Mosquito Falls and Spectacle Falls are part of an extremely popular waterfall area. Chapel Basin includes these two waterfalls and Chapel Falls. For waterfall lovers who want some longer hikes, these are perfect.
The three waterfalls and two beaches (Mosquito Beach and Chapel Beach) share a single parking area. Chapel Road is 5 miles of rough dirt road, but it is doable in a car. Thankfully, most of it is wide enough for two vehicles, although it becomes very narrow near the lot.
The parking lot was full at 10 a.m. in early August, with cars parked along the narrow dirt road a good distance before the lot. We ended up leaving for the day and returning first thing the next morning. At 7:45 a.m. we had plenty of space to park. If you cannot arrive early, I recommend planning a backup activity.
The Trail
The trail is moderate-to-strenuous difficulty depending on your activity level. There are lots of tree roots to trip you up and steep hills; however, wooden bridges and boardwalks do help. No benches are available.
If you are only visiting Mosquito Falls, it is 2 miles roundtrip. To visit Mosquito Falls, Spectacle Falls, and Mosquito Beach the trail becomes a 4.5-mile loop.
Mosquito Falls
Mosquito Falls starts to the left of the trailhead. This small waterfall is a little over a mile into the trail. There are no blazes for the trail but there are signs periodically to direct you. At the first sign, take the left toward Mosquito River. Veer left again at the next sign, following the direction to Mosquito Falls.
There are two drops to the waterfall. The trail takes you right next to the falls. First, you will find the lower falls which forms a ledge cascade.
Then, you will walk along several rapids. Finally, the upper falls flows into a shallow pool before heading downstream.
Next, the trail crosses a bridge over the river and you cut back along the creek. Here you can get a lookback at the waterfall from this side of the trail.
Yes, there were mosquitos and black flies everywhere!
Spectacle Falls
After Mosquito Falls, continue on the trail through the forest. This far in, the landscape is gorgeous with tons of trees, ferns, and wildflowers.
Spectacle Falls is not one of the ‘named’ waterfalls, but I have heard it referred to as Spectacle Falls multiple times. It is a small cascade below a wooden bridge. Stop on the bridge for beautiful views of the river above and below.
You can see the waterfall slightly before crossing the bridge, but the best angle is just after crossing it.
Mosquito Beach is the point before the loop turns back toward the parking lot. You can see the river flow into Lake Superior from the trail.
While this was a tougher trail for two smaller waterfalls, I enjoyed the hike through the forest. Early in the morning, we had it mostly to ourselves so we could really enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
Have you been on this trail? Did you prefer Chapel Falls? Comment below!
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What trailhead do we start to do the full loop?
Hi Kristie, from the parking lot, head towards Mosquito Beach (straight, slightly left). At around 0.3 miles take a side trail that leads to Mosquito Falls. Alternatively, you can start by heading directly to the beach and then finishing the loop by returning by Mosquito Falls.