‘More and more and more’ leaf-peepers stress state parks along North Shore

SILVER BAY, MINN. – The trailhead parking lot for Bean and Bear lakes, in a corner of Tettegouche State Park, was full by 8:30 a.m. last Saturday. More than 60 vehicles crammed tight. New arrivals slow-rolled in search of a spot.

Soon after, dozens more vehicles lined the shoulders of Penn Boulevard outside the lot. Fall colors hadn’t peaked, but the people drawn to the autumn spectacle were already out in force.

The scene rippled with the energy of an organized athletic event. Daypacks and trekking poles were adjusted. Dogs were brought to heel. Lines formed at two portable toilets.

The fall leaf-seeking crowds have become so numerous at some state parks that the managers don’t advertise them as an autumn destination anymore. The stampede creates traffic control and park maintenance needs that the park isn’t fully equipped for, said park manager Katie Foshay.

“It is trending up everywhere,” Foshay said. “It is just more and more and more people.”

Tom Nett of Duluth didn’t anticipate the crush.

“We were almost going to turn around but thought, ‘OK, let’s give it a try,’” said Nett, who was on the shore with his wife, Molly, to mark their 12th wedding anniversary.

“There is a lot more people up here,” said Steinhacker, who was with his wife, Sara Mairs, son Sam and their blue heeler mix, Ollie.

Bean and Bear lakes sit far from the main visitor center, but they represent the intense pressure that the fall color transformation, peak or not, triggers at their home state park, Tettegouche.

“I do think there is a big uptick for people coming to the shore for fall colors, and I think Tettegouche is the epicenter,” said Nina Simonowicz, who ran the tourist guide NorthShoreVisitor.com for 23 years.

The park is never busier than when the public arrives in waves on weekends near and during peak, generally from the end of September into early October, said Foshay. Camping-heavy holidays such as July 4th and Memorial Day are a clear second.

Daily visitors can hit 5,000 or more, double the number on a typical weekend day, drawn in by the park’s inviting mix of dense hardwoods, Lake Superior views, waterfalls, and camping and hiking options.

As the day stretched last Saturday, the public kept coming. Several miles north up Hwy. 61 from Silver Bay, the Tettegouche main office buzzed with activity.

Several people parked on highway shoulders near a bridge to fish the Baptism River. And when drivers couldn’t find space in the visitor center lot, which also serves as a state wayside rest area, some resorted to an adjacent lot despite the sign: Truck trailers only.

There were picnickers. Others navigated the looping trails to the mouth of the river and its beach. Inside the center, people filled the gift shop. Nearby, park staff cleaned restrooms. There were lattes to make.

“The line for coffees can be double or triple the line to purchase gifts or a park permit,” Foshay said.

The construction of a new High Falls bridge over the Baptism River is also contributing to the crowding. Typically, motorists pile into a small trailhead lot and then hike from the west to the falls, but that lot and trailhead are closed.

Last spring, stewards of the Superior Hiking Trail closed part of the trail to the Bean and Bear overlook, a popular Instagram target, for more than three months as they worked to renovate areas degraded by erosion and high traffic.

Such strain prompted the DNR to limit its typical calls to the public to get outdoors.

The parks and trails division no longer promotes fall color visits to some of its busiest North Shore parks on DNR social platforms, Foshay said. Instead, posts suggest the natural beauty of lesser-known parks, forests or recreation areas that have more capacity at the time.

Simonowicz said she doesn’t know when traveling to view Minnesota fall colors “became a thing,” but she is certain of social media’s role. The rise of the influencers has attracted a younger crowd, too.

Also, Cook County was deemed a place of refuge as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, a winner at keeping virus infection low.

State parks aren’t the only destination for the mobs that show up during the brief window of peak colors.

Farther up the big lake, inland hiking on the Oberg Mountain loop near Tofte or gondola trips to Moose Mountain in Lutsen are popular as well.

Visit Cook County, a tourism organization, tries to balance promotion with preservation, said executive director Linda Jurek. Tourism dollars make up 81% of the county’s economy. More than 1.2 million people visit annually. They spent $220 million in 2022, according to a University of Minnesota study that showed the positive impact on businesses like lodges and restaurants and, for example, the ripple effect on worker wages.

Still, Jurek said her agency attempts to detour tourists to alternative hikes and driving routes; works with groups to spread out their events; and encourages visits on days other than Saturday and Sunday.

“We push our messaging: ‘If you can get away­­, you will have Oberg to yourself on a Wednesday morning.’” she added. “We also push our lodging partners to entice more people to take that trip in the middle of the week.”

“We have to be conscientious of saturation and conscientious of where else we can send people, so we are being good stewards of our area,” Jurek said.

Back at Tettegouche, Foshay isn’t discouraging visitors but she has a few suggestions:

“I still enjoy that people are getting out here and recreating, or visiting for the first time,” she said.

Steinhacker, the repeat North Shore visitor from St. Paul, agreed after the day hike with his family.

They witnessed a broad assortment of families, friends and pets and a few pinch points along the trail, but the vibe was joyful, he said.