Judge C.R. Magney State Park

Elite '09

88

252

Beth F.

Twin Cities, MN

7/21/2009

Its places like this that make me proud to call Minnesota my home state.  The word "incredible" doesn't do it justice.  

We spent 3 nights here last week and absolutely loved every second of it.  There are 27 sites, so the campground is quite a bit smaller than some of the other state parks in the vicinity.  And the campground host did a fantastic job of maintaining the bathrooms, fire pits, etc.  So no complaints there, he was awesome.

When we checked in, our campsite was free of trash and ash, which isn't always true for some of the places I've camped in the past.  I can't help but think the atmosphere encouraged an aura of respect from the other campers as well.  Quiet times were respected.  Children weren't unruly.  Dogs weren't out of control.  Everyone smiled at everybody else.  It was very peaceful.

I don't want everybody and their brother reserving what I thought was the best site so I'm going to keep that piece of information to myself, however, I highly, highly recommend looking at the DNR map before making a reservation.  If you can help it, I'd try to avoid reserving any of the sites that are butt up against the bath house.  Not because they're bad sites (there really aren't any bad sites here) but because the night lights for the bathrooms are intense and they'll be spot-lighting your tent all night long.  Annoying.  

Fortunately the site we stayed at was far enough from the light for nighttime comfort but close enough that if preggo had to get up and pee at 3 a.m., there wouldn't be any problems.

Lastly, the hiking trails in this park are what really make a trip here worthwhile.  The views are breathtaking.  

The hike from the campground up to the Devil's Kettle is about 1.25 miles.  There is an advisory at the head of the trail because there are some steep trails and steep stairways to scale before reaching the falls.  Stay hydrated and know your own limitations, but if you can make it...oh man...it was SO worth it!  

I'll definitely go back.

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Elite '09

166

535

Zachary S.

Saint Paul, MN

9/7/2008

great park.
dramatic jawdropping waterfalls.
seriously.
You just stand there and wonder WTF?
Who knew (probably many) how many falls were along the N. Shore?

But the waterfall splits here.  On one side a normal fall.  To the left (facing) what they call the Devil's Kettle, or bottomless cauldron.  That means the water goes down a giant hole, and they don't know where it winds up.
Normally, the water can be traced to the river downstream somewhere.  Not here.
I imagine happily wading in a tube down the Brule River and being given a choice, left or right.  One gets you a 50 foot fall, surely to your death.  The other:  Who knows?!

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