Cindy Conway and Michael Donnelly were recently vacationing in the U.P. and decided to visit Tahquamenon Falls State Park, as they hadn’t been there since 2019 and figured they were long overdue. They had heard about the new boardwalk to the Upper Falls and were anxious to check it out. Cindy said the option to descend to the river level still exists, too. I’m going to turn the notes over to Cindy to fill us in on their adventure there.

“The Falls looked especially “white”, not their usual Root Beer color and we learned it was due to drought conditions. With a lower water flow, not as much tannin-rich water drains from the cedar swamp. There was some nice color just downstream from the falls, too.

We drove to the Lower Falls, excited to find the new footbridge that takes you out to the island. We were glad to see the old rowboats are still there. We explored the island and the rustic part of the trail with stairs, roots and rocks was especially fun. And of course the Autumn hues along the river were just lovely.

On our way back we were pondering how they actually built that fancy new metal bridge and learned that it was manufactured in prefabricated sections, delivered to a nearby parking area for staging, then it was lifted into place one section at a time by Helicopter. So it was quite the project!”

Great photos, especially the red maple leaves.

Love it, love it, love it!
You just can’t beat
pics of those falls.
Thanks for sharing!
The walkways are
a nice improvement
for those who can’t
get around well.
Tax dollars well spent.

How gorgeous! I was there way before these
improvements, I'd sure love to check it out now,
but that won't be happening! I'm with Alex, tax
dollars well spent!

These are all so stunning! WTG Cindy!

Hi
I went to both the Upper and Lower falls last
Saturday (Oct 18). I find I'm liking the Lower Falls
more and more. The boardwalk takes you through woods,
with little streams flowing under the boardwalk but
you still can get close to the river and view the
falls. And I do like the bridge to the island.

As to the new boardwalk at the Upper Falls, while
nowhere near as steep as the steps, it still takes
some effort to climb. They do have platforms with
benches every so often.

Hello all! It certainly was a wonderful day at
Tahquamenon. Love the access improvements at
both locations, but have to agree the Lower Falls
experience is much more intimate, so near all the
seeps, streams and rocky riverbanks on the island.
And all the Lower drops have their own
“personalities”, each one is uniquely lovely!
Fall colors were the frosting on the cake :)

Beautiful pictures, Cindy. As much as i love falls
pictures, my favorite is the 3rd picture, with the
beautiful fall leaves and the river in the
background. Just love it!! Thanks for sharing your
adventure with us. It's been a few years since I've
been there. This gives me the itch to go back.

The video was gorgeous also.