Jeffers Petroglyphs State Historic Site and other Minnesota, MN Things to Do Tips

The Jeffers Petroglyphs, in a small prairie surrounded by the farmland of southwestern Minnesota, are images etched into slabs of red rock thousands of years ago. Just as great cathedrals can provide insight into the spiritual life of Europeans over the ages, this serene site on the Minnesota prairie offers a glimpse into the spiritual life of the native peoples who have lived here for centuries.

These stone etchings (Petro/rock Glyphs/writing) depict buffalo, elk, turtles, thunderbirds, weapons and human forms. A very nice Visitor Center operated by the Minnesota Historical Society gives the visitor an orientation to the site. A staff member volunteered to takes us for a personal tour along the trail that leads from the center, to point out and explain the carvings. She left us when a light rain started, but we continued the trail with strong gusts of prairie wind turning our umbrellas inside out. What fun!

The site is open daily in the summer, and Friday-Sunday in May. Admission is $5.00 adults and $3.00 children.

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Phone: 507-628-5591
Address: 27160 County Road 2, Comfrey, MN 56019
Directions: Located three miles east of U.S. Hwy. 71 on Cottonwood County Rd. 10, then one mile south on County Rd. 2.
Website: www.mnhs.org/places/sites/jp

Certainly one of the most photographed lighthouses anywhere, Split Rock Lighthouse was at the top of our itinerary when we made a circle trip around Lake Superior. Shipwrecks from a mighty gale in November, 1905, prompted the construction of this rugged landmark, atop a 130-foot cliff. Today the breathtaking site is preserved as a State Park. There is a modern Visitor Center, and tours are available for both the lighthouse and the restored home of the lighthouse keeper and his family. These offer a glimpse of life in a remote and beautiful setting among some of the world's most dangerous waters.

The State Park is open mid-May through mid-October. Admission is $6 adults and $3 children. Admission also allows entrance into other state parks on the same day (like nearby Gooseberry Falls), or for a few dollars more you can get an annual pass to all Minnesota State Parks.

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Phone: 218-226-6372
Address: 3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Road
Directions: On the north shore of Lake Superior, 20 miles northeast of Two Harbors on MN Hwy. 61.
Website: www.mnhs.org/places/sites/srl

Gooseberry Falls State Park features a series of five beautiful waterfalls that flow under the Lake Superior Northshore Drive (US Hwy. 61) as the Gooseberry River makes its final plunge before reaching the Great Lake. The 30-foot upper falls is on the north side of the bridge.

When we visited here we knew that in front of this upper falls is where Gavin O'Neill (our nephew by marriage) proposed to one of our favorite nieces, Christy Conn. They were both Students in Fargo, ND, at the time. Now they are happily married and living in Cincinnati, with their two small children. Needless to say, this is a very romatic spot. In a spoof, we re-enacted the marriage proposal here as we imagined it to have been. Maybe our imagination was even more dramatic than the reality. It was nauseatingly funny. GRIN.

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Phone: 218-834-3855
Address: 3206 Hwy. 61 East, Two Harbors, MN 55616
Directions: On US Hwy. 61, 6.5 miles southwest of Split Rock Lighthouse, and 39.5 miles northeast of Duluth.
Website: www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/gooseberry_falls

After passing under U.S. Hwy. 61 (see previous tip) the Gooseberry River divides four ways, into two middle falls and two lower falls. These two-tiered falls plunge a total of 60 feet to the last pool, and then the river meanders through a valley to Lake Superior. Several sets of stairs, two footbridges, and a boardwalk form a loop which completely encircles the four falls offering splendid views from every angle.

Other ammenities in Gooseberry Falls State Park include 70 modern campsites, 3 picnic areas, and 18 miles of trails, for hiking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. The park is open year-round. Because of the moderating effects of Lake Superior it is said that temperatures here are generally 10 degrees F warmer in the winter and 10 degrees F cooler in the summer than inland areas of Northeastern Minnesota.

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Phone: 218-834-3855
Address: 3206 Highway 61, Two Harbors, MN 55616
Directions: 13.5 miles north of Two Harbors, on U.S. Hwy. 61.
Website: www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/gooseberry_falls

Standing 18-feet-tall on the shore of Lake Bemidji, is the 2.5 ton statue of the legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe. These statues were constructed in 1937 to celebrate the logging industry booming in Bemidji, and have been a favorite with visitors to Northern Minnesota ever since. The readers of Midwest Living Magazine voted Paul Bunyan and Babe "The Best in the Midwest 2003," Roadside Attraction.

It is still debated whether or not there ever was a real Paul Bunyan, But the myths that grew up around this folk hero surpass all hints of credibility. According to legend, Paul singlehandedly cleared the forests of the Northwest with his ax, and with his feet he stamped out the lakes of Minnesota. Legends also claim he dug the Grand Canyon and piled up the Black Hills, among other feats. What is certain is that you can have your picture made with him when you visit Bemidji, just like we did.

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Phone: 800-458-2223
Directions: Beside the Bemidji Visitor Center, Between the central downtown area of Bemidji and Lake Bemidji .
Website: www.visitbemidji.com

Minnesota's fabled Scenic Highway 61 has been designated by the National Byway Center as one of the most beautiful drives in America. and it has also been named an All American Road. This breathtaking section of highway runs more than 154 miles from Duluth up Lake Superior's North Shore to the Canadian border. The lake is never far from view.

Lake Superior gets its name from the fact that it is the northernmost of the Great Lakes. However, it is truly superior in every way - the biggest, deepest, coldest, and cleanest. This is the largest body of fresh water in the world. It contains one tenth of all the fresh water on earth - as much as all four other great lakes combined, plus three additional lakes the size of Lake Erie. It takes 199 years to replenish itself.

Superior is approximately 350 miles by 160 miles in size with 2,800 miles of shoreline. It averages 500 feet in depth, and is 1,332 feet at the deepest point. With the entire surface frozen, (which has only happened twice in history), there would be enough room for every person on earth to spread out a 12' by 12' picnic blanket.

The Lake is large enough to dramatically affect weather patterns in surrounding areas. Water temperatures never go above 40 F even in summer. Air temperatures along the shore are often ten degrees warmer in winter and 10 degrees cooler in summer than nearby inland areas.

Don't rush up Hwy. 61. Along the way are numerous parks, waterfalls, lighthouses, quaint small towns, and other interesting features to explore.

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Directions: From Duluth to the Canadian border along the Shore of Lake Superior.
Website: www.great-lakes.net/lakes/superior.html