Devil's Kettle hike

For decades, the story was that whatever went into the pothole never came out. In late fall 2016, two DNR hydrologists measured the river's flow above and below the falls and found the numbers essentially matched. The water comes back into the river just downstream. A dye test meant to show it visually was planned for 2017 and never carried out.

The hike there is 1 mile each way with about 175 stairs. The DNR says to plan 1.5 to 2 hours. You need a state park vehicle permit, which you can buy at the trailhead pay station.

The hike at a glance

What to expect on the trail

The route follows the Brule River upstream from the park's main area. You reach viewpoints of the Lower Falls first, then a long stairway, then the Upper Falls, and finally the split in the river where the Devil's Kettle sits.

The stairway is what makes this hike strenuous. Whatever number of steps you count going down, you climb them all again on the way back. If anyone in your group has trouble with long climbs, plan for the return trip, not just the walk in.

The Superior Hiking Trail continues north past the Devil's Kettle. As of a June 3, 2026 park alert, the DNR says the riverside section north of the Kettle "has high water conditions and some flood damage" and that "day hikes to this area are not recommended." Turn around at the Kettle unless the park says otherwise. For other options, see our Superior Hiking Trail day hikes guide.

Safety contacts printed on the DNR park map: dial 911 in an emergency. The Cook County Sheriff is at 218-387-3030.

The mystery, and the measurement

The legend

At the falls, the Brule River divides around a rock outcrop. The east side drops into a plunge pool like any waterfall. The west side pours into a deep pothole, the "kettle," and there is no visible outlet. Over the years, stories spread that sticks, balls and even dyes thrown into the kettle never reappeared downstream. Theories ran from an underground channel to Lake Superior to a fault in the rock.

What the DNR measured (2016)

In late fall 2016, DNR hydrologists Heather Emerson and Jon Libbey measured the river's flow both above and below the falls, according to the DNR's Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine. The logic is simple. If water were leaving the river through the kettle, there would be less water below the falls than above them.

Their readings:

• Above the falls: 123 cubic feet per second
• Several hundred feet below the falls: 121 cubic feet per second

DNR hydrogeologist Jeff Green said the two readings were "essentially the same" and the difference was "within the tolerances of the equipment." His conclusion, as quoted by the DNR: the readings show no loss of water below the kettle, which "confirms the water is resurging in the stream below it."

MPR News reported the finding on February 28, 2017. It said the water reenters the river "pretty close to immediately downstream of the falls."

Why nothing you throw in comes back out

The flow measurements show where the water goes. They don't explain why floating objects never seem to come back. University of Minnesota geologist Calvin Alexander offered an explanation in the MPR story: the kettle likely holds "an unbelievably powerful system of recirculating currents" that grinds up or traps whatever goes in. That is a scientist's explanation, not a tested result.

The dye test that didn't happen

Green and Alexander planned a follow-up for fall 2017. They would pour a fluorescent, biodegradable dye into the pothole and watch where it reentered the river. That would have been the visual proof the measurements could not provide.

In December 2017, Grand Marais public radio station WTIP reported that the researchers did not return to the Brule River that fall. Park manager Pete Mott told WTIP there was not "a significant scientific reason to return," and that research in the park requires permits.

So where does that leave the mystery? The flow data says the water rejoins the river just below the falls, and the DNR treats that as the answer. The single test that would let you watch it happen was never run.

Before you go

• Season: the park is open year-round for day use. Its campground (27 drive-in sites) is open May to October. In winter, the DNR says you can snowshoe anywhere in the park. It does not say whether the stairs are cleared, so call the park at 218-387-6301 before a winter visit.
• Permit math: if you are stopping at several North Shore state parks on the same trip, the $35 year-round permit pays for itself by the fifth $7 day permit. See North Shore state parks compared.
• Getting there: the park is on Highway 61 northeast of Grand Marais. For the full drive and stops along the way, see Duluth to Grand Marais, stop by stop.
• Check for closures: the trail and boardwalk have needed repair work before. In 2021, WTIP reported weekday closures for "trail and boardwalk rehabilitation." Check the DNR park page for current alerts.

Related guides: All North Shore guides · Minnesota hikes and waterfalls · North Shore waterfalls, in driving order · Things to do in Grand Marais

---

Sources

• Minnesota DNR, Judge C.R. Magney State Park map and guide (PDF, 2025): https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_parks/spk00193.pdf
• Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine, "The Devil's Kettle Mystery" (Mar–Apr 2017): https://dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2017/mar-apr/devils-kettle-mystery.html
• MPR News, Dan Kraker, "Hydrologists solve Minnesota's Devil's Kettle Falls mystery" (Feb. 28, 2017): https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/02/28/hydrologists-solve-minnesota-devils-kettle-falls-mystery
• WTIP, Joe Friedrichs, "DNR does not complete dye trace study" (Dec. 17, 2017): https://archive.wtip.org/dnr-does-not-complete-dye-trace-study
• WTIP, "Devil's Kettle trail weekday closures start June 14" (June 2021): https://wtip.org/devils-kettle-trail-weekday-closures-start-june-14/
• Minnesota DNR, Vehicle permits: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/permit.html