Where Does the Water Go? The Mystery of the Devil’s Kettle Waterfall Has Long Puzzled Visitors but Now We Have an Answer

The secrets hidden within the captivating cascade of Devil’s Kettle Waterfall in Minnesota.

The Devil’s Kettle waterfall is a mysterious and fascinating destination on the North Shore of Lake Superior, which you might want to check out for yourself. It is a beautiful and unique natural phenomenon that has puzzled scientists and visitors for decades. The waterfall is located on the Brule River, about 25 miles (40 km) from the Canada–United States border, in Judge C. R. Magney State Park, Minnesota, USA. The park is named after a former mayor of Duluth and justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, who helped establish many state parks and scenic waysides along the North Shore.

The Devil’s Kettle waterfall is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the mouth of the Brule River, where the river splits in two around a mass of hard volcanic rock called rhyolite. The eastern branch of the river drops 50 feet (15 m) over two steps and continues downstream, while the western branch plunges into a deep hole in the rock and disappears. No one knows for sure where the water goes after it enters the hole, or how far it travels underground before rejoining the main river or emerging somewhere else.

Many theories and rumors have been proposed to explain this mystery. Some people have suggested that the water flows into Canada, or into the Mississippi River, or even into a hidden underground civilization. Others have tried to test the fate of the water by throwing various objects into the hole, such as GPS trackers, colored dyes, ping pong balls, and logs. However, none of these experiments have yielded any conclusive results, as none of the objects have been found downstream or elsewhere.

So, the Devil’s Kettle phenomenon remained a regional mystery with no satisfactory geological explanation. The rock composition in the area is unsuitable for creating large underground passages, typically formed in porous rocks like limestone. While lava tubes can develop in specific igneous rocks, rhyolite, the prevalent rock type, does not support their formation. The underlying basalt is too deep and not formed under the right volcanic conditions for tube creation. The absence of known faults in the area, and even if present, their lack of permeability, makes it unlikely for them to drain half the river.

In 2017, hydrologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) claimed to have solved the mystery using a simple method: measuring the water flow above and below the waterfall. They found that the water volume was nearly identical at both points, indicating that the water that disappears into the hole reenters the river from underground shortly after the waterfall.

OK, but where did all those objects disappear? The researchers explained the absence of floating objects resurfacing by the strong currents in the plunge pool of the Devil’s Kettle, stating that these currents were powerful enough to keep most materials submerged until they were pulverized.

To confirm their findings, they planned to conduct a dye trace in fall 2017, by pouring a fluorescent, biodegradable dye into the hole and noting where it reappears in the river. However, park management discouraged them from doing so, and they reluctantly determined that the dye experiment was scientifically unnecessary to confirm the water’s reconnection with the river below the falls.

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Many remain skeptical about the DNR’s explanation though. Some argue that measuring the water flow is not enough to prove where the water goes, as there could be other sources of water contributing to the river downstream. Others point out that there are still many things to answer about the geology and hydrology of the area, such as how deep and wide the hole is, what kind of rock formations are under it, and how the water travels through them.

The Devil’s Kettle waterfall remains a source of wonder and curiosity for many people who visit Judge C. R. Magney State Park. It’s also a beautiful and scenic spot to enjoy nature and marvel at its mysteries. If you want to see it for yourself, you can hike along a 2-mile (3.2 km) round-trip trail that follows the Brule River from its mouth to its split at the waterfall. It’s one of the more strenuous hikes of the waterfalls along the North Shore, but along the way, you can stop to admire other waterfalls and cascades on the river, as well as diverse flora and fauna in the park.

Sources: 1, 2, 3