Alexander Ramsey State Park (Explored)

Ramsey Falls, Alexander Ramsey State Park, Redwood Minnesota (Image ©2015 Ben Sullivan)

HOW TO GET TO RAMSEY FALLS

Ramsey Falls is located in the heart of the beautiful 219 acre Alexander Ramsey State Park in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, a township of Redwood County. From the main entrance you'll see signs for the falls overlook within 5-10 minutes by following the main road that runs through the park. Once at the overlook, you can continue past the railings onto an easy-to-miss foot path, then climb down a roughly 30 foot granite embankment to reach the watershed below. From here you'll get a wonderful vantage point of the falls and surrounding gorge. Ramsey falls is 45 feet high and flows into Ramsey Creek.

I put my new 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens and D810 to good use here and was able to capture a 360° image, encompassing the falls, pool, and gorge - I'm really loving this lens!

For those who like to do things the easy way, the GPS coordinates of the falls parking area are 44.545620, -95.123561 and 44.546284, -95.125532 are the GPS coordinates for Ramsey Falls.

HOW TO GET TO THE CREEK BASIN 

I managed to find a mostly dry stream bed that runs just below the suspension bridge you take to access the falls view area. From there, I descended to the basin, went left (south) and followed the creek which ends at the falls.

Working My Way Upstream at Ramsey Creek (Image ©2015 Ben Sullivan)

From the vantage point of the basin pool, I captured another wonderful photograph of Ramsey Falls (below). If you look at the left ledge, you'll see a couple sitting there. This lends a nice visual aid to gauging the size of the falls.

Ramsey Falls Seen from the Ramsey Creek Basin (Image ©2015 Ben Sullivan)

HOW WORTHWHILE IS IT?

In my opinion, this gem is one of  Minnesota's best kept secrets, and totally worth visiting. It's within a just hours  of Minneapolis or Sioux Falls. You'll find numerous playgrounds, picnic areas, lush forest trails, beautiful overlooks of the Redwood River, and even a zoo featuring native wildlife like Elk, Buffalo, Deer, and Mountain Goats. I like how this place feels largely untouched. It's not crowded or touristy, which gives a truly authentic feel, perfect for exploring or getting away from the madness of every day life. The quaint Minnesota town of Redwood Falls also has its surprises, offering a friendly culture, great accommodation and good amenities.

Life is short - live it fully, love deeply, travel much, and be kind to your fellow beings.