High Falls on the Pigeon River is the highest waterfall in Minnesota. It also straddles the international border between Minnesota and Ontario. At High Falls, the Pigeon River drops about 120 feet.
High Falls History
The drops of High Falls and the smaller Middle Falls are not possible to navigate in a canoe or other watercraft. As a result, Anishinaabe (also known as Ojjibwe) and other Indigenous peoples in the region used a portage trail to bypass the falls. The trail is known as Gichi Onigamiing in the Anishinaabe language and the Grand Portage in English. The trail was later used by French, British, and American fur traders who were headed further west beyond Lake Superior into the interior of the continent.
After land cession treaties in the mid-nineteenth century ceded land to the United States and British Canada, the logging industry grew on both sides of the border. On the Canadian side, white pines were cut by Arrow Lake and sent to Whitefish Lake by a log slide at the western end of the lake. Then the logs would float through Whitefish to the Little Whitefish River, to the Arrow River, and to the Pigeon River, where they would finally enter Lake Superior. Some of these white pine were then floated to present-day Thunder Bay and were used as pilings for the docks at the grain elevators. Logs were also cut in nearby areas and floated down other tributaries of the Pigeon River. When standing on the American side of High Falls today, you can still see remnants of the log flume that was used to drop the logs from the top of High Falls to the bottom.
High Falls Location – Minnesota
9393 MN-61, Grand Portage, MN 55605
High Falls Location – Ontario
7671 Hwy 61, Neebing, ON P7L 0A2, Canada
Getting to High Falls from the US and Canada
If you park at the Visitor’s Center at Grand Portage State Park in Minnesota, it’s approximately a half a mile hike to High Falls along a paved path. The path is accessible and at the end of the path is a wooden ramp that leads to accessible viewing platforms. There’s also a set of stairs to an additional viewpoint.
If you park at the Ontario Travel Information Center (the first building on your right after you cross the border), you can take the High Falls Loop Trail in Pigeon River Provincial Park. It’s about a one and a quarter mile single track hike for the loop.
Regardless of which side of the border you access it, you can appreciate High Falls’ rich history and natural beauty. It’s one of my favorite waterfalls in the Lake Superior watershed and definitely worth a stop if you’re doing the Lake Superior Circle Tour. It’s also worth taking the drive from Grand Marais or Thunder Bay to High Falls, even if you don’t plan on crossing the border.
