Moving further north into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in mid-August, the Rhodes Rules family explored the local area of Munising, Michigan, where we caught our first glimpse of, and dipped our toes into, the spectacular Lake Superior. The beautiful upper and lower waterfalls of Tahquamenon Falls State Park were truly a sight to behold as we finally hit the trails to enjoy a day in nature. Caleb, always searching for indigenous wildlife, even found an unexpected surprise! Plus, we discovered a distant “cousin” to our famous Louisiana Meat Pies, though we were a little confused on how to pronounce the name, Pasties! Read on to learn more about Tahquamenon Falls; and if you haven’t already, take a look at our video to join our adventure!
What Is Tahquamenon?
When we started our day at Tahquamenon Falls, we had no idea what we were in for. We didn’t even know how to pronounce it! We soon learned it kinda rhymes with “phenomenon.” The Tahquamenon Falls State Park, located in northwest Michigan close to Newberry, is almost 50,000 acres and stretches over 13 miles, making it the second largest state park in Michigan. The park is open year-round from 8 am to 10 pm, and offers more than 40 miles of hiking trails, 13 inland lakes, and 24 miles of the Tahquamenon River, the centerpiece of the state park with its upper and lower falls.
Rising from springs north of McMillan, the Tahquamenon River meanders 94 miles before emptying into Whitefish Bay. One characteristic of the river we couldn’t help but notice is the amber color of the water, which we later learned is caused by tannins leached from the Cedar, Spruce, and Hemlock trees in swamps surrounding the river. We also noticed a lot of foam at the foot of the falls, which is caused when the extremely soft water is churned up by the waterfalls. This has been the trademark of the Tahquamenon River since the days of the voyager.
Upper Falls
The Upper Falls, with a drop of nearly 50 feet, is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. It is more than 200 feet across, and a maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over these falls! These falls can be viewed by walking along the quarter-mile paved trail (one way) to the viewing areas. We chose to get a closer look and climbed the 93 steps down to the brink-viewing platform, and then even further down the paved trail to the gorge, where 112 more steps took us down to the river’s edge. Yes, that’s 205 steps that we climbed down and then back up, but it was worth every one!
Lower Falls
Four miles downstream is the Lower Falls, a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island. Like the Upper Falls, these falls can also be easily viewed from a paved walkway on the river bank. Another quarter-mile boardwalk took us through a thick forest and ended at more viewing platforms for a closer look. For an even more up-close experience, you can even rent a rowboat to access the island! We didn’t have time to rent one, but definitely plan to go back one day soon!
How Much Does It Cost?
If you plan to visit (and I hope you do!), either a day pass or recreation passport is required. We paid $9 at the entry gate and received a day pass, which was good for the whole day at any Michigan state park. If you’re a Michigan resident, you can purchase the annual Recreation Passport at any state park for $17, or when you renew your license plate you can purchase the Passport for only $12! If you are not a Michigan resident, but you plan to spend some time at the state parks, you can purchase the pass for $34. Not only does the Passport give you access to Michigan state parks, trails, historic sites, and boat launches, it’s the easiest way to support and protect those resources for the next generation. To me, it’s a no-brainer!
Please, if you have any questions, ask them in the comments below! Also, let us know if you’ve ever experienced the falls at Tahquamenon State Park!
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Join our family in the fourth episode of our Westward Expansion series as we dip our toes into the frigid Lake Superior, hit the trails to explore Tahqamenon Falls, and learn how to pronounce the name of a yummy Yooper snack!
