I didn’t know what to expect from Shadow Falls. I was visiting Minnesota and Wisconsin this past weekend, and flew in and out of Minneapolis. I had a few waterfalls in Wisconsin on my list, but I didn’t really have any from Minnesota on my radar. Luckily, I brought one of the books that included Shadow Falls. The description was somewhat helpful, but didn’t really reveal how interesting Shadow Falls could be.
A few years ago, I visited Hidden Falls, which is on the same side of the Mississippi River. It’s an interesting park, but Hidden Falls didn’t have much water and had aspects of human touches. I may have expected that from the photos I saw of Shadow Falls. What I found was a much taller (than I expected) waterfall, definitely a bit more rustic in getting to the falls.
Luckily, it’s a short hike to the falls, but if there’s any rain or water nearby, you’re likely to get a bit muddy. The initial hike to the falls isn’t very difficult. You could get a view of a portion of the falls from the trail above the falls. But if you want to get to the base, it becomes a bit more interesting. There is a trail to the base, but it is a bit slippery and steep. The ground has a lot of clay in it, and this can make shoes very slick. But if you can get down to the base, you realize that the waterfall is much more interesting than it seems from above.
Directions:
- Head to Shadow Falls Park by using Google Maps. (There are so many different ways you could approach it.)
- Really, the trick is deciding where to park. I think there is some parking off of Mississippi River Boulevard near The Monument. On weekends, there is parking available on some of the streets nearby. I parked on Exeter Place, which leads you much closer to the start of the hike.
- The start of the hike is near the intersection of Exeter Place and Mississippi River Boulevard, and is a dirt trail.
Accessibility: 6/10 (moderate)
Height: 20′ / 6 m
Length of Hike: 0.7 miles / 1.1 km round-trip
Where in the World is Shadow Falls?
Waterfall Record 
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