North Shore state parks compared

Facts checked against official sources on November 11, 2026

Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Parks: 8 state parks from Gooseberry Falls to Grand Portage
Electric campsites: Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche, Temperance River, Cascade River
Cabins: Tettegouche only
No camping: Grand Portage (day use only)
Vehicle permit: $7 a day or $35 a year; not required at Grand Portage
Booking window: 120 days ahead on ReserveMN

In this guide

All eight parks at a glance
How to choose
Camping in winter
Trails and size
Current alerts worth knowing (November 2026)
Permits and reservations
Before you go

Short answer: Minnesota has eight state parks on the North Shore. From southwest to northeast: Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche, George H. Crosby Manitou, Temperance River, Cascade River, Judge C.R. Magney and Grand Portage. Seven have camping (Grand Portage is day use only), four have electric sites, and only Tettegouche rents cabins. Every park except Grand Portage requires a state park vehicle permit, $7 a day or $35 a year.

This page puts all eight side by side so you can choose a park before reading its own guide. Park numbers come from the Minnesota DNR's park data feed (plus the Grand Portage park map where noted), pulled and checked against the live feed on November 11, 2026. Seasonal status and alerts are as of November 2026. Where two DNR pages disagree, both numbers are shown.

All eight parks at a glance

Parks are listed in driving order from Duluth.

Park	Location (per DNR)	Drive-in sites	Electric	Other sites	Cabins	Winter camping	Signature walk
Gooseberry Falls	About 13 miles northeast of Two Harbors	69	None	3 group camps, 1 kayak-in site	None	Yes; sites 42-44 plowed, others walk or ski in	1-mile accessible trail from the visitor center to the falls
Split Rock Lighthouse	About 20 miles northeast of Two Harbors	46 (Shipwreck Creek)	46	20 cart-in, 4 backpack	None	Cart-in sites, with your own sled or pack; electric sites' winter status unclear (see winter table)	Lakeshore trails; lighthouse is a separate Minnesota Historical Society site
Tettegouche	4.5 miles northeast of Silver Bay	28	21 or 22 (DNR pages differ)	6 walk-in, 13 or 14 cart-in, 5 backpack, canoe-in, group camp	4 at Tettegouche Camp, plus Illgen Falls Cabin	Yes; 8 electric sites, plus walk-in, cart-in and group camp	Shovel Point, and the 60-foot High Falls of the Baptism River
George H. Crosby Manitou	7 miles north of Finland on Lake County Road 7	None	None	20 backpack only	None	Yes; park at the winter lot by the entrance kiosk	Cascades of the Manitou River; Benson Lake boardwalk
Temperance River	1 mile north of Schroeder	52	18	6 cart-in	None	Not listed; campground closed for the season	Trails along the Temperance River gorge
Cascade River	10 miles southwest of Grand Marais	40	21	5 backpack, 2 group camps	None	Yes; 6 or 7 plowed drive-in sites (DNR pages differ)	Half-mile Cascade River Lower Loop to the Cascades and Cascade Falls
Judge C.R. Magney	14 miles northeast of Grand Marais	27	None	None	None	No	Devil's Kettle, 1 mile each way
Grand Portage	About 36 miles north of Grand Marais, at the Canadian border	None	None	None	None	No camping	Paved trail to 120-foot High Falls, 1 mile round trip (1.2 on the park map)

How to choose

You have an RV or trailer. Check the length limit first. The DNR lists 60 feet at Tettegouche and Temperance River, 45 feet at Judge C.R. Magney, 40 feet at Gooseberry Falls and 35 feet at Cascade River. At Split Rock Lighthouse, the DNR says most Shipwreck Creek parking pads are "at least 70 feet long." For hookups, only four parks have electricity: Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche, Temperance River and Cascade River. Temperance River's own page calls itself "one of only four Minnesota state parks on the North Shore with electrical hookups."

You want to camp near the lake. The DNR says Split Rock Lighthouse's 20 cart-in sites are along Lake Superior, while its drive-in campground is on the inland side of Highway 61 with "little or no lake view." Tettegouche's cart-in sites (13 or 14, depending on the DNR page) are near the shore, but its drive-in campground is on the Baptism River, 1.5 miles from the lake. At Temperance River, the DNR says "some sites in the lower campground have an excellent view of the lake."

You want walls and a roof. Tettegouche is the only North Shore state park with cabins: four hike-in cabins at Tettegouche Camp and the drive-up Illgen Falls Cabin. See the Tettegouche camping guide for rates.

You want a backcountry trip. George H. Crosby Manitou has only backpack sites, 20 of them, which the DNR describes as ranging up to 4.5 miles from parking. The DNR's park page gives the shortest as one-half mile in one place and a quarter mile in another. There is no cell service and no office; contact goes through Tettegouche State Park. As of a September 8, 2026 alert, campsite 11 "is gone" after flood damage, and the trail to sites 13 to 16 has been rerouted.

You only want a day stop. Grand Portage is free and has no camping. At Gooseberry Falls, the DNR says no vehicle permit is needed to park in the wayside and visitor center lot.

Cascade Creek running through the forest in Cascade River State Park, Minnesota — Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Camping in winter

Five of the seven camping parks list winter options, but most of them plow only a few sites:

Park	What's open in winter, per the DNR (as of November 2026)
Gooseberry Falls	Camping year-round. After snowfall, "all but 3 campsites (42-44) are walk or ski-in only."
Split Rock Lighthouse	Cart-in sites; carts are not available in winter, so bring a backpack or sled. The DNR's current update also says the 46 electric Shipwreck Creek sites "are open," though another DNR listing gives their season as May to October. Showers and the dump station are closed until an anticipated May 14, 2027.
Tettegouche	Eight electric drive-in sites, plus walk-in, cart-in and group camp if you bring shovels and sleds or packs
George H. Crosby Manitou	Year-round backpack camping; winter parking only at the lot next to the entrance kiosk
Cascade River	All sites closed October 18, 2026 "except for the seven drive-in campsites that are plowed." Another DNR listing says three rustic and three electric sites are plowed.
Temperance River	The DNR says the campground is closed for the season and lists no winter sites
Judge C.R. Magney	"There is no winter camping." Campground closed late October through April

For groomed ski trails, the DNR lists 12 miles of classic trail at Gooseberry Falls, 15.5 miles at Tettegouche and 17 miles at Cascade River. Split Rock Lighthouse has 8.2 miles of groomed trail shared by fat bikers, hikers, skiers and snowshoers. A Great Minnesota Ski Pass is required on groomed ski trails for skiers 16 and older. More in the North Shore in winter.

Trails and size

Park	Acres	Hiking trail miles (DNR)	Superior Hiking Trail through the park
Gooseberry Falls	1,682	20	Connected by a spur
Split Rock Lighthouse	2,260	12	5.8 miles
Tettegouche	9,489	23	About 12 miles
George H. Crosby Manitou	6,159	24	About 5 miles
Temperance River	5,007	22	Main trailhead in the park
Cascade River	5,392	18	Runs through the park
Judge C.R. Magney	4,695	9	Connects
Grand Portage	291	About 6 (park map)	Not listed by the DNR

Current alerts worth knowing (November 2026)

The DNR posts alerts on each park page. These were live as of November 11, 2026, and will change:

Deer hunts, November 7 to 22, 2026: at Gooseberry Falls, trails on the north side of Highway 61 and the Superior Hiking Trail are closed to day use. At Split Rock Lighthouse and Tettegouche, everything on the inland side of Highway 61 is closed except to hunt-permit holders (and, at Split Rock, Shipwreck Creek campers). Lakeside areas stay open. The Split Rock Lighthouse and Tettegouche alerts ask visitors to wear blaze orange or blaze pink; Gooseberry Falls recommends highly visible clothing such as blaze orange.
Tettegouche: the bottom of the steps at High Falls and Two Step Falls has washed out, and the Cascade Trail is closed beyond the first half mile after 2024 flooding.
Temperance River (alert dated July 13, 2026): Carlton Peak Road (Forest Service Road 1201) is "severely washed out," and there is no drinking water in the park over winter.
Cascade River: a June 2026 alert, still posted as of November 2026, says backpack sites 2 to 5 are closed for maintenance.
Judge C.R. Magney (alert dated June 3, 2026): the Superior Hiking Trail north of the Devil's Kettle has flood damage, and day hikes there are not recommended.

Permits and reservations

A Minnesota state park vehicle permit costs $7 for one day or $35 for a year, per the DNR permit page. One year-round permit covers every state park, so on a multi-park North Shore trip it pays for itself by the fifth day permit. Grand Portage is the exception: the DNR says permits "are not required at this park."

All state park campsites are reserved through ReserveMN, up to 120 days ahead, with booking opening at 8 a.m. Central on the first day, according to the DNR reservation FAQ. Nightly fees, per the DNR fee schedule and before tax, run $20 to $35 for drive-in sites, plus $10 for electric. The full process is in the North Shore state park reservations guide.

Before you go

Pick the park by site type first: electric, cart-in, backpack, cabin or day use.
Check the RV length limit if you are towing.
Count back 120 days from your arrival and book on ReserveMN at 8 a.m. Central.
Buy one $35 year-round permit if you will visit five or more park days.
Read the park's alert on its DNR page the week you leave.