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. 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.
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.
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Image credit: All images are copyright Benjamin Frederick Sullivan
