Summer is winding down and now is a great time to squeeze in one last summer vacation. My family and I recently enjoyed a leisure trip to the Duluth/Superior area - the two cities are about 15 miles apart. We found plenty of outdoor activities to do at Temperance River State Park, located along the shores of Lake Superior. The 200-acre state park is about 80 miles from Duluth. Biking, walking, and climbing on rocks are some of the things available to visitors.

We camped in two different sites that were very private. The sites were very spacious. Most of the sites are built to accommodate tents or campers. The park has 55 campsites with 18 of them having electricity. There are 3 sites that required campers to haul their items in to the site. For the diehards only! The campsites in the park are surrounded by shrubs and wild raspberry plants. When walking around the campground we enjoyed the red, tasty berries.

The Temperance River State Park trails lead to many areas. One trail took us to a river gorge; a wooden bridge connected the two sides of the cliffs. Below the bridge, kids and adults eagerly jumped off the ledges between the gorge and into the cold water. The three ledges had heights of about 10, 20 and 30 feet. The swimmers appeared to be fearless of the heights and cold water; they must have been thick skinned. Those of us on the bridge were awed and in disbelief when watching them. Down at the shoreline, the cold waters didn’t stop some from swimming in Lake Superior, although the swimmers shrieked at how cold the water was.

The shoreline is also great for hiking and climbing up and down the huge rocks near the water. What a workout! The Temperance River State Park has eight miles of hiking trails and many stairs to help you get around the park. Walking and climbing up and down the rocks was fun and challenging! Hikers might want to leave their flip flops at home. These rocks and cliffs are meant for shoes. We had a very active weekend in the park and enjoyed the great outdoors at the same time.

The Temperance River State Park is open year round. As breathtaking as it is in the summer, the brave part of me wants to go there when the snow falls. Winter camping anyone?