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Gunflint Ranger District
Hiking the Bridal Falls Trail
There are two primary methods to get to Bridal Falls. The first one is to arrive by boat via Gunflint Lake. Starting from the public water access towards the west end of the lake, it's about 5.5-miles of paddling or motoring, one way. The second method is to hike to the falls by following the Crab Lake Trail and then the Border Route Trail. The total distance of the hike is roughly 7-miles roundtrip.
Method 1: Coming by boat across Gunflint Lake
The public water acccess for Gunflint Lake is located along South Gunflint Lake Road. To reach it, starting from Grand Marais, drive 44.3-miles up the Gunflint Trail (Cook County Highway 12) and take a right at South Gunflint Lake Road. Drive about 1/2-mile down this gravel road. The public water access parking lot will be on your left. From the public water access, it's about 5.5-miles eastbound across Gunflint Lake to reach the start of the Bridal Falls Trail. There is a nice beach landing at the start of the trail. From the shore of Gunflint Lake to the waterfall is about 0.5-miles. Gunflint Lake is a big lake, so if you are planning on using a small watercraft, make sure it's going to be a nice day, with light winds and no storms. Gunflint Lake can get really rough.
This video shows a virtual hike of the Bridal Falls Trail from the shore of Gunflint Lake to Bridal Falls. This hike was done in the spring when the trail was flooded in many places and there was even some ice left on the trail. The trail roughly follows the creek that flows between Bridal Falls to Gunflint Lake. Most of the trail is flat. It was just a couple days after ice out on Gunflint Lake. There was a lot of water coming over the falls. This trail connects to a spur of the Border Route Trail. The entire hike is about 0.5-miles in length. The waterfall at this time of year is around 100 yards in width and flows through several channels. It is hard to even see the far side of it from the area below the main waterfall because it is so wide during periods of high water.
Method 2: Hiking to Bridal Falls via the shortest/easiest route
Starting in Grand Marais, MN, drive 39-miles up the Gunflint Trail (Cook Cty Hwy 12) to North Loon Lake Road (County Road 51). Take a right. Follow North Loon Lake Road for 0.8-miles to the Crab Lake Trail trailhead. North Loon Lake Road is a narrow, gravel road with lots of sharp turns, so it's kind of slow going. The trailhead has room for at least eight cars. You technically need a BWCA permit for this hike, since you will briefly pass through a short stretch of the Boundary Waters on this hike. Note: During the last visit to this trailhead, I couldn't find a BWCA permit box. From the trailhead, walk about 125 feet or so further up the road and then follow the trail to the right into the woods. This trail is mostly flat and easy to walk. It used to be a road. Follow the Crab Lake Trail for about 1.72-miles until you come to where the trail splits. This is just after it passes the sign indicating you have entered the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. At this 'Y' junction, you want to head to the left. The trail at this point gets more difficult (i.e., elevation changes, rocks, roots, etc) and is just a single-track hiking trail now, unlike the wide road-like trail you've followed to this point. However, it is not overly difficult. This trail is called the Crab Lake Cut-Off. It's named this because it creates a shortcut between the Crab Lake Trail and the Border Route Trail. At the 'Y' junction, if you went to the right instead , you would be following the Crab Lake Spur, but you would still intersect the Border Route Trail, it would just be much further east. The Crab Lake Cut-Off is particularly useful for those hikers going to visit Bridal Falls. Follow the Crab Lake Cut-Off for about 0.65-miles until you come to another 'Y' junction. You have now reached the Border Route Trail. There should be a sign here. You want to head to the left and start hiking down the Border Route Trail towards the west. From the intersection it is almost exactly 1-mile to the Bridal Falls spur trail which will be on your right, shortly after crossing a creek. This spur trail is marked with a sign. There is a beautiful overlook of Gunflint Lake along the way. The Bridal Falls spur trail is a rather steep descent of about 100 feet on a trail perhaps 0.2-miles in length.
A somewhat steep hike downhill from the Border Route Trail to the bottom of Bridal Falls. This is during the spring runoff when water levels are high.
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