entire trail to be easy. For me, I'd characterize it as moderately challenging. On the positive side, there is very little elevation change, so I wasn't huffing and puffing. However, I have balance issues, so I didn't particularly like the footing for the ascents/descents to the stream beds nor all of the roots on the trail. Some of the steps up and down, even on the boardwalk, were also a bit too high for my short legs! Having walked with hiking poles and an occasional hand from my husband helped. Finally, remember bug spray. The mosquitoes are active. 4-star rating overall instead of 5 due to distance required to walk to get views of the sea caves and mosquitoes. 5 stars for the Park Service.

You have to come check out the sea caves on the shoreline of Lake Superior. Meyers beach is the…read morelaunching point for kayaks. It's also the location for the hiking trail. The views from the water are beautiful! I highly recommend the water instead of the walking trail. There are multiple vendors you can rent kayaks and wet suits from. You can even take a guided tour. We personally, have our own kayaks and decided to do our own trip. The DNR do sit at the beach and give you the whole spiel on safety and risks. It is recommended to use sea kayaks due to the rough waters of Lake Superior. We have used normal lake kayaks and used good judgement on the water/ weather conditions. Both times were just fine on the normal kayaks. Just be careful. The waters are freezing all year-round and if you do go overboard near the caves there's no good spot to pull off. Check out my pics of the stunning caves!

Copper Falls State Park is often ranked among Wisconsin's top state parks, and it's easy to see…read morewhy. Located in the Northwoods of northern Wisconsin, the park's highlight is the Doughboy Trail, a well-developed two-mile loop that offers excellent views of both Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls. The trail is easy to follow, well-maintained, and includes several scenic overlooks. Because of its distance--several hours from cities like Madison--I recommend combining a visit with other Northwoods attractions. A great option is to stop here while exploring the Apostle Islands or the Bayfield area. Once inside the park, follow the main road past the ranger station until it ends at the parking lot, where you'll find restrooms and the Doughboy Trailhead. This is a beautiful park and well worth the stop, especially if you plan it alongside other northern Wisconsin adventures.

As we traveled north, we stopped at several state parks, and Copper Falls stood out as one of the…read moreprettiest--often noted in reviews for having the highest waterfall in the area. We were able to park easily and walk a short, fairly easy loop to reach the falls. The view of the waterfall was beautiful, though the trail itself isn't very shaded. Thankfully, the weather was mild during our visit, which made for a pleasant stop. Parking was plentiful, and the park overall felt accessible and well maintained. A worthwhile stop for an hour or so if you're exploring northern Wisconsin.

This place is always on our stopping list when we're up north…read more The falls being easily accessible are also a great place to put your feet in the water and throw rocks. The visitor center is also very nice and well equipped with the extra bonus of ice cream treats!

Because this state park has a rest area, the admission is free. You only need to pay entry if…read moreyou're going to the campground or driving down to the Lakeshore. You can see the Falls and hike the upper areas for free. Friendly staff, small nature, center, restrooms, vending. Ample free parking. The fall cells are pretty cool. It was fairly busy so there were a lot of people around. If you walk to the other side of the highway and hike up there, there are far fewer people.

Beautiful and strenuous hike up to the dome. One of my favorite hikes in the area. At the end of…read morethe hike, the short walk to the falls is always a nice treat.

Please be prepared with walking sticks if you need it is a short path the beginning is very easy…read morebut as it goes on you'll cross muddy river bed with lots of slippery rocks a few times, so just saying be prepared it's not a walk in the park(The beginning is groomed and wide shortly after it does get real). The view is fantastic the waterfall is beautiful just be prepared with a little bit of bug spray and perhaps a bug net over your face seem to of worked for plenty of people. I will not post a picture of the view from Saint peters Dome because that's for you to see for yourself it's gorgeous!!!

Minnesota really does their state parks correctly - they sometimes double as rest stops for weary…read moretravelers. It's totally a win-win. The rest stop area of the state park visitor center was very nice. Picture windows let the outside sunlight in. Vending machines were well stocked, and the washrooms were spacious and clean. The visitor center was large, with an area with exhibits and displays about the history and the natural features of the park. The information desk abuts this area. There's a gift shop that sells souvenirs and last minute hiking/camping items. There's also ice cream and small snacks. If you want to spend significant time outside here during the summer and forgot mosquito repellent, I highly recommend picking up a canister of 40% DEET. You'll definitely need it!

This is my favorite state park in Minnesota (of the 75). It's about 3-1/2 hours from the Twin…read moreCities (northeast of Duluth). It has the most spectacular vistas and is a hiker's paradise. The cascading 60 foot High Falls waterfall into the Baptism River are beautiful, as are the view of Lake Superior. Palisade Head is not to be missed, either. The are ample bird watching opportunities in the park as well.

Visit for the Sea Caves! We spent 4 days in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore - 3 days of…read morecamping on Sand Island and a full day touring the surrounding area. Skip Madeline Island if your schedule is tight. Highlights: Sea Caves - my favorites were the northeastern edge of Sand Island (next to Justice Bay). They are so breathtakingly beautiful, especially in sunrise or sunset lighting. Since we took our boat, we were able to get up close to see all the spectacular details. If you don't have a boat, rent kayaks and a tour guide to get up close views. Grand Tour - we drove to Bayfield to ride a large catamaran boat for a 3 hour tour of the Apostle Islands. Visitor Centers - they were full of interesting info and has some fun merch for souvenirs. Many people rave about their experience visiting Madeline Island (the largest island) which isn't actually a part of the National Lakeshore, but we found it rather outdated and boring and left on the very next ferry.

Great area with some beautiful scenery. We stopped at 2 mainland visitor centers for about 30…read moreminutes each and learned a bit about the islands. The Little Sand Lake visitor center we could have actually spent more time if we'd had the luxury but we had an appointment to keep. I could see spending about an hour there. I recommend visiting both centers and taking a ferry/tour of the islands. If you want to do it all give yourself 3+ days. Otherwise you could probably hit the highlights in 1.5 days.

Small state park. Nice short hiking loops. The falls are very scenic. Nice covered bridge. The…read morestaff at the visitor center are very friendly. There is a campground. It was empty when I was there in early June.

Park in the Covered Bridge lot. Gorgeous view of the falls. No hiking needed! Well maintained…read more Bathroom facilities are cleaned weekly, not daily. Worth the stop!!

Hidden gem on the South Shore of Superior! Located just out of Port Wing on Big Pete Road, you can…read morehave the best of both worlds: clean unpopulated beach on Lake Superior AND a beautiful boreal forest! Park along Big Pete Road or walk in...you won't regret it!

We rented a cabin cruiser from Brad and Karen for a day. Boat was in great shape and they were…read moresuper knowledgeable and accommodating, moving our reservation twice for us. Once on the account of bad planning on my part and once on the account of weather. I can't recommend them enough.

Wow, what a find! I really wanted to take a boat tour while I was visiting the Apostle Islands so I…read morecould see the fun sites you can't really see from shore in Bayfield or on Madeline. Karen at Adventure Tours was a total rockstar in helping me get a tour booked. I came a bit early in the season and with my dog, so getting a date and a group willing to travel with a dog was a bit challenging. Karen was constantly communicating with me while I was up there trying to find a group for me to go out on the boat with. And she did! We'd been chatting back and forth while she was checking the best date for the weather, and we were able to have a wonderful tour! Captain Lauren was likewise a rockstar and our all-lady tour (except for my male pup) was a total blast. I love that this tour was in a smaller speedboat and there were only four of us plus dog plus Captain Lauren. We got to chat and mention things we might want to know and see, and Lauren was a trove of information and fun facts. We also were able to get closer to some of the cooler islands and rock formations than the huge commerical tour boats we saw further out in the water. We got to naviate inside some of the sea caves and look out at the big boats who couldn't fit or get this close. This was 100% the way to go for a water tour. I cannot recommend this option enough, and extra love for being dog friendly.