Grand Portage State Park

About this park

Grand Portage State Park, established in 1989, holds a genuinely unique status in the Minnesota system: it is the only state park not actually owned by the state, instead operating on land leased for one dollar a year from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, making it the only U.S. state park jointly managed by a state government and a Native American tribe. The park sits directly on the Pigeon River at the very northeastern tip of Minnesota, right at the U.S.-Canada border. The park's centerpiece is High Falls, a 120-foot drop that ranks as Minnesota's tallest waterfall, reachable via an easy, fully wheelchair-accessible half-mile paved trail and boardwalk, a rare combination of a major natural landmark and genuinely universal access. More adventurous visitors can continue along a rugged 3.5-mile trail to Middle Falls, climbing to ridgetop overlooks with sweeping views across Lake Superior and into Canada beyond. As both a state park and a Class 1 Minnesota highway rest area doubling as an Explore Minnesota Travel Information Center, Grand Portage draws a genuinely mixed crowd of dedicated hikers and ordinary highway travelers stopping to stretch their legs. The park is day-use only, with no overnight camping available anywhere on the property, and its remote location at what feels like the literal end of Minnesota's North Shore makes it a deliberate final destination for visitors driving the entire length of Highway 61 rather than a casual stop along the way.