Jay Cooke State Park 2003

Our second stop on this trip was Jay Cooke State Park.  It is located along the banks of the St. Louis River just south of Duluth, Minnesota.  It's a wonderful park for hiking in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter.

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The series of pictures above are from the deck of the suspension bridge over the St. Louis River.  The bridge started as a swinging bridge many years earlier and has been rebuilt three or four times over the years.  While it looks pretty solid, it still does have motion when you walk across it.



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We decided to hike up the river from the bridge on the far bank.  I really found the rock formations in the river to be very interesting.   I wasn't use to such rouged terrain in and around a river.  I was more familiar with the types of sandy deposits found along rivers like the Mississippi River.



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After following the trail that headed up river, we turned back and follow another trail from the bridge that lead to the high ground of the river valley.  The trails were nicely groomed and easy to hike along.  I believe this particular trail was used for skiing in the winter, as the shelter that we found along the trail seemed to indicate.



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The St. Louis River opened up and got wider a few miles down stream.  We found an overlook that really gave us a good view of the river valley.  In the last picture, you can see the rain clouds of a distant storm.  I don't believe we got rained on much while we were there that time.



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I did find the campsites to be quite roomy, as well as being fairly private.  There were other campsites nearby, but not necessarily in view and you get a chance to get immersed in nature.  Of course, the parting shot as we left the park.