Gooseberry Falls is where the Gooseberry River tumbles over the edge of an ancient lava plateau on its way to Lake Superior, and it is the first big waterfall you meet on the North Shore. The river drops in three stages, the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls, over steps of dark basalt, and the water is stained the colour of tea by the tannins of the forest. The rock here is the product of an extraordinary event. About 1.1 billion years ago, the continent began to split along a rift that ran from what is now Lake Superior south-west toward Kansas, and enormous volumes of lava poured out, forming thick layers of basalt. The rift failed, but the rock remained, and the lake now fills the depression it left behind.
The state park is one of the most visited in Minnesota, and the stonework at the visitor centre and along the paths, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, is handsome. The Superior Hiking Trail, a long-distance path that runs along the ridge above the lake, passes through the park, and a short walk from the road brings you to the falls. In spring the river is at its fullest, roaring with snowmelt, and in winter the falls freeze into a sculpture of blue ice.
The road, Highway 61, is a lovely ride here, with the lake on one side, the forest on the other, and a smooth surface that rolls along in easy curves. Traffic is heavy in summer and autumn, particularly on weekends, and the car park at the falls fills early, so go in the morning if you can. Black flies and mosquitoes are abundant in June and July, and a little repellent is a good idea. The best season for colour is the last week of September and the first week of October, when the maples and birches on the ridges turn.
Two Harbors, about twenty kilometres south, has fuel, food and supermarkets, and there is a small shop and cafe at the park for a drink and a snack. Pack a windproof layer, since the lake can chill the air, and take your time at the falls. The sound of water, the smell of pine and the cold, clean air are a good reward at the end of a long ride.