Whitefish Falls

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Alger County Falls

Au Train Falls

Chapel Falls

Lower Chapel Falls

Miners Beach Falls

MNA Memorial Falls

Munising Falls

Potato Patch Falls

Scott Falls

Tannery Falls

Whitefish Falls

Whitefish Falls

I've never actually seen Whitefish falls. My one and only trip so far has been in the winter with a good two or three feet of snow on the ground. The part of the river containing the falls was covered under so much snow and ice that I couldn't see the falls themselves. There was open water upstream, and I could see the water boiling out just downstream from what must have been the falls, but that was it. The falls themselves certainly can't drop more than a foot or two.

Getting There

A snowy trail by the river

Just west of Trenary, M-67 dead-ends into US-41. From that intersection, proceed northwest on US-41 for about three miles. Watch for Diffen Road on your left. Less than a mile past Diffen Road, you'll find a gravel road that loops into the woods towards the southwest. The first left past Diffen Road is the south end of the loop. The second left is, of course, the north end of the loop. Drive back on that loop road until you reach the point at which the road begins to curve back to US-41. Park somewhere, and look for a trail on the south side of the road. You're very close to the river at this point, and in summer, you may be able to hear the falls. Follow the trail south to the river, and work your way upstream. You should be able to find the falls. If you walk for more than five minutes, you've made a mistake. The falls are very close to the loop road that you drive in on.

Don't confuse Whitefish Falls with Laughing Whitefish Falls. Despite the similarity in names, these falls are not related to each other, nor are they on the same river. Laughing Whitefish is on the Laughing Whitefish River, about 11 miles due north of Whitefish Falls.

John Grubbs walking through some deep snow

Whitefish Falls in the Winter

The road that loops back towards the river from US-41 is not plowed in the winter. When my friend and I visited in December 2000, we had to park on the shoulder of US-41 and hike in from the highway. We had to wade through thigh-deep snow, and slogging through that snow was hard work. Consequently, I recommend using snowshoes if you plan to visit Whitefish Falls in the winter. Because the falls were buried under snow and ice, we were unable to hear them until we were almost on top of them. We also couldn't really see them. These are not good winter falls.

One safety issue I should point out concerns the ice on the river during the winter. On our visit, because of all the deep snow, we found it difficult to distinguish between the actual shoreline and the iced-over river itself. Two or three times we found ourselves walking on ice when we thought we had been walking on land. We didn't fall through, but you might, so be careful. The Whitefish River is deep enough around the falls that I think you would be in real trouble if you fell through the ice. Of course, ice isn't a problem if you visit during the summer.