Waterfalls of the Keweenaw

Conditions:

Cool, cloudy, breezy, some recent snow

Companions:

Faith, Logan

Vehicle:

Ford Taurus

Though hunting season was in full swing, there were a few waterfalls that I felt comfortable visiting without getting shot at. Faith, Logan and I set off on Sunday afternoon towards L'Anse on our way to the Slate River Falls chain near Huron Bay, all of which are located in a deep canyon that we assumed would be too steep for hunters or deer to wander in.

We first stopped at Lower Silver Falls. I had seen both of these waterfalls before, but as they were on our route and, according to the USGS waterflow site currently at excellent flow (around 100 cfs), we decided to make a quick stop here. After checking out the lower chutes near the parking area and hiking a distance downstream to check for additional falls, we headed upstream along the riverbank to the second parking area where we found a hunter's truck. I took off most of my jackets and sweaters and we set down the recently traveled trail with me in a bright orange shirt. I hadn't expected anyone to be here, but didn't really want to take chances.

We reached the upper falls without meeting anyone, but did see the tracks head up the railroad grade at the top of the falls. Because of the heavy flow at these falls, I was unable to cross the river to get better pictures of this drop, so we didn't spend much time here before turning around. The rocks were very icy and the water looked absolutely freezing, so neither one of us wanted to take chances here.

Parking right on Slate River and heading in, I decided that we'd stick to the river on the way up. There's really only two ways up the Slate River to all of the falls - easy and hard. The easy way is a well-trod path on the top of the northeastern canyon wall that has several steep paths down to the main drops. The hard way is directly along the river, which involves fording the river multiple times as well as climbing up steep rock walls and over several waterfalls. Realizing that the easy way exposed us to hunters, we chose the hard way.

We had to ford the river before making it to first falls, something that neither Faith or Logan was enthusiastic about. I had to carry Logan across the foot-deep water, but both Faith and I got our first taste of the freezing water. Toughing it out, we continued upstream to the falls, which looked excellent with the high waters.

After carrying Logan up the side of the falls, we made it over Slate River Falls and headed to Ecstasy Falls. This stretch of the hike was the most difficult, and we had to cross the river at least a half dozen times, getting wetter with each crossing. Last time I visited Ecstasy Falls, Steele and I simply walked up the stepping falls, but with our numb feet and the several feet of water in each pool, Faith and I decided to climb the steep eastern bank and go over the falls. After this tough bit, Slide and Kukuck's Falls came in quick succession, and we decided to head up the easy way on the way back.

All three of us were uneasy on this horizon line, and I took off my jackets and sweaters again to show off the bright orange shirt. We walked quickly, though the path was slick and the fall frightening, and made it back to the car after about twenty minutes. Even with bare trees, though, we could barely tell what falls we were walking over below us. I definitely recommend taking the hard route out and getting wet to any future hikers, as there is no way to guarentee that you'd see all of the awesome waterfalls by taking the easy way.

We made it back to the car freezing cold and drove back to Houghton with the heat cranked. This area was one of my favorite falls areas, and I was glad that Faith could come with, as we had enjoyed Mulligan together earlier in the fall. As an added bonus, Katie had a great Taco Soup waiting for us back at Houghton. Even though I didn't see any new falls on this hike, it was a great way to spend a Sunday all around.