88 year-old man rescued after fall from Caribou River Trail

An 88-year-old man was rescued Sunday afternoon after falling nearly 30 feet down a steep embankment of the Caribou River gorge along the North Shore.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a call about the incident at 1:01 p.m. on Sunday. The fall occurred on the Caribou River Trail, a popular hiking route that begins at the Caribou Falls State Wayside just west of the Cook County line.

The roughly 3/4 of a mile trail hugs the edge of the Caribou River gorge and leads to the 35-foot Caribou Falls waterfall.

Lake County Rescue members were dispatched to the scene and used ropes to rescue the man who had been hanging onto a tree over the river.

Several agencies assisted with the rescue. Authorities said the man had no other injuries besides cuts and scrapes.

Agencies that assisted with the Sunday rescue included the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Search and Rescue, Lake County Ambulance, and a Minnesota State Park Ranger.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there is no additional information available at this time.

Kalli Hawkins June 1, 2026