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Waterfalls of the Keweenaw

Conditions:

Cold, cloudy, recent rain

Companions:

Logan

Vehicle:

Ford Taurus

With limited daylight and a fast-approaching hunting season, I was running out of time to finish my goal for this summer - to visit all the waterfalls within fifty miles of Houghton. Taking that in mind, Logan and I started the day early and drove down US-41 to Herman in the dark, arriving on Tama Siding road around 7am. We were both a bit hesitant on getting up but were also looking forward to a full day of fall hiking.

The ground was covered in frost, and with the darkness and cold temperatures, I decided to leave the puppy in the car with a few blankets for the first hike. He had been to this area before and didn't enjoy it that much, especially with the first hike ending in our group getting rescued by Search and Rescue. Setting off in the dark alone, I headed to the icy railroad tracks with a starry sky above to Upper Sturgeon Falls.

After an hour along the tracks and jumping at every sound along the way, I headed into the woods at the third small bridge, cutting as east as possible without a compass. The sky was now turning a dull gray and only a few stars were visible. Cory, Faith and I had taken this route in the woods before and it was easy to recognize the rock outcroppings and odd trees along the way. Finding Sturgeon River and following it upstream was quite difficult. My left leg, which was soaked up to the knee after a misstep near the railroad tracks, was cold and a bit numb, making the bushwhacking through the thick bramble difficult.

The falls were visible before they were audible. A tiny drop, similar in shape to the lowermost Mulligan Falls, poured into a dark, deep pool surrounded by brush. The river branched out into an interweaving rocky pattern above the falls which was slightly clogged up by brush. I continued upstream in hopes of finding a larger upper falls, and found something that made me stop and stare: a solid bridge over Sturgeon River with another small drop, the main falls, upstream.

Most of Tama Siding road is not visible from maps, being gated off and considered non-motorized. This bridge, and the road that went over it, was not only missing from my maps but also too recent for the satellite photos of the area. After hiking for the better part of an hour through thick, wet, and cold woods on the third visit of the area, seeing this bridge made me realize just how easy these falls were to reach.

I checked again upstream, and seeing only swamp, went back to the road and followed it north. It had plenty of hills and curves along it, but also had recent tracks and was easy to follow. Atop the first hill was when I finally saw the sun rising above the trees, a very welcome sight. Within forty-five minutes of quick hiking I was back at the car with an anxious puppy and pictures of the tiny falls.

The next stop was Powerhouse falls in L'Anse. This was an easy stop that I had been to several times before with friends. Logan enjoyed being out of the car, prancing about the flowing water. We walked upstream a bit to the two upper falls before heading to the next falls on Dynamite Hill road.

The Silver River stretch is one of my favorite areas in Baraga County. Even though there is only one marked and maintained waterfall along it, near it's mouth, there are many more impressive drops along the river. I was heading to Middle Silver River falls, which is actually a series of drops near Arvon Road and Gomanche Creek.

We drove down into the gravel pit, hoping to save some time hiking, and headed along a maze of two-tracks and ATV roads until they disappeared into a thick pine forest. Heading towards the roar of the falls at this point, we got lucky and emerged at the bottom of the lowermost falls. I was hoping to see them all hiking upstream, which is easier for taking pictures.

Along the bottom few drops was a flat, sloped piece of rock. I went ahead to take pictures of one of the falls and turned back to check on Logan. He was slowly following me when he just started to slide sideways into the river, dropping about half a foot. I scrambled over to him and lifted him out, as the water was too deep for him to get back on the rock. After drying him with my sweater and checking to see if he was okay, we headed upstream under the towering canyon walls and tiny icicles.

When we reached Gomanche Falls, I had to cross the river to the western bank to get close-up shots. Leaving Logan behind and getting one of my shoes a bit damp in the process, I followed the creek up a bit to see the upper drops. When I headed back, I decided to stay on the western bank and see how Logan did stuck on the opposite side. He followed me really good, staying directly opposite the river and whining only a little. When I did cross at the next falls, I ended up walking thigh-deep across the river to reach him.

After the last waterfall, we hiked due east to the gravel pit to the car and jumped in. I was curious how Silver River looked upstream of these drops, so we took Indian Lake/Silver road southeast of where we were uphill quite a bit until we crossed the river again. Based on how rugged the river and area was up here, as well as a few topographic maps, I think that there's some more waterfalls between Arvon road and Silver road. I don't plan on visiting the area again until the spring, though, but hope to hike from the mouth to the uppermost falls (around 15 miles) to see all of the falls along the river.

Grabbing a quick bite at Burger King after one in the afternoon, Logan and I headed to the West Branch Sturgeon River in search of Vista Falls. I had been to this area three times before looking for a waterfall in this swampy headwater section of the river, but brought a better topographic map and a compass this time, determined to search this area for a fall. I followed the two-track in and scoured a mile of the river, including a few dry tributaries nearby, and found nothing except swamp, sand, and a distinctive lack of rocky outcroppings or large boulders in sight. I do not know why there is a waterfall marked in this area, but have seen no evidence of one in any of visits. Vista Falls simply does not exist.

After this disappointment, Logan and I headed to Sturgeon Falls. It was nice to see this area in the late fall, as the views across the gorge are great without all of the leaves blocking the way. The waterfall was also excellent, being slightly higher then my last visit in June. Logan was skittish near the falls, which was understandable given the size of the drop and slick rocks. We also bumped into a few other visitors who had just been to O Kun de Kun falls, saying they were a bit dry.

I was tired by now, having hiked a total of thirteen miles since seven in the morning. However, there was still daylight, so we headed to one more easy stop: Ogemaw Falls. It was pleasant drive along Wiggly Creek, Clear Creek, and Baraga Plains roads, with tall hills and deep gorges surrounding a rather flat sandy plain. With a shortcut closed, we had to travel all the way north to Baraga and head back south through L'Anse to get to Ogemaw Falls. We didn't spend much time here, getting a few photos and heading back home with the sunset.

The original plan for today had been to hit up the four remaining waterfalls - Upper Sturgeon, Vista, Gleason Creek, and Sandstone. However, the Gleason Creek/Sandstone hike looks formidable from a topographic map and I wasn't sure if all four would be possible in a single day. In the end, I was glad that I scaled it down and revisited some falls. It was quite nice out, if a bit cold.