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Devil’s Kettle Trail at Judge C.R. Magney State Park wins first place in national readers’ choice award for best hiking trail

Voters nationwide chose Devil’s Kettle Trail as the best among 19 hiking trail nominees in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards

Devil’s Kettle Trail at Judge C.R. Magney State Park took first place for best hiking trail in USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Over four weeks, people across the nation cast votes for the 19 nomi­nees in the category, selected by a panel of USA Today editors and subject matter experts.

“Our visitors have always been captivated by the Devil’s Kettle Trail, and this recognition confirms what we’ve known all along — it’s one of the most unique and reward­ing hikes in the country,” said Erin Turner-Garza, park supervisor at Judge C.R. Magney State Park. “From the peaceful walk through the north woods to the view of the waterfall that seems to defy expla­nation, it’s a place that sparks won­der and invites people to connect with nature in a very memorable way.”

The two-mile round-trip hike winds through forest landscape, following the rushing Brule River. Along the way, hikers climb near­ly 400 feet and tackle around 175 steps. The reward is two waterfalls, including the park’s crown jewel, Devil’s Kettle. Here, the river splits — the east side plunges into a pool like a traditional waterfall, while the west side vanishes into a deep, swirling hole in the rock.

The spectacular view of Dev­il’s Kettle waterfall is what makes this trail special. For years, no one knew where water in the kettle went. People speculated the wa­ter traveled underground to Lake Superior or other locations. Ob­jects put into the hole disappeared without reemerging elsewhere. In 2017, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced that hydrologists found nearly identi­cal volumes of water flowing both above the Devil’s Kettle waterfall and below it, showing the water is likely rejoining the stream below the waterfall. The plunge pool be­low the kettle is a powerful system of recirculating currents, capable of breaking down material and hold­ing it underwater until it resurfaces at some point downstream.

People who want to experience Devil’s Kettle Trail for themselves can find more information about the trail and Judge C.R. Magney State Park at mndnr.gov/judgemagney.

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