MINNESOTA BAPTISM
We decided to start out with a 3-mile hike to High
Falls on the Baptism River in Tettegouche State Park. This is one of several parks in Minnesota
that charge a fee for parking in some areas but are free in others. This was confusing, but we decided not to
overthink it. We parked in a free lot,
which meant having to walk a few extra minutes.
Of course walking was our actual plan for the
day, so that didn’t make any real difference to us.
We followed connecting trails to the actual
trailhead parking lot and started up the trail.
The trail stays on the hillside high above the Baptism River. It’s a pleasant walk, though it was busy on
the Sunday after July 4th.
After a mile or so we reached a junction with the side trail down to Two
Step Falls. That turned out to be the
hardest part of the hike. It was a steep
descent, with lots of stairs and some big rocks.
We reached the river at the edge of a large
pool. That pool is at the base of the
lower section of Two Step Falls. The
lower section is a small but scenic cascade.
The upper section is just above, but out of sight. A rock scramble next to the lower drop is
necessary to view the upper portion. I
didn’t think I could do it with Jackson on my back. I thought about leaving him with Christy and
running up there, but I decided to have lunch instead.
Afterwards we made the steep climb back up to the
main trail. We followed it for a few
minutes before beginning the steep descent to the base of 70’ High Falls. The first thing that we noticed when we
arrived was that there were A LOT of people there. Luckily, there is an expansive rocky sand bar
along the river downstream from the base.
There was plenty of room to spread out.
Even better, I was able to get photos without anyone in the way. The cloudy forecast had failed to
materialize, but the light wasn’t terrible.
I spent some time with the camera and my phone while Christy hung out
with Jackson.
Northern Minnesota had been in a drought earlier in
the summer, and I had worried that water levels would be disappointing. Apparently the area
had gotten a decent amount of rain, because the Baptism River and all of the
other streams we visited had good flow.
We hung out there for an hour or so before heading
back. The return hike was uneventful,
except for passing someone carrying a baby in their arms. I thought the hike was a little tough with
Jackson in the pack on my back. I can’t
imagine going all that way with a baby in my arms!
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