GEORGE H. CROSBY MANITOU STATE PARK — North of Two Harbors along Minnesota 61, a slew of signs point visitors to Split Rock, Tettegouche, Cascade River and other popular state parks. But there isn’t a sign for this one.

“It’s a place you have to try to get to,” said Jason Peterson, manager of George H. Crosby Manitou State Park. He also oversees nearby Tettegouche State Park and Temperance River State Park. “All the other parks on the North Shore, you don’t have to seek those out. Crosby is a nice place to get away from the crowds.”

Crosby Manitou State Park, which sees about 3,000 campers annually compared with more than 20,000 at Tettegouche or Temperance River, is not technically on Lake Superior’s North Shore. Tucked inland of Lake Superior near the town of Finland, the park is bisected by the Manitou River, which later flows into the big lake.

It’s also one of a few parks in the state that only has backpack-in campsites — 21 of them — as opposed to the drive-in or cart-in sites common in most parks, so it’s tailor-made for visitors who prefer a more rugged northwoods experience. Apart from trail maintenance and the occasional event, Peterson said the DNR is “hands-off.”

My husband and I certainly fit the bill. Before we moved to the Twin Cities, we frequently ventured into western North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park backcountry, so we were excited to find a North Shore state park offering seclusion.

But it was mid-June before I got around to making reservations for the long Fourth of July weekend, one of the busiest weekends of the year for parks in addition to “fall colors weekends,” Peterson said, and Crosby Manitou is no exception.

Indeed, the park was booked on July Fourth. A few sites were still available for the fifth, so I pounced on one toward the north end of the park, near the large cascading waterfalls that are the park’s hallmark.

As for Friday, we hoped to get there early enough to snag one of five first-come-first-served sites. We were lucky to find two left when we arrived and chose one on the south end of the park, even though it meant a long Saturday hike up the river.

The trek amounted to about three miles, but it was a slow three miles, carefully navigating slippery rocks and tree roots — a thunderstorm had rolled in overnight, so everything was damp — and elevation changes, including one steep, challenging climb.

At the top, we stopped at an overlook featuring swaths of pines — a somewhat underwhelming view until we realized the sliver of clouds just beyond the hill was not the sky, but Lake Superior. On the drive up, we noted that the line between the water and the sky was nearly indistinguishable — and this time, it almost fooled us.

We stopped at the waterfalls on our hike out Sunday, and dropped our packs to climb out on the rocks to get a better view and enjoy the cool breeze off the water.

Despite the park being nearly booked on a holiday weekend, we saw only a handful of other people. In fact, we saw many more amphibians than humans. The park is also home to black bears, timberwolves, moose and deer, though the only sign we saw of any of those animals were hoofprints in the mud.

On our way back to the city, we predictably got stuck in traffic with everyone else.

The next day, perusing Facebook, I spotted photos posted by a high school friend of her weekend up north — at George H. Crosby Manitou State Park. As it turns out, she and her husband were camped at the next site over. We never knew it.

IF YOU GO

What: George H. Crosby Manitou State Park

Website: www.mndnr.gov

Why: 21 backcountry campsites, 24 miles of trails, river cascades, trout fishing (Benson Lake), wildlife, hunting (east side of Manitou River).