Waterfalls of the Keweenaw

Conditions:

Dry, sunny, hot, some recent rain

Companions:

Katie, Logan

Vehicle:

Saturn Vue

When Katie and I started dating in the late summer of 2006, we went on several adventures out and about the Keweenaw area. She knew several cool spots that I hadn't been to, and the changing colors during that time of year was pretty amazing, so we made plenty of trips out. One of the places we visited was Freda and the Redridge Dam. We only saw the large steel one, but I had learned that there was another wooden one behind it that created a small falls. She and I headed out there with the Logan and Chongo, a larger dog we were watching, in hopes to find the second dam and its falls.

We took Canal Road just about as far as we could before cutting southwest to the dam. Once we got there, we found a driveway on the right side that headed up and around the steel dam. Acting on a hunch, we took it and found ourselves at a small parking area with glimpses of a large retaining pond through the woods. We parked, grabbed the dogs, and headed down the slope to the dams.

The retaining lake itself was very neat. The water was a deep blue and the trees surrounding the lake were tall (with several odd dead expanses). We also saw the top of the wooden dam almost immediately. It was holding up all of the lake, and you could see were it had washed out a long time ago, as there's a chunk missing from most of the middle section, about eight feet high. The larger steel dam, just a few dozen yards downstream, doesn't hold back more then several inches of water.

Water spilling over and through this wooden dam makes up the falls. The water then splits into two channels, surrounding a shallow mud flat, before flowing down into a small retaining pond at the steel dam. After I climbed up and down these falls and the dogs had a swim in the lake, we headed around to the steel dam and I climbed around the support structure. I've heard rumors of people climbing on the railroad trestle along the top of the dam, but I didn't get up that high and didn't really dare to.

On the way back, we drove along the covered road and enjoyed the scenery. Overall, it was a pleasant trip out that the dogs really enjoyed. Though I don't like calling dams falls, this one is very scenic, and the age and natural state of the dam made it an awesome visit.