Inaccessible – Flooding at Gooseberry Falls in Northern Minnesota

Spring is here - although sometimes the chilly weather might lead you to believe that maybe Winter is trying to hang on a bit longer.

HEAVY RAINFALL AND SNOW MELT HAS AFFECTED HIKING TRAILS

One of the things that Spring does bring to Minnesota is snow melt - obviously and usually quite a bit of rain.  And this year, Northern Minnesota has gotten a lot of snow.  Here in Central Minnesota, that wasn't so much the case, but if you traveled North, you would have seen a lot more snow.  What happens when that melts?  Lots of water runoff.  And when you combine that with some heavy downfalls of rain, it can increase that flooding so much so that it can become dangerous.

NORMALLY GOOSEBERRY FALLS IS A GREAT PARK TO HIKE AROUND IN

I have been to Gooseberry Falls a few times in my life.  The hiking trails are always a great time.  A lot of nature hikes around full of all sorts of picturesque sites.

THIS PAST WEEKEND BROUGHT THE FALLS AND WATER AREAS TO NEW DANGEROUS LEVELS

Over the weekend, the flooding at Gooseberry Falls was making it so the hiking trails were inaccessible.  The falls have turned to white water rapids.  Someone took a video of one of the flood sites, and shared with WCCO.  And that water looks very dangerous.

BEFORE HEADING TO GOOSEBERRY FALLS MAKE SURE TO CHECK WITH THE PARK AND/OR DNR

With this situation, if you were planning on heading up to Gooseberry Falls any time soon, you might want to check with the DNR or with the park itself.  They will be able to tell you where it's safe to hike around, and what areas to avoid.  Or, just wait until everything subsides and they are able to go and make sure all the trails didn't get washed away.

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