The Minnesota state park and trail system includes nine waysides, most of them along Minnesota State Highway 61 on Lake Superior's North Shore.
These are generally parcels of land too small to be full-fledged state parks, but with more cultural or natural resources than those found at highway waysides and rest areas.
Some Minnesota state waysides are minimalist, with not much more than a parking area and a short trail. Others have sanitation facilities, picnic tables and historic buildings.
These waysides have a parking limit of six hours. Overnight parking is not allowed.
Caribou Falls State Wayside
This is a seasonal wayside. It is not plowed or accessible in the winter. The wayside closes after the first major snowfall - typically in late November - and reopens early May, weather permitting.
Location: N 47° 28.080 W 91° 01.863; Lake County, map it
Picnic area: No tables.
Hiking: There is a 3/4 mile trail within the wayside. A great hike along the Caribou River leads to the base of Caribou Falls (35 foot waterfall), and also provides stunning views of Lake Superior and the Caribou River gorge. The wayside offers access to the Superior Hiking Trail.
Fishing: Caribou River is a designated trout stream.
Sanitation facilities: One vault toilet.
Established: 1947
Devils Track Falls State Wayside
Location: N 47° 46.634 W 90° 16.843; Cook County, map it
Picnic area: No tables.
Hiking: Access to Devils Track is off the Gunflint Trail via the Superior Hiking Trail.
Sanitation facilities: There are no sanitation facilities at this wayside.
Established: 1961
Additional information: It is a two-mile hike, one way, to reach the wayside. From here you can visit Pincushion Mountain, a rock outcrop overlooking Lake Superior.
Flood Bay State Wayside
Location: N 47° 02.304 W 91° 38.547; Lake County, map it
Picnic area: No tables.
Hiking: This area has one of the top beach walks along the North Shore. A long pebble beach leads visitors along the shores of Lake Superior, just outside the city of Two Harbors.
Sanitation facilities: One vault toilet.
Established: 1963
Additional information: Flood Bay has a beautiful wetland area that has quite a bit of beaver activity and waterfowl. Visitors get a chance to see ducks, geese, beaver, and in the spring - otters!
Inspiration Peak State Wayside
Location: N 46° 08.192 W 95° 34.722; Otter Tail County, map it
Picnic area: Yes
Hiking: A winding trail to the summit passes through a beautiful hardwood forest that opens to an expanse of rolling prairie hills.
Sanitation facilities: Yes
Established: 1931
Additional information: The hills that include Inspiration Peak were known to the Ojibwe as "Gaskibugwudjiwe." An early missionary recorded and translated their name to mean "Rustling Leaf Mountains." Early pioneers referred to the peak as Leaf Mountain until Sinclair Lewis, a Nobel-Prize-winning novelist from Minnesota, shared his passion for the peak with his readers. Lewis cherished the "enchanted peace and seclusion of this place for contemplation." After Lewis wrote about the peak, people began calling it Inspiration Peak, and in 1932 this became the official name of the state wayside.
Joseph R. Brown State Wayside
Location: N 44° 41.790 W 95° 19.327; Renville County, map it
Picnic area: One picnic table.
Fishing: There are no public fishing areas within walking distance of the wayside, but around the valley there are many access points to the Minnesota River.
Sanitation facilities: There are no sanitation facilities at this wayside.
Established: 1937
Additional information: This wayside features the ruins of Joseph R. Brown's three-story mansion, destroyed during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
Kodonce River State Wayside
Location: N 47° 47.975 W 90° 09.312; Cook County, map it
Picnic area: There are picnic tables within the rest area off U.S. Highway 61.
Hiking: Access the Kodonce River Gorge via a Superior Hiking Trail spur.
Sanitation facilities: There are no sanitation facilities at this wayside.
Established: 1947
Additional information: Off from the rest area, enjoy a walk down to Lake Superior beachfront along the mouth of the Kodonce River.
Ray Berglund State Wayside
Location: N 47° 36.615 W 90° 46.255; Cook County, map it
Picnic area: Picnic tables located on a nearby bluff within 100 yards, with a view of Lake Superior.
Hiking: A 1/2 mile, primitive trail along the bluffs overlooks the Onion River.
Fishing: The Onion River is a designated trout stream.
Sanitation facilities: There are seasonal sanitation facilities.
Established: 1951
Additional information: This wayside is a memorial to a St. Paul businessman and conservationist, on land donated by his friends and family. Located near the mouth of the Onion River, the site provides a good view of Lake Superior from across U.S. Highway 61 and the Gitchi Gami State Trail.
St. Croix Boom Site State Wayside
Location: N 45° 08.386 W 92° 78.731; Washington County, map it
Picnic area: Yes
Hiking: A half-mile trail along the St. Croix River connects historical and geological markers with the north parking lot, where there are interpretive panels, a large picnic area and a seasonal sanitation facility.
Fishing: Yes, there is shoreline fishing along the St. Croix River.
Note: Access requires walking down a large staircase to the beach area.
Sanitation facilities: Seasonal
Established: 1935-1939
Additional information: Located about 2.5 miles north of Stillwater on State Hwy. 95, the 26-acre Boom Site overlooks a wide area on the St. Croix River where an estimated 15.5 billion feet of logs from the pine forests of the St. Croix valley were gathered and sorted before being floated downstream to sawmills between 1856 and 1914. The Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration developed the site as a roadside recreational area in the 1930s, and it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
Watch a video about the Boom Site to Hastings (1 minute, 8 seconds)
More information about the Wild & Scenic Lower St. Croix River.
Sam Brown Memorial State Wayside
Location: N 45° 35.747 W 96° 50.471; Traverse County, map it
Picnic area: Yes
Sanitation facilities: One vault toilet.
Established: 1929
Additional information: Created to honor Joseph R. Brown's son Samuel J. Brown, the "Paul Revere of the West," who rode 120 miles through a storm on April 19, 1866 to warn of an expected Dakota attack. Learn more about the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. On summer weekends, this wayside features a cabin run by the Browns Valley Historical Society. Contact the museum before visiting: 320-695-2316.