Need to know:

Where: 5702 MN-61, Silver Bay, MN 55614

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00269#homepage

Was it worth it? Yes, I give it a 10/10!

Highlight: Two Step Falls and Illgen Falls

Suggested time here: Overnight camping if possible or at a very minimum 2+ hours to see the main sights

When we visited? August 2020

Getting there

On the drive up to Tettegouche State Park from the Twin Cities there are a couple MUST SEE stops along the way! Aside from a pit stop at Tobies Bakery in Hinckley, read on to discover a few other great places!

Black Beach

Another pit stop is Minnesota’s only black sand beach! You can find this one of a kind spot in the town of Silver Bay. Here is my post on Black Beach.

Palisade Head

This was a fairly quick stop for us but DEFINTELY worth it! The views are breathtaking! Parking is limited, especially up at the top of the hill, so try to get there on a weekday if possible. I’ve included a map at the bottom of this page.

One important thing to note is that there are NO guard rails here so if you have small children, unless you can wear them in a carrier or use a kid leash (kidding, I do NOT condone kid leashes), I’d suggest waiting to visit this spot until they are a bit older because the drop offs are intense! I kept warning the boys that I was not going to jump down after them if they fell.

There are lots of amazing lookout points and if you’re lucky, you’ll see some rock climbers doing their thing! There are some paths to follow so we hiked around for about an hour here. It would be a fantastic spot for a picnic, a sunrise/sunset or a date 😉 I couldn’t fully relax and soak up the views here because I have a wild 8 year old who just worries me around cliffs!

Camping at Tettegouche State Park

This is a POPULAR state park! So popular in fact that camping reservations in the summer are usually very hard to find unless you plan way ahead (which of course I rarely do). We lucked out and scored a last minute cancellation but unfortunately it was only for one night. Oh well, we made the most out of a short time!

We stayed in a drive in electric site at the Baptism River campground. It was a nice, shady spot that was wooded on both sides so you couldn’t see any neighbors. My kids were disappointed when we pulled in that there was no playground but that only lasted until we discovered the nearby falls. Here is Tettegouche’s reservations website. They have electric, drive-in, walk-in, backpack, cart-in, group and camper cabins available. Learn from me, don’t do what I did and wait until the last minute to book!

Two Step Falls in Tettegouche

Two Step Falls was about a 0.5 mile easy hike from our campsite. This was our FAVE set of falls! We hiked here in the late afternoon and had the place to ourselves! It’s easy to spend a few hours throwing rocks in the water and climbing around. All complaints of the lack of playground were gone by this time.

High Falls in Tettegouche

It was a short hike from Two Step Falls to High Falls but it did involve quite a few stairs. Again, we lucked out and there was not a soul around! For a summer day, this was such a nice surprise! We took some time hanging out here but the boys fave part was the bridge. We stayed until sunset and then went back to camp.

Illgen Falls

Illgen Falls is a short drive away from the campground but is not accessible from inside the state park. I’ve included a map below. There are a few parking spots on the side of the road but if you were just driving by, it’d be really easy to miss this if you were expecting a big sign and lot. After parking, the falls are just a few minutes walk down the trail. Once again, we were the only ones around and we spent hours playing on the rocks! I read that this place can get busy on hot days and that would’ve been a blast to splash around in the water. We’ll be back in the heat of summer for sure!

Put these places on your must see ‘Up North’ List!

I would highly recommend visiting all of the places on this page! I wish we had longer than one night of camping on this trip but that just leaves us with more to see on a future visit!

Have you been to Tettegouche State Park? If yes, what was your fave part? If not, will you be putting it on your Minnesota Bucket List?

Happy Exploring!

More Info:

• Tettegouche State Park Trail Map
• The state park has camping and camper cabins & year round camping is available
• There are a few private campgrounds in the area as well
• Plan for at least one overnight in the area if possible
• Check out DNR’s Weekend Up North Waterfall Itinerary
• MN State Park fees apply