Kadunce River State Wayside

 

 

About  •  Location  •  Activities  •  Ecology

About

Ownership

Minnesota DNR logo
 

Links

Minnesota DNR
 

Overview

 
 

History

On April 1, 1947, this site was officially designated “Kodonce River State Park”. In 1969 it was demoted and renamed “Kodonce River State Wayside”. Currently it is widely referred to as “Kadunce River State Wayside”. It protects the last mile of a gorge where Kadunce Creek (also called Kadunce River) drops 300 feet and empties into Lake Superior. The area is mapped on the USGS Kadunce River quad. The original name may have been an alternate spelling or a misspelling.

Update 3/27/2024
On their website, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources calls this site “Kodonce River State Wayside”. and the river “Kodonce River.” Virtually all other sources, including Google Maps, Bing Maps, and the USGS National Geospatial Program topographic map, use the spelling “Kadunce” both for the site and for the river. Bing Maps incorrectly calls the site “Kadunce River State Park.”
 

Management

 
 

Comments

 
Location

Size

131 acres
 

Driving Directions

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   Area and County
    County   Cook County
    Region   Northeast Minnesota

Parking

N47 47.638, W90 9.241
 

Hours

Parking limit six hours. Overnight parking is not allowed.
 

Fees

No fee (?)
 

Maps

 
Activities

Hiking

Biking

Mountain biking

Horseback riding

Picnicking

Camping

Backpacking

Rock climbing and bouldering

Swimming

Boating

Canoeing

Birding

Nature photography

Geocaching

Cross country skiing

Skate-skiing

Winter hiking

Snowshoeing

Snowmobiling
 

Trails

Hiking

1.3 miles

Kadunce River State Wayside is an access point to the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). Park at the paved parking area on the south side of MN 61. On the north side of the highway there is a sign for the SHT. The trail here is a spur for the SHT, leading 0.6 miles north to the main trail. There are 1.3 miles of trails in this wayside. Most of that is on the Superior Hiking Trail.
 

Hunting and Fishing

 
Ecology

Ecological Classification

   Ecological Classification
Ecological Province Ecological Province  

Laurentian Mixed Forest Province

  
Ecological Section Ecological Section  

Northern Superior Uplands

  
Ecological Subsection Ecological Subsection  

North Shore Highlands

  
Land Type Association    

North Shore Till Plain

  
         

Native Plant Communities*

  

Aspen - Birch Forest, Balsam Fir Subtype

Bedrock/Boulder Shore (River)

Cliff/Talus System

Gravel/Cobble Beach (Lake Superior)

Northern Mesic Mixed Forest

Upland White Cedar Forest

  
* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources    
     

Natural Features

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor Photos
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
Kadunce River State Wayside   Kadunce River State Wayside

Parking

   Monument
     
Kadunce River State Wayside   Kadunce River State Wayside

Gravel beach
     
Kadunce River State Wayside   Kadunce River State Wayside

Kadunce River
     
Kadunce River State Wayside    

Kadunce River sign (note the spelling)

    

 

Camera

 

Slideshows

Paula Schlotec
kadunce river crew (guss lives)
About

Published on Jul 14, 2012

trip up the kadunce river in Grand Marais, MN 7/13/2012

 

slideshow

 

Visitor Videos
 

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Other Videos

Kadunce
normano1
About

Uploaded on Aug 26, 2008

Walk up the Kadunce River.

Kadunce River w/Ellie & Jeremy
Sarah Reller
About

Published on Aug 13, 2013

No description available.

Kadunce Canyoneering
Bryan Hansel
About

Uploaded on Jun 21, 2009

Canyoneering the Kadunce River in NE MN.

 

Camcorder

 

Visitor Sightings
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Visits

8/12/2011

Birds

One bird species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen here:
Special Concern

Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Birds List

eBird Field Checklist
     

Fishes

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fishes List
     

Fungi and Lichens

Three fungi and lichen species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen here:
Threatened

Brown-gray Moss-shingle Lichen (Protopannaria pezizoides)
Special Concern

Fan Lichen (Peltigera venosa)

Port-hole Lichen (Menegazzia terebrata)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Lichens List
     

Insects and Arachnids

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Insects List
     

Plants

Two plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:
Endangered

luminous moss (Schistostega pennata)
Threatened

Braun’s hollyfern (Polystichum braunii)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

Plants frequently found in:

Aspen - Birch Forest: Balsam Fir Subtype FDn43b1

Bedrock/Boulder Shore (River) RVx43a

Cliff/Talus System CT

Gravel/Cobble Beach (Lake Superior) LKu32e

Northern Mesic Mixed Forest FDn43

Upland White Cedar Forest FDn43c

    
     

 

 

Binoculars

 

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