Waterfall Hikes in Minnesota

Waterfall Hikes in Minnesota at a Glance

This page lists 13 waterfall hikes in Minnesota from the Summit Seeker trail database. Summit elevations run from 690 ft (High Falls (Pigeon River)) to 1,710 ft (Winnewissa Falls).

13 of the 13 routes have a distance we can quote from a published source. The shortest is Cascade River Falls at 0.5 mi; the longest is Middle Falls (Pigeon River) at 4.5 mi. Elevation gain ranges from about 48 ft (Winnewissa Falls) to 98 ft (Hidden Falls (Nerstrand)). Together the quoted routes add up to 22.7 miles of hiking. By their own ratings they break down as 2 easy.

11 of the 13 guides name a specific trailhead or parking area; the others give the summit location and route line only.

Figures are as recorded in each trail's own data and are planning estimates (≈ marks a figure estimated from the mapped track); confirm conditions and route length with the land manager before you go.

Every waterfall hike in Minnesota, with route facts

Trail	Summit	Route	Distance	Gain	Time	Difficulty	Trailhead
Winnewissa Falls	1,710 ft	Circle Trail	0.8 mi loop	48 ft	—	Easy	Pipestone National Monument Visitor Center
Manitou Cascades	1,390 ft	Middle Trail	2 mi round trip	—	—	—	George H. Crosby Manitou State Park main parking area
Hidden Falls (Nerstrand)	1,140 ft	Hidden Falls Trail	1 mi round trip	98 ft	—	Easy	Picnic area parking lot
Wolf Creek Falls	1,050 ft	Wolf Creek Falls Loop	4 mi loop	—	—	—	—
Minneopa Falls	880 ft	Minneopa Falls Access Trail	0.8 mi round trip	—	—	—	Minneopa Falls parking area
High Falls (Baptism River)	840 ft	High Falls Trail	1.4 mi round trip	—	—	—	High Falls Trail trailhead parking lot (past the campground, Tettegouche State Park)
Minnehaha Falls	810 ft	Minnehaha Falls Lower Glen Trail	2.1 mi loop	—	—	—	—
Devil's Kettle	800 ft	—	2 mi round trip	—	—	—	Judge C.R. Magney State Park trailhead (pay station)
Two Step Falls	790 ft	High Falls Trail	1.9 mi round trip	—	—	—	High Falls Trail trailhead parking lot (past the campground, Tettegouche State Park)
Middle Falls (Pigeon River)	770 ft	Middle Falls Trail	4.5 mi round trip	—	—	—	Grand Portage State Park visitor center
Cascade River Falls	720 ft	Cascade River Lower Loop	0.5 mi loop	—	—	—	Highway 61 parking area at the mouth of the Cascade River
Temperance River Falls (Hidden Falls)	720 ft	Temperance River Gorge Trail	0.5 mi round trip	—	—	—	Highway 61 parking lot on the northeast side of the river
High Falls (Pigeon River)	690 ft	High Falls Trail	1.2 mi round trip	—	—	—	Grand Portage State Park visitor center

Route notes

Winnewissa Falls — a 0.8-mile loop via the Circle Trail from Pipestone National Monument Visitor Center, 48 ft of elevation gain, rated Easy. Parking: There is no fee to visit the park or walk the trail..
Manitou Cascades — 2 mi round trip via the Middle Trail from George H. Crosby Manitou State Park main parking area.
Hidden Falls (Nerstrand) — 1 mi round trip via the Hidden Falls Trail from Picnic area parking lot, 98 ft of elevation gain, rated Easy.
Wolf Creek Falls — a 4-mile loop via the Wolf Creek Falls Loop.
Minneopa Falls — 0.8 mi round trip via the Minneopa Falls Access Trail from Minneopa Falls parking area.
High Falls (Baptism River) — 1.4 mi round trip via the High Falls Trail from High Falls Trail trailhead parking lot (past the campground, Tettegouche State Park).
Minnehaha Falls — a 2.1-mile loop via the Minnehaha Falls Lower Glen Trail.
Devil's Kettle — 2 mi round trip from Judge C.R. Magney State Park trailhead (pay station).
Two Step Falls — 1.9 mi round trip via the High Falls Trail from High Falls Trail trailhead parking lot (past the campground, Tettegouche State Park).
Middle Falls (Pigeon River) — 4.5 mi round trip via the Middle Falls Trail from Grand Portage State Park visitor center.
Cascade River Falls — a 0.5-mile loop via the Cascade River Lower Loop from Highway 61 parking area at the mouth of the Cascade River.
Temperance River Falls (Hidden Falls) — 0.5 mi round trip via the Temperance River Gorge Trail from Highway 61 parking lot on the northeast side of the river.
High Falls (Pigeon River) — 1.2 mi round trip via the High Falls Trail from Grand Portage State Park visitor center.

720 ft