Gooseberry Falls State Park
Encyclopedia
Gooseberry Falls State Park is a state park
of Minnesota
, USA, on the North Shore
of Lake Superior
. The park is located in Silver Creek Township
, about 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Two Harbors, Minnesota
in Lake County
on scenic Minnesota Highway 61
. The Joseph N. Alexander visitor center, built in 1996, provides space for interpretive displays, a cinema screening room, and a gift shop.
The park provides 70 non-electric camping sites that are available year-round. There are 18 miles (29 km) of hiking
trails, including 8 miles (12.9 km) of mountain bike
trails. The trails connect to the Superior Hiking Trail
.
The rustic style resources in Gooseberry Falls State Park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps
between 1934 and 1941. The structures are notable for their stone construction, using red, blue, brown, and black granite
. The designs were supervised by the Minnesota Central Design Office of the National Park Service and construction was supervised by two Italian stonemasons.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, USA, on the North Shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. The park is located in Silver Creek Township
Silver Creek Township, Lake County, Minnesota
Silver Creek Township is a township in Lake County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,178 at the 2000 census.Minnesota State Highway 61 serves as a main arterial route in the township.-Geography:...
, about 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Two Harbors, Minnesota
Two Harbors, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,613 people, 1,636 households, and 953 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,120.7 people per square mile . There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 505.9 per square mile...
in Lake County
Lake County, Minnesota
Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 10,866. Its county seat is Two Harbors. Lake County was founded on February 20, 1855, as Superior County, though its name was changed on March 3, of that year to St. Louis County. On March 1, 1856, St...
on scenic Minnesota Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61
Minnesota State Highway 61 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from the junction of Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota 61 in Duluth and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the U.S.-Canadian border near Grand Portage...
. The Joseph N. Alexander visitor center, built in 1996, provides space for interpretive displays, a cinema screening room, and a gift shop.
The park provides 70 non-electric camping sites that are available year-round. There are 18 miles (29 km) of hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails, including 8 miles (12.9 km) of mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
trails. The trails connect to the Superior Hiking Trail
Superior Hiking Trail
The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as The “SHT,” is a 275-mile long footpath in Northeastern Minnesota, which for most of its length follows the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior. The path is 18-inches wide and is set in the middle of a 4 foot clearing. The footpath travels through forests of...
.
The rustic style resources in Gooseberry Falls State Park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
between 1934 and 1941. The structures are notable for their stone construction, using red, blue, brown, and black granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The designs were supervised by the Minnesota Central Design Office of the National Park Service and construction was supervised by two Italian stonemasons.