Pattison State Park lies about 10 miles south of Superior on the Black River and is the essential natural excursion from the city. The centerpiece is Big Manitou Falls, a 165-foot cascade that is the highest waterfall in Wisconsin and one of the highest east of the Rockies. A short trail leads to an overlook above the falls and a longer path drops into the gorge for a closer view.
Little Manitou Falls, a half-mile downstream, is smaller but equally beautiful and usually far less crowded. The park also has a swimming beach on Interfalls Lake, several miles of hiking trails through mixed forest, and picnic areas along the river. In autumn the colours in the gorge are spectacular.