Tahquamenon Falls -Upper Falls is a 1.5 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Paradise, Michigan that features a waterfall and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Note: There is a $9 entrance fee.
Nice trail. Busier as they day wore on. Started at upper falls at 9:30am with about 10 other people at the overlooks. Passed a dozen people on trail to lower falls and those overlooks were very crowded. Had our packed lunch at lower falls then made our way back. Parking lot at upper falls, now at 3pm, had a line waiting to get in and lot was full. Start early! The trees were beautiful and almost glowed. They brightened the trail and it was a cloudy overcast day! Trails are well maintained and in nice shape.
This is a cool trail, it is paved and winds along the top bank with lots of cool vantage points to see the famous upper falls. Goes through woods which creates nice shade. It starts off in the parking lot and goes through to a fork, you can go right and it winds along and ends at a staircase down with about 96 steps to the cap of the falls. The platform overlooks the point where the falls actually go over, it’s pretty neat and worth the stairs back up to see. If you go left at the fork, you walk along the top bank and when you get to the end you can go down more stairs, it says 116, but I counted and all together it’s more like 186, yikes! You go down them and then wind up and down more stairs and along boardwalk platform, where it shoots you off onto a platform overlook that you can see the falls from the river level. It was pretty and worth it. It does take more effort to get back though. Also, if you are feeling adventurous at the ends of both there are off the paved path dirt trails. Not sure where the one by the cap of the falls leads, but the other one leads to the lower falls and it’s a 4 mile hike. That would be 8 miles there and back and apparently during peak times there is a shuttle back. Also noteworthy, there is a trail marked “back to parking lot” and so we took that off the paved path trail. It was pretty, but there was no signage and you are walking on it for a while. Pretty cool trails and the stairs got my heart rate up. Lol
Quick and easy trail to see the falls. There were quite a few people there but that was to be expected. I had no idea there was a brewery and a couple restaurants there as well so it is a great place to go after the lower falls! Grab some lunch then hit the upper falls.
Start at 6am to 7:30 am then go do something else. Beat all the people. Way too crowded otherwise. It’s paved and has easy stairs. Don’t do this any later or you will be stuck with hundreds of others. I showed up at 7:00 and was the third car in the parking lot. I would get here earlier though, because it got packed after that.
The parking lot looked packed but there’s enough room to spread out on the trail that the overlooks weren’t quite so busy. I wish we would have known that the gorge view overlooks were closed though because we walked all the way down to find the stairs blocked. I didn’t see any notices on the 2020 map or signs anywhere else along the trail. I also wish I would’ve known about the $9 charge to get in but I guess I’m just not used to it since I’m from PA and we don’t charge entry fees. Very beautiful falls regardless, nice shady and easy trail for all.
We got there before 8am and had the whole place to ourselves which was amazing! Trail is paved with stairs going down to the viewing deck. Just a note if you bring your dog: stairs have a metal grate on them so aren’t super paw friendly. :/ Our dog was okay but hesitant at first. Trail is wheelchair friendly except for the viewing decks which have over 90 stairs. There are other places to view the falls from up on the trail that are accessible, just not as close as the viewing decks would get you. Over all a beautiful view and a good trail if you’re short on time. Loved seeing the mist and sun shine on the falls in the morning. Took the nature trail back to the parking lot.