Little Cannon River Falls, Minnesota

Minnesota’s North Shore on Lake Superior is the destination for waterfalls in Minnesota, but there are other pockets of waterfalls in southern Minnesota. In and around Minneapolis, there are definitely a few. And south of Minneapolis, there are some scattered around in what seems like quiet farmland. About 45 minutes south of the center of Minneapolis, you can find Little Cannon River Falls.

In many cases, a city name with “Falls” doesn’t have much of waterfall…The city of Cannon Falls, does, though! The Little Cannon River passes through the city of Cannon Falls, and we get this set of falls. There doesn’t seem to be a good estimate of the height of the falls listed online, so I’ve estimated it to be about 20′ total in this specific area. It could be a bit taller. There are a lot of small drops. That’s to say this isn’t the tallest waterfall, but it is an easy waterfall to reach and visit.

There’s a bridge on MN-19 that crosses over the river. The falls start somewhat near that bridge and continue on for a short distance. Mill Street is the main street that has a number of nice restaurants, breweries, and a winery. Parking is available there or at Cannon Valley Trail park a bit upstream. In any case, it’s a relatively peaceful walk on paved trails to the falls.

Directions:

1. Head toward Cannon Falls, which is south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. US-52 runs near Cannon Falls.
2. The two parking areas are, as mentioned, on Mill Street and at Cannon Valley Trail access point on MN-19.
3. If you park at the Cannon Valley Trail access point, the trail is relatively flat and leads to a view of the falls, though is a tiny bit longer. If you park on Mill Street, you do have to go downhill a bit. Veterans Lane runs parallel to the river and has some stairs that lead down to a view.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: ~20′
Length of Hike: 0.1 miles round-trip

Where in the World is Little Cannon River Falls?