Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio
Lakes – those naturally occurring, relatively large bodies of water localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land – always fascinate me.
So much so that while in the United States recently, and my sister told me that we would be visiting Lake Superior, I was totally excited! The reason: it contains 10% of the planet’s fresh surface water!
My sister and her husband, Engr. Daniel Chase, live in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (There’s another Grand Rapids, and it is in Michigan). Since we would be leaving at 9 in the morning, I had to wake up early to prepare for our trip: take a shower, don a lot of clothes (as it was very cold outside), and eat breakfast.
Temperance River and Hidden Falls
Travel time took more than two hours from my sister’s place to the North Shore. Before proceeding to see the lake in this part of the United States, we went to see the Temperance River first, which is located between the communities of Schroeder and Tofte on Highway 61. It has campsites, picnic areas, and hiking trails on both sides of the river.
Historical accounts said the Temperance Rivers were first permanently inhabited by Europeans in the 1830s. Settlers had to decide what to name various geographical features. When the geographical surveyors came through the area in 1864, they noticed that one particular river ran into water which was so deep that no sand bar formed at the mouth. Because there was no “bar” that river was named “Temperance.”
We hiked up the river over a ledge rock trail to see the Hidden Falls and the dramatic “drill-bit” gorges. If you are interested in visiting this place, be sure to go there with proper shoes; the trail is mostly rock, with a short uphill climb.
It’s not only the Hidden Falls that was awesome to watch, but the river as well. The waters have sliced a narrow canyon through the ledge rock, where the intensely spinning waters cut the rocks like drill bits.
At last, Lake Superior!
From there, we walked to the North Shore, and took some photos here and there. And of course, I had to touch the water. It is indeed fresh (no, I didn’t taste the water, but I can feel it).
Marveling at its beauty, I gazed at its majestic waters. It looked like an ocean, with its own tides and waves. The maximum wave ever recorded was 9.45 meters – or 31 feet high.
If you’re wondering how huge Lake Superior actually is, consider this fact: it covers 82,000 square kilometers with an average depth of 147 meters (483 feet). The deepest point in the lake, I was told, is 405 meters (1,333 feet). If that’s not enough, then consider this: if the shoreline of Lake Superior were stretched out to a straight line, it would be long enough to reach from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Bahamas (a country of 700 islands and cays in the Atlantic Ocean), and if it were unraveled into a highway, it would extend 2,938 kilometers, the distance from Duluth to Miami.
By surface (about the same size as the state of Maine), Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It is said that there is enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America with water one foot deep. And If all the waters were drained from North America, Lake Superior would be the lowest point of land on the continent.
Because of its tremendous size, Lake Superior has a retention time of 191 years. Retention time measures how long water stays in the lake, based on volume and the mean rate of outflow. It contains three quadrillion (3,000,000,000,000,000) gallons of water or 11,400,000,000,000 liters.
But Lake Superior might not actually be the largest lake in the world. That distinction is held by the Caspian Sea, which lies between Europe and Asia. It covers 371,000 square kilometers, approximately equal to that of Japan’s surface area.
Gooseberry Falls State Park
We stayed for only about thirty minutes on the North Shore, as it was windy and cold. We proceeded next to the Gooseberry Falls State Park, which is in Silver Creek Township. The park surrounds the mouth of the Gooseberry River, and includes Upper, Middle and Lower Gooseberry Falls.
You can take a short accessible trail to the Upper and Middle Falls or hike the longer one-mile falls loop trail. From a distance, you can see a loop around the falls and watch the dramatic panorama of water flowing over the cascading cliffs.
Another suggestion: You can drive to the picnic flow area to explore the basalt rock shore and pebble beaches of Lake Superior.
Split Rock Lighthouse
We ended our Lake Superior tour at the Split Rock Lighthouse in Silver Bay, where we experienced the sights, the history, and the technology behind the signature Minnesota landmark anchored on the rocky coast of Lake Superior.
“A November gale that wrecked nearly 30 ships in 1905 prompted this rugged landmark’s construction,” so goes the story. “While the U.S. Lighthouse Service completed Split Rock Light Station in 1910, it soon became one of Minnesota’s best-known destinations.”
However, when new navigational technology emerged, the use of lighthouses as navigational tools declined. This lighthouse was closed in 1969 by the US Coast Guard. On June 30, 2011, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
As it was fully restored to its original 1910 construction, you can see the lighthouse itself, as well as the fog signal building, oil house, and fully restored keeper’s house. While seeing them, you’ll make several discoveries: the reasons why light stations were built on the cliffs, the challenges that once faced the families that inhabited the area, and the impact of an industry that shaped the world. It’s a self-guided tour so you can explore the site on your own.
If you have time, you can visit its Pebble Beach, which offers an incredible array of flat stones for skipping on the water. It is a short walk from the parking lot and the trail center building.
Split Rock Lighthouse is one of the most visited lighthouses in the US, and it is a favorite place for taking pictures. If you have seen the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby, the lighthouse was featured in the movie. – ###
