Gooseberry Falls State Park trails inaccessible due to dangerous flooding, state officials say

Major flooding on Friday has closed parts of a popular state park on Minnesota's North Shore.

Forty miles northeast of Duluth is Gooseberry Falls, where the roaring waterfalls have been attracting even more visitors.

Gooseberry Falls State Park is often packed with visitors flocking to hike its popular trails and take in the beautiful sights. But this weekend, the Beaver River has been running more wild than ever.

Even the locals are astonished at the power of the raging water going over the falls. 

"I think this is the most we've seen it the most water coming over at a time in all the years we've been coming," said nearby resident Janice Blace.

Continued snow melt along with recent rains have inundated the river, flushing water over the falls at an extraordinary rate.

"The falls themselves were at their spring high level, and this inch and a half we got here at the park just added to it," said Nick Hoffman, of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The rising river levels have flooded out some of the more popular hiking trails, forcing them to be closed. Monday's weather system is bringing more rain to the region like nearby Split Rock. Rainfall amounts on Monday could add another inch to inch and a half to the already saturated area. 

A flood watch has also been issued which goes into Tuesday morning. Officials are asking visitors to obey warning signs for closed trails and roads.

"If there's water across the road, please don't travel through it because you just don't know if it's been washed out or if there's something that failed and then you put yourself at jeopardy and harm," said Warren Laplante, of Lake County Emergency Management.

Monday should be the last of the rain for the week, and some of the trails will hopefully start to dry out. Officials urge visitors to call ahead of time if they want to confirm park conditions.