During a camping trip to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park a few weekends ago, we hiked the Split Rock River Loop. The loop is part of the Superior Hiking Trail and a portion of it is in the state park. The loop is 5 miles if you begin and end at the wayside rest parking lot off Hwy 61.
We hiked up the more difficult west side of the river and back down the easier east side. On the west side, it felt like we were constantly walking uphill and then immediately back down to the river only to go back up again after a few steps. The east side was very flat and easy by comparison. The biggest challenge was running out of water half way through and the water filter not working.
I’ve wanted to do this hike for a while and we had the perfect day for it. It was so beautiful and peaceful and well worth the effort.
This bridge and the next two waterfall pictures are just a few minutes past the parking lot. It was so serene and quiet that it felt like we were already far into the hike.
There are so many waterfalls on the river that we lost count. None of them are on the park map.
The way the trees grow out of the rock walls is always fascinating to me.
Some people think the river is named Split Rock because of this large rock formation.
This bridge marks the half way mark of the loop. It wasn’t as rickety as I expected given the fact that it’s being held in place by ropes attached to a tree and it looks like it could fall over at any moment.
This is what the trail was like for a good portion of the eastern side of the trail. It was pretty flat, without tree roots or rocks on the trail. There was a long stretch that was very muddy and wet. I didn’t take pictures because I was feeling dehydrated and just wanted to focus on getting back to the car. About 1/2 a mile before the end of the trail, it opened up to an amazing view of Lake Superior.
This trail shelter is perfectly placed at the top of the open hill. After the shelter, you walk down a steep grassy hill to Hwy 61 and back to the parking lot.
Minnesota Camping & Hiking 