Spending time along the north shore is always a joy. It's a hike to get to from the cities, but the drive is worth it. I appreciate the camping location off the highway but a quick walk to the lake from the campgrounds. Listening to the waves crash from the campsite is such a calm and relaxing experience. It is a little strange to have parking outside of the actual park for people to visit the two sections on either side of the river. A little inconvenient if you're in the park and want to walk over that way, in my opinion. This is one difficult locations to book for camping if you're looking for a weekend. There is no dump station at this park, so we usually have to drive about 40 min to another park with one. read more

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I almost don't want to disclose how much I adore this state park and it's campgrounds because the more people talk, the greater attraction it becomes. For a newbie camper, I couldn't have asked for a better entry point to experiencing the great outdoors. The bathroom facilities are modern and very clean/well maintained. If you score a campsite right along Lake Superior, consider yourself super lucky because there is no better spot to camp at Temperance. Even with needing to cart in, the brief walk is worth the proximity to water and waking up to the sound of waves. read more

Temperance River State Park - Parks Near Me - Schroeder, Minnesota

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How lucky are we to have unbelievable views right on the shoreline of Lake Superior here in Minnesota? I have to pinch myself sometimes to believe it's real. During your time in Tofte, Lutsen, or on your way to grand Marais, this is a must. Simply pull over and park along the road at the parking lot and follow the sign to the bridge for a spectacular view. It's great in every season! From there, walk towards the shore for some epic shoreline views and some rock and agate hunting. There are so many here! Walk around this area if you're short on time, or if you're in a season that lends itself to hiking, try the Temperance River Falls Loop! I'll be back in summer to this moderate 3-mile stunner :) read more

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My husband and I tent-camped for two nights at the campground at Temperance River State Park in late May, 2023. This review primarily reflects our experience as campers rather than the activities at the state park. Being from Virginia, we weren't sure whether the upper or lower campground would be better for our needs but ultimately decided upon the lower campground because it is lake-side. Note that electric sites are only available in the upper campground but we didn't need electric. Making the reservation on the state park's website was relatively easy. Note that self-payment envelopes are no longer accepted on-site. Cost (4/5). The tent site was $24/night, plus a $7 reservation fee online. Accessing Minnesota state parks also requires a vehicle permit. An annual a pass is $35, and gives assess to all 75 Minnesota state parks and recreation areas from the month of purchase. Alternatively, a one-day permit is $7. Check-in. (Rating: 1/5). In spite of having a reservation and a Minnesota state parks parking pass, it was actually very frustrating to check-in and it ended up taking us at least half-an-hour to register (after a long day driving). There was no signage in the lower campground directing us to check in at the upper campground. Once we were in the correct place, there was no state ranger present in the check-in area, so everything needed to be done electronically. First, I couldn't remember my password for the Minnesota State Parks website. Once in, one needs to go through multiple screens before getting to the right one and my connection from my iPhone kept dropping me. Eventually though it worked. (As an aside, we helped an equally frustrated potential camper who wanted to stay but didn't have a reservation). Lower Campground. (2/5). Sites in the lower campground are well-spaced out on both sides of a dirt loop road. There are also a few cart-in sites wherein carts are provided to haul camping gear to your site from a small parking lot. All of the sites had a picnic table and a fire ring. One particularly nice aspect of the lower campground is that the land that is directly adjacent to the water has picnic tables and grills for common use. That is, the area is not available as a private camping site. Our site, while sufficiently private, was uneven and we were a bit worried about potential run-off from predicted rain. Other problems included that: (1) the campground was very close to Highway 61 (a main artery), and we heard truck traffic late into the night: (2) there was NO potable water in the lower campground. There was a water source/faucet but a sign indicated that it had tested positive for a bacteria and was unsafe to drink. A fellow camper indicated that it hadn't been addressed for over a year. We had to drive to the check-in area in the upper campground to get water that was safe to drink); and (3) there were only vault toilets, and hence no water there either. (Note that both vault toilets were serviced regularly). In contrast, those staying in the upper campground had access to a modern bathroom, showers, and potable water. Location/Scenery/outdoor options. (5/5). As we were using this campground as a base to further explore northward up and back to Grand Portage, we didn't take full advantage of the park's hiking trails and other offerings. We did, however, walk along a riverside trail near the campground to see the impressive Temperance River Gorge. This also afforded a view of the Temperance River beach. We also viewed the foot bridge. (You can stroll down to the foot bridge from a small parking lot on Highway 61 and enjoy views of the lagoon). We would stay at this campground again but would likely prefer a site in the upper campground away from Highway 61. Next time, we'll also try to hike some of the park's trails. read more

Temperance River State Park - Parks Near Me - Schroeder, Minnesota

This was one of my favorites!! Walk along the river and waterfalls. Tons of side trails to extend the fun and take some gorgeous pictures. This one hit all the right notes. I would come back to this State park on repeat. read more

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I believe that these falls are the most amazing on the North Shore. But a word of warning first--keep children away from the edges, and don't take chances yourself. The rocks can get slick, and I personally know someone who DIED after slipping into this river. On the other hand, use the man-made overlooks to get a look down into the falls here. It is AMAZING to see how this river has carved out the rocks, and how it swirls through the various passages. One other note, if you plan to hike all the way up to the upper falls, be aware that from the right side of the river (looking upward), there is no easy access to see the upper falls. read more

On the drive north this is worth a stop! Parked in the spots right on Highway 61 and hiked inland and UP. No park entrance or fees. Snaked on our bellies to hang our heads over cliffs and dangle the camera for neat rushing water photos. Amazing round pools the water and rock have created! There is a foot bridge across the Temperance with a great view that is worth the short hike. Rugged North Shore beauty at it's best! Side note: If you bring small, crazy children who tend to wander off and get in trouble, put them on a leash. The river edge is a cliff! read more

Temperance River State Park - Temperance River - Parks Near Me - Schroeder, Minnesota

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On our visit to the North Shore we hit several state parks, including Temperance. It's an easy pull off from the highway and you can walk right into the park and seeing the great, raging waterfall. Although not a tall one, it was very powerful right before emptying into Lake Superior. read more

Temperance River State Park - Parks Near Me - Schroeder, Minnesota

The best and easiest views of Lake Superior and the falls are close to the parking lot. read more

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Cute little waterfall off the highway, easy pull in but pulling out can be a nightmare. Not much of hike either if you just want to view it from a car you can see it from the bridge. Other wise a small-large hike down depending on where you're trying to get to. read more

Temperance River State Park - View from the bridge - Parks Near Me - Schroeder, Minnesota

State park on both sides of Hwy 61. Best walking paths on the North side. Well marked and easy to more advanced for biking and walking.

We loved this stop along the north shore! We only had an hour and tried to see as much as we could. The trails are well defined and easy to follow and it doesn't take much effort to find a good view. Even though it was freezing cold and raining and foggy we made our way up lots of slippery rocky surfaces further back into the park and it was well worth it. You get to see some truly incredible sights! read more

Temperance River State Park - Parks Near Me - Schroeder, Minnesota

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If I was writing an article just on the park, it would be higher. The hiking, proximity to Lake Superior, the Temperance River, are among the best in the state. The problem is the ranger team. They were intrusive. I mean, they have every right to enforce park laws to display the parking sticker correctly, ask whether we had carried in or gathered firewood (vs buying from them and neither of which we did), and warning us about our dogs not on 6 foot leash, but sheesh. They were in our campsite 3 times in 3 days quoting rules. It is kinda weird to be over the age of 40 and getting apprehensive every time they drove by, which was every 3 hours, thinking, "What now?" Shawn's tip - if you do go, get cart in sites 46/47 if you are with another couple. They are private and just a short carry. 40-44 all have good Lake Superior access and good views of the mouth of the river. The best hike is up the eastern side of the River. It is a good 1.5 miles till it turns up toward the Carlton Peak, which is a tougher hike the closer you get. We turned back. read more

Unexpected stop along the scenic drive up the north shore. This park isn't far from cascade river or tettagouche. It's small but they have an amazingly beautiful waterfall spilling into Lake Superior. At the mouth of the river is a beautiful beach. There are a few vantage points to see from the top. They had some nice camping not far from the falls and i was thoroughly impressed by the cleanliness of their vault toilets in august (not smelly at all). Plenty of parking along the road and a very short walk to the falls. This is a great pitstop on your way up the north shore! read more

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This place is GREAT. You have to have a parks permit for your car, which I think is $4 or $5 per night. We ended up buying the annual pass, which is $25 and is valid one year from the time of purchase. We took one of my dogs, for which there was no extra fee. One thing: try to look at pictures of your site - ours didn't have any shade to speak of in Site 47, but thank God we'd brought a canopy so it was totally fine. The walk-in sites are nice, and each has their own big wheelbarrow to take supplies in and out. This is really nice because it's important to note: BEARS CAN BE AN ISSUE, so campers take all food stuffs out of their site and leave them in the car for the night. And no food in the tent! We stayed on the lower campground in a walk-in site, and our site overlooked the lake with a little path that led directly to the water. Even though it was middle of August, it was a beautiful time to be here. The weather never got above mid-70s, and there was no humidity to speak of. The upper campground has showers and a bathroom with flushing toilets, but I think the others on the lower campground are all pit toilets. They actually aren't bad, though, because they're dug deep and cleaned at least once a day (I thought maybe even twice a day). They smelled a bit in the very early mornings but were fine the rest of the day. I know one or two other reviews said they were bothered by rangers. We never even saw them, though. Our dog was on a 12-ish food lead (their rule says no more than 6) that we just tied to the picnic table (the ground was too hard to get our stake in) and we left her for brief periods while we went back and forth to the car. Luckily, she doesn't bark or fidget too much, so maybe no one noticed. Maybe when the campground isn't full, like it was when we were there, they bother more? The hiking is great here. Going up the Temperance River paths across from the campground, there were lots of other hikers and families. That's probably because we were there at the end of summer, but it looked even more crowded as the week edged toward the weekend - coming here at this time of year, I'd come at the beginning of the week to try to avoid some of the crowds. The river paths are great. I don't like heights AT ALL and I still felt comfortable enough to get close(ish) to the edge to look at the falls, take pictures, etc. There's also waist-high rock walls to stand behind if you want a little barrier between you and the edge. The falls are all definitely worth seeing. Up a little higher the river calms down and we let our dog run around in it. Carlton's Peak is a MUST for hikers. The view from the summit is amazing. You can hike there from the campground or drive to the trailhead. I'd like to let others learn from my experience: the trailhead is NOT on Carlton's Peak Road. REPEAT: NOT. ON. CARLTON'S PEAK. ROAD. We drove up that, even after it turned into a rocky, tiny, one-car path that led to an empty field with a bathroom (same pit toilet as the campground) where we parked. There's a paved road that leads to a paved parking lot, with a marked trailhead. You just have to go up a little ways further from where the campground maps says Carlton's Peak Road is, since the map doesn't cover everything. Later we learned that we should have been looking for the Sawbill Trail road, also marked as Highway 2. Whoops! Along the same road, you should look for the best firewood ever while camping here. Trust me, the bundles you get from the campground are often tiny and don't burn well. Just north of the campground, along the same Sawbill Trail/Highway 2 road that leads to Carlton's Peak, there's a place that sells amazing birch firewood that burns really well. They should have signs up, but the place is down the road just next to the Holiday station, JUST before you pass the station. We got a square (large bin) and a bundle of firewood for $20, and it lasted us through three nights of big campfires till at least midnight. Seriously worth it. As you can tell, had a BLAST here. I would definitely go back if I ever got the chance. And stop for pasties at Betty's Pies in Two Harbors while you're in the area! read more

Many of the trails were closed and for some reason (large storm?) trees were down in the trails that were open Our guide book said to check out the whirlpool just before the falls that acted like a funnel for the river, meaning that if the flow were heavy enough, it would get backed up and begin a twisting larger than life bathtub like effect, only large enough to spin your buick. We were tired. This was our 5th park in 36 hours. We were on our way to our next "hotel" and really wanted to see this. The girl at the park entrance looked at us like we were on heroin. Her: "A whirlpool?" Me: "Yeah, like, where the water TURNS in a circle?" Her: "Maybe you are confused and mean the Cascade River Park up the road." Me: "we were there yesterday, so no, I am not confused." So, the wife, in her wisdom, removed us from the small building and went to the bathroom, and found it our damn selves. This park seems like it could be quite dangerous, slippery and raging. The water isn't so high as to make a whirlpool, but there are many overlooks built into the trail so you can see various parts of the descent, and if you go far enough up, you can see where the water is calm and the river wide enough to wade in, and imagine you are fly fishing or in alaska or some such. whatever floats your boat, you know? Just don't fall in, cuz the lady in the office sure as hell aint going to pull you out. read more

Cold and misty all weekend; hardly saw the lake at all. But I heard it! Upper campground is on a bluff. Lower campground is by the lake. Lots of opportunitys for boulder-hopping, agate-scrounging, and endurance-hiking to Carleton Peak (4 hour round trip). Bring cold weather gear and hiking boots if it's been raining, because there will be mud. read more

This is always a must stop for us on the way up north. There is free parking available right off of Hwy 61 on each side. We like to walk along the shoreline and watch the waves. They have a camping area right by the shoreline with picnic tables that you could use for a picnic lunch after hiking the upper part of the park. read more

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