North Shore Drive - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 551

to a scenic overlook where the most dramatic views are available early in the morning,
when the rays of the rising sun fire the rock and gild the dwarf spruces that cling to its
crevices.
6. Tettegouche State Park
From Palisade Head you can look north and spot Shovel Point, the 170-foot-high mono-
lithic remnants of ancient lava flows. Atop the reddish-black rock that forms the eastern
boundaryofTettegoucheStatePark,wintergalesandicysprayhaverazoreddownthestub-
born dwarf spruce to a fuzzy crown. Although the park covers barely a mile of shoreline,
its 9,000 acres encompass four lakes, undisturbed groves of northern hardwoods, and the
Baptism River, whose 70-foot falls are among the highest in the state.
7. George Crosby-Manitou State Park
The George Crosby-Manitou State Park is located a short distance inland on Rte. 7. This
road, built on the grade of an old logging railroad, is a reminder that timber was once
the chief industry in the great northern woods. Severe deforestation left the North Shore a
batteredlandscape,buttheonlyremainingevidencetodayisanoccasionalthree-footwhite
pine stump, moss-covered and moldering beneath the new growth. The revived ecosystem
supports moose, black bears, and timber wolves, which prey on whitetailed deer.
Threading through the heart of the 3,400-acre park is the Manitou River, a rough braid
ofturbulentwaterfalls andpeacefulpeat-darkpoolsfulloftrout.Itsgorge,scrapedthrough
the granite bedrock by drainage from an immense glacial lake, is one of the deepest along
the North Shore, with sides so sheer that the river can't be seen from the brink. Twenty-
three miles of trails explore cedar-scented glades atwitter with waxwings and warblers and
offer hilltop panoramas reaching all the way to the Wisconsin shore.
8. Temperance River State Park
Back onthe main highway,the drive soonreaches Temperance River State Park. The river,
whichrompsoverarockybasaltbed,owesitsnamenottoprimandproperbehavior,butto
apun.StreamsfoamingdowntheslopesintoLakeSuperiorcarrygravelandsand,whichis
deposited at their mouths when the water enters the lake and loses velocity. While a small
bar can be seen today, it didn't exist in 1864 when the river was named Temperance.