We were down to our last week in the Duluth area, and we still hadn’t done all the sightseeing that we had planned. We had to set some priorities. We chose to visit Pattison State Park and Amnicon Falls State Park because they were both about 30 miles from us on the Wisconsin side of the harbor, and we could visit both places in one day.
Our first stop was Pattison State Park.
As the Black River passes through this park, it drops 31 feet over Little Manitou Falls, then forms Interfalls Lake, and continues on until it reaches Big Manitou Falls. Here are some pictures of Little Manitou Falls.
Big Manitou Falls’ vertical drop is 165 feet and is the highest in Wisconsin and the fourth highest east of the Rocky Mountains. Here are some pictures of Big Manitou Falls.
We thought both falls were spectacular! The brownish color of the water comes from the tannin leached from the decaying leaves and roots of vegetation along the river’s path. Black River meanders another five miles then joins the Nemadji River for the final ten mile journey to Lake Superior.
Next we drove over to Amnicon Falls State Park.
The Amnicon River flows through the park. It has produced one of the most beautiful series of waterfalls and cascades in all of the Midwest.
In the heart of the park the river separates into two streams and plunges over three waterfalls of nearly 30 feet each. During good water flow (particularly in the spring) the Amincon fills yet another channel and produces a fourth Falls (not the day we were there though 😔).
In less than two miles through the park, the river falls 180 feet as it tumbles over the rocky escarpment of the Douglas Fault. The water has the same brownish tint as the Black River because of decaying vegetation and tannic acid.
There is also a covered bridge across the river that’s pretty cool. Again, the perfect weather and the beauty of the falls and rapids made the time we spent there wonderfully relaxing.
Well, another adventure is “in the books” and posted on the blog!
So, for now ….. “On the Road Again!”
Betty
Retirement......LOVE IT! 
Sep 05, 2018 @ 19:59:51
Such beautiful pictures! So glad you explained the cause of the brown water. I was going to ask you if it was related to iron. Boy, was I off! 😋 Love you 3. 🤗💕
Sep 05, 2018 @ 21:12:57
Yeah. I kind of figured everyone would be curious about the brown color. People up here call is “root beer tint.” 😂 I guess that at least sounds a little better!