Tahquamenon River Lower Falls
Many people stop at the Tahquamenon River’s upper falls and fail to see the lower falls while in the area, which is a shame. The lower falls are not nearly as big as the upper falls, but they are just about as magnificent. We were staying at the Hemlock Campground near the lower falls, so we decided to take an evening hike through the woods to check them out. The woods were, as expected, quite dark. We could hear the falls long before we could see them, and even when we did reach the overlook platform, it was difficult to see anything but the mist from the falls swirling around in front of our faces. Although I was certain the view would have been better in the daylight, we both commented how we felt like we could almost feel the waterfall—as if it emitted a low frequency that was capable of shaking you at your core. I didn’t take any photographs of the lower falls on that first visit due to the darkness, but on our next trip, we visited during daylight hours. There are actually two sections of the lower falls, one on each side of the small island that splits the river. You can easily visit the falls on the eastern side of the river due to the boardwalk that has been built, but getting close to the west side would require a boat or quite a bit of bushwhacking. You can rent rowboats at the park, or I can imagine you could also bring your own kayaks. When we visited in early August on a weekday, the park was extremely busy, but there was enough room to spread out. A bridge was added to access the island, which is fun. I can imagine in the fall, the island and banks of the river are illuminated by the fall color, and the entire scene would be quite magnificent. Regardless of the time of year, make sure to check out the Lower Falls while visiting Tahquamenon Falls State Park!
