Minnesota is one of the country’s best states for outdoor fun. With scores of campgrounds, state parks, and wildlife preserves, there’s always a new area to explore. Take Cascade River State Park, for example. Located just 10 miles southwest of Grand Marais and about 265 miles from the Twin Cities, its office is located just off State Highway 61 at mile post 101.

The Cascade River is fast-moving and cuts through black volcanic rocks and into a gorge, creating a spectacular waterfall. Ferns and moss add to the beauty of the park, growing along the river. The park offers views of Lake Superior along numerous hiking trails that lead through forests of birch, spruce, and white cedar.

The park covers over 5000 acres and is home to a number of species across its hilly terrain, including moose, wolves, bears, pine martens, and deer. Bird-watching is also a readily pursued activity with a variety of birds and hawks native to the area, including warblers and chickadees.

RVers will find a number of RV sites to use, making for a comfortable spot to set up camp and stay for a few nights while exploring the area.

Visit PleasureLand RV Center

Before you head out on any road trip this summer, it’s important to get your RV checked over by a technician to help prevent any mechanical mishaps. Stop by PleasureLand RV Center to schedule some service or to tour some new motorhomes.

Visit Tettegouche State Park to explore the North Shore region. The park includes spectacular overlooks, such as Shovel Point, rocky cliffs, inland bluffs, cascading falls, and the historic campground.

Hikers will be in heaven as they explore the miles of trails that wind in and out of scenic overlooks, including some that give a great view of the Sawtooth Mountains.

The park is also know for its rock climbing opportunities. Fishing is also popular, with two lakes specifically made for trout fishing.

Wildlife observers will enjoy the park as well; the wide variety of plant communities in the park supports more than 40 species of mammals. Most commonly seen are white-tailed deer, snowshoe hare, red squirrel and beaver. Less commonly observed are moose, black bear, red fox, and river otter. Occasionally, coyote, fisher pine marten, northern flying squirrel, and even the timber wolf are seen.

Birdwatching is popular. In all, 140 species have been identified living in the park in various seasons. Kinglets, spruce grouse, and many northern warblers nest in bogs and coniferous forests in the summer.

Visit PleasureLand RV Center

Stop by PleasureLand RV Center before you hit the road to make sure that your rig is road worthy. If it’s time to upgrade your RV, or even if you’re shopping for your first, PleasureLand RV Center can help make sure that you get an RV that’s right for you.

Next in our series of fantastic Minnesota state parks, we’ve got Gooseberry Falls State Park. It’s definitely worth a look the next time you’re on the road in your motorhome or travel trailer.

Gooseberry Falls State Park is known as the gateway to the North Shore. It possesses spectacular waterfalls, a river gorge, pristine Lake Superior shoreline, plenty of log and stone structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and north woods wildlife.

Hike or ski to see the Fifth Falls through a forest of evergreens, aspen, and birch, and enjoy camping in modern campsites, picnicking, and relaxing along the Lake Superior shoreline or the Gooseberry River.

Listen to the thunderous roar of the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls of the Gooseberry River as it plummets through a rocky gorge. Watch for waves, ships, or the moon rise on Lake Superior from an ancient lava flow known as the Picnic Flow.

To get the most out of your visit, stop by the Joseph N. Alexander Visitor Center where you can find park information, interpretive displays, a park video, Nature Store, and more. Don’t miss the Gateway Plaza for outdoor interpretive signs on area resources and history.

The park is open daily from 9am to 4pm. You can contact them at 3206 Highway 61 East, Two Harbors, Minnesota.

To get to the park from the town of Two Harbors, follow State Highway 61 northeast approximately 13 miles to the park.

Visit PleasureLand RV Center

Stop by PleasureLand RV Center today before you hit the road to any destination, such as Gooseberry Falls State Park. Tour a motorhome or travel trailer and find the one that’s perfect for you or schedule some maintenance service with our PleasureLand RV Center technicians.

Continuing the series on Minnesota’s state parks, we’ve got Whitewater State Park up next. Sprawled across 2,733 acres, the park is one of Minnesota’s most popular parks, attracting over 250,000 annual visitors and over 50,000 overnight stays.

Dakota Indians named the river Whitewater because it turned milky white in the spring as high water eroded light-colored clay deposits along its banks. In 1851, a treaty opened up most of southern Minnesota for white settlement, including the Whitewater area. Settlers removed much of the native vegetation in order to farm and graze the land. In 1900, flooding related to land use began. Almost two decades later, local citizens lobbied successfully to establish Whitewater State Park to protect some of the most beautiful parts of the valley. After numerous programs were instituted to help control the flooding in the area, including prohibitions on wood harvesting and forming ponds to serve as dikes, the Whitewater Watershed Project is cultivating a return to the area’s natural state.

The park is a wildlife observer’s dream, containing nearly 50 kinds of mammals and upwards of 250 types of birds throughout the year. Some of the more obvious residents are year-long wild turkey and bald eagles.

Hiking is a great activity in the park, as the scenery is gorgeous. Expect picturesque limestone bluffs and deep ravines. These hiking trails rate from easy to challenging.

Fishers will enjoy the park with its brown, brook, and rainbow trout in the park’s spring-fed Whitewater River and Trout Run Creek.

Those just looking to relax will enjoy the sandy beaches and the modern visitor’s center and group center.

Visit PleasureLand RV Center

Stop by PleasureLand RV Center before you visit any state park in Minnesota to make sure that your RV is in good shape to travel. If you need to upgrade your rig, PleasureLand RV Center is the place to shop. Tour our wide inventory of new and used RVs, from Class A motorhomes to fifth wheel trailers.