Hike riverside trails along the impressive Temperance River Gorge. Watch your step! ♦ Skip a few rocks at the Temperance River beach. Eat your lunch at the picnic grounds here while you enjoy the lake view. ♦ Stroll down to the foot bridge below Highway 61 and enjoy great views of the Temperance River lagoon. ♦ Visit the rock shoreline and splash pools below the upper campground. Trails accessing this area can be found near campsites #14 or #25.
A campsite may be occupied by a group of six or fewer people using one camping shelter. Groups of six or fewer traveling in one vehicle may have one additional tent, with prior approval from park staff.
Purchase firewood at the office when it is open, or use the Yodel app. Gathering firewood can spread tree-killing insects and is against state park rules. Protect our trees - please burn only approved firewood!
","alert":"Carlton Peak Road or Forest Service Road 1201 has been severely washed out with the spring melt. This includes the park's day use area at the peaks. The road remains open but drive with extreme caution.
There is no potable water available in the lower campground. Drinking water can be obtained via the spigot outside the ranger station or at the shower building.
Updated July 13, 2026
","id":"spk00268","emt_id":8979,"directions":"The entrance to the park is one mile north of the town of Schroeder on State Highway 61.Note: Campsites #53 and #55 have a steep grade, which many campers are finding to be inaccessible with their camping trailers and RVs. We recommend only tent campers or extremely small trailers use these two sites.","type":"RV Length Limit"},{"notes":"The Upper Campground has 1 accessible drive-in site with electric hookup.","type":"Accessible Sites","qualifier":""},{"notes":"Carts are provided to haul camping gear to your site. Sites are located within easy walking distance from parking area.","type":"Cart-in Sites","qualifier":"6 Sites"}],"lodging":[],"sanitation":[{"qualifier":"Seasonal","type":"Showers","notes":"Accessible showers are available in the upper campground."},{"notes":"Accessible flush toilets are available in the upper campground.","type":"Flush Toilets","qualifier":"Seasonal"},{"type":"Vault Toilets","notes":"Vault toilets are located throughout the park.","qualifier":"Year-round"}]},"narratives":{"wildlife":["The variety of plant communities in the park provides habitat for many different types of wildlife species. Wildlife sightings are common in the park. Both the Temperance and Cross rivers are designated trout streams. Brook, brown and rainbow trout have been stocked in the Temperance River over the years. Both the brook and brown trout have now established natural populations. Chinook salmon and steelhead have also been introduced in the vicinity of the Temperance River."],"naturalist":[],"geology":["The bedrock in this park is all igneous (solidified from the molten state), and formed about 1.1 billion years ago. One of the most interesting features in the park is the narrow Temperance River gorge with its many waterfalls. The steep-gradient river has cut through the fractured, ancient lava flows of the river bed. Swirling water carried gravel and rocks which wore away the basalt and created large potholes. Over thousands of years, these potholes were dug deeper and wider, eventually connecting and creating the deep, narrow gorge. Nearby, more potholes were left high and dry as the river found its new, lower channel. "," Carlton Peak, the high knob in the northeastern part of the park, is made of a hard, massive rock called anorthosite. It consists of several huge blocks of this rock, which were carried up from many miles below the surface by the molten basalt lava."],"landscape":["The vegetation in the park today is very similar to that of presettlement time. Common forest trees include white and yellow birch, white pine, spruce, fir, and cedar. Topography in the park varies from wet lowland areas to dry upland sites and is reflected in the variety of vegetation."],"history":["It is said the park got its name because, unlike other North Shore streams, the river had no bar at its mouth. At one time, the waters of this particular river flowed so deep and so strong into Lake Superior that there was no build-up of debris. This meant that there was no \"bar.\" What could you call a river without a bar? For an appropriate, if slightly tongue-in-cheek selection, \"temperance\" fits perfectly. "," The area became a state park in 1957. Campsites on both sides of the river, plus the park's hiking trails and picnic areas, draw a steady stream of visitors to this North Shore park."],"introduction":["Take the trail that winds along the edge of the Temperance River gorge and enjoy the rushing waterfalls surrounded by pine, spruce, cedar and birch forests. The rapidly flowing river has cut deep potholes in and along the riverbed. Hike the trail to Hidden Falls or connect up with trails into the Superior National Forest and the Cross River Wayside. Visitors come to camp and picnic along the shore of Lake Superior. Winter brings snowshoers and snowmobilers to tackle the hilly terrain."," Carlton Peak is popular with rock climbers and offers even more recreational opportunities to park visitors."]},"contact":{"address":"7620 Highway 61
Schroeder, MN 55613","hours":"