Munising Falls
Near Munising, Michigan
Tucked into a shaded sandstone canyon right at the edge of town, Munising Falls drops about fifty feet over a lip of rock into a cool green amphitheater. The creek that feeds it is Munising Creek, and the flow stays modest except during the spring thaw. A short paved trail follows the creek up the gorge to viewing platforms set almost within reach of the spray.
The falls are admired from viewing platforms at the front. The falls sit in the westernmost part of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Beside the trail stands the Munising Falls visitor center, the western gateway to the national lakeshore, with exhibits on the geology, the old iron furnaces, and the logging that built this region.
This is only the beginning. Alger County is known for its waterfalls, with many named falls within a short drive, from Miners Falls and Wagner to Horseshoe, Memorial, and Tannery Falls. In winter the whole canyon transforms, the flow freezing into pale blue columns of ice that draw climbers from across the Midwest.
The falls themselves are off limits to climbers, though ice climbing is popular at other nearby spots where it is allowed. Spring snowmelt sends it thundering again.
