Alder Falls
This might be a bold statement, but Alder Falls is one of my favorite waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula. Located a few minutes outside of Big Bay, access to the falls is via the Alder Creek Truck Trail. As the name suggests, this road is a two-track, not a maintained road. If you have a car without 4x4, it isn’t recommended that you take this road. You can park on 550 and walk the trail, which doesn’t add much time to your hike. If you do have 4x4, take the Alder Creek Truck Trail, roughly three-quarters of a mile from 550, and you’ll find the trailhead. If you’re walking, this will take roughly 20 minutes, depending on your pace.
The trailhead isn’t well marked—but there is a small parking area and a sign asking you to keep things clean. To my knowledge, Alder Falls is on private property, but the owner allows access to it. At the least, you will use private land to access the falls at some point. It may become inaccessible if people make a mess or don’t act responsibly here. Pick up your garbage, stay on the trail, and be safe so others can continue to enjoy this beautiful slice of the upper peninsula!
Once you reach the trailhead, you’ll descend downhill toward the falls. It’s a short jaunt to Alder Creek, but it’s a pretty steep decline, so it’s best to take things slowly. When you reach the bottom of the trail, Alder Falls rises to your left. There are several large rocky outcroppings below the falls, huge tree trunks stretching across Alder Creek, and small pools created by the flow of the water.
There are a few places to cross the creek, but your ability to do this will depend on the season and how much water is flowing over the falls. Once you’ve reached the other side, a short way up the creek, there’s another small waterfall. Although not as triumphant as the main drop, this part of Alder Falls is very quaint. There’s a clearing here with a man-made fire pit, and it looks like folks had camped there fairly recently.
On our trip, this is where we turned back—but there are some smaller drops further up the Alder Creek. We spent roughly an hour exploring the falls and nearby scenery and didn’t see anyone else the entire time we were there. It’s a great spot to enjoy a waterfall without much company, have a picnic, or get your steps in for the day.
On your way in or out, if you take the two-track, there are only a few places to pull off should you encounter another vehicle going the other way. Yellow Dog River Falls isn’t far from here—and if you have a capable 4x4 vehicle, you can head the other way on Alder Creek Truck Trail to get to 510. It’s just under 3 miles on the two-track to make it back to a county road, and the Yellow Dog River Falls Trailhead is two and a half miles from there on a maintained road. If you want to stick to paved roads, head the .7 miles back to 550, head north, and make a left on 510.
