Upper Falls Trail

The Upper Tahquamenon Falls ranks as the second-largest waterfall by volume east of the Mississippi River, and the loop trail circling its rim is the single most visited attraction in Michigan's Upper Peninsula state park system. The Tahquamenon River drains a vast boreal peatland, and the tannins leaching from countless acres of sphagnum moss stain the water a deep amber-brown that Longfellow referenced in his poem The Song of Hiawatha. The falls themselves measure more than 200 feet across and drop nearly 50 feet in a single horseshoe cascade, generating a continuous thunder audible from the parking area. The loop trail follows the south rim first, arriving at three successive overlook platforms that progressively reveal more of the falls' breadth. The second platform, cantilevered above the gorge, is the most photographed angle. The north rim return passes closer to the brink where the river accelerates over smooth sandstone shelves before launching into open air. Cedar, balsam fir, and white spruce crowd the gorge walls, and mink have been observed hunting the rocky shoreline below the base pool. Spring ice breakup in late April sends enormous blue ice blocks over the crest, a spectacular but fleeting phenomenon.