Tettegouche State Park ( ) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

state park on the north shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

northeast of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

in Lake County on scenic Minnesota Highway 61. The park's name stems from the Tettegouche Club, an association of local businessmen which purchased the park in 1910 from the Alger-Smith Lumber Company. The club's members protected the area until its sale in 1971 to the deLaittres family. In 1979, the state of Minnesota acquired from the

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Nat ...

, including Tettegouche Camp. The land was added to Baptism River State Park, which was renamed Tettegouche State Park.

Features

The park is and contains six inland lakes (four of which support

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

and one supports

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

fishing), four

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s, and a beach on Lake Superior. The waterfall High Falls located on the

Baptism River The Baptism River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 7, 2012 river of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The river source is the confluence of the East Branch Baptism Ri ...

is the highest waterfall located entirely within Minnesota.High Falls on the Pigeon River is higher, but is on the border with Ontario. The park contains of hiking trails, of ski trails, and access to the Superior Hiking Trail. Tettegouche is bordered to the north by the

Finland State Forest The Finland State Forest is a state forest located near the unincorporated community of Finland in Lake and Cook counties, Minnesota. Of the over , the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources manages a third of the land. The federal United Sta ...

and shares the Red Dot motorized trail with it. The trail is for use by

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

s and

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

s and is the only ATV trail in a state park. The park is one of only four state parks in Minnesota offering rock climbing. Both Shovel Point and Palisade Head cliffs are popular spots offering climbing directly over Lake Superior.

Wildlife

Common wildlife seen at this park includes the

white-tail deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

, hawk,

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

, red squirrel,

snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sin ...

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender b ...

, and beaver. Other wildlife that often roam in this park are Canadian lynx,

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

, river otter, and red fox. On occasion, the timber wolf, coyote, fisher, marten and

northern flying squirrel The northern flying squirrel (''Glaucomys sabrinus'') is one of three species of the genus '' Glaucomys'', the only flying squirrels found in North America.Walker EP, Paradiso JL. 1975. ''Mammals of the World''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Universit ...

can be seen by visitors. The park also has peregrine falcons that nest in the cliffs along Lake Superior.

Amenities

The park contains several camping areas, with drive-in, cart-in, walk-in and kayak-in sites. The Tettegouche Camp, on Mic Mac Lake, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and features four hike-to cabins. One drive-up cabin is available at Illgen Falls. The parking lot at the entrance to the park also serves as a highway rest area, with a visitor center open year-round, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and restrooms and vending machines accessible 24 hours a day. The Baptism River Campground features campsites with and without electric hookups, and a heated building open year-round, with flush toilets and showers; it is the only Minnesota State Park with operational showers in winter. Firewood can be purchased at the park entrance year-round. Five picnic areas are also available with fire rings and tables.

References

External links

Tettegouche State Park

Reservations for Minnesota state parks and trails
{{authority control 1979 establishments in Minnesota Climbing areas of the United States Protected areas established in 1979 Protected areas of Lake County, Minnesota State parks of Minnesota Waterfalls of Minnesota Landforms of Lake County, Minnesota Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Minnesota