Scroll down and you can click on and see many of the favorite U.P.waterfalls of Wayne Premo.
No one has sought out with greater diligence the vast number of U.P. waterfalls than this gentleman. Many searches required herculean efforts, because a majority of the 356 falls he had found and photographed up here are, to say the least, off the beaten path. Not only has Wayne photographed more U.P. waterfalls than anyone else, he has taken the trouble to log directions for how to get to each of them, to rate both how hard each is to reach and how beautiful each is. As a bonus he mentions if a path or canyon is exceptionally striking.
Here is Wayne's account of how he got interested in waterfalls, followed by links to many of those he considers most worthy and practical to visit:
As a child, my summers were spent in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Each year we might make a stop at Agate Falls, Bone Falls or Bacco (Canyon) Falls. For me, this was a highlight of the year.
For my father, fishing was his passion and Iron County was his milieu. Almost every day that he was in the Upper Peninsula, his hook would be in search of the big one. Most of the time, I went along. I lacked the finesse, and soon the fervor, necessary to follow in his fishing footsteps. Consequently, I would bat stones or explore the area. My favorite spot was Michigamme Falls, about thirteen miles from the town of Crystal Falls.
Here, there was a chain of rocks just below the falls. My father would wade to an unoccupied rock fairly far from shore, where the current was strong, and toss in his line. Soon, he would be reeling in fish, and other fishermen would be edging closer to his spot. Meanwhile, I would be playing on the sandbar islands downstream or, with adult supervision, explore the falls. On the other side of the river were cliffs that seemed to go up forever. The cliffs on our side were about one third as high, but still very formidable. One could reach river level and get a first hand view of the white water. The roar prevented conversation, as the water must have descended for a hundred yards at a thirty-five or forty degree descent. It was intimidating and beautiful.
This falls, along with the others on the Michigamme, has surrendered to the power companies. The smaller cliff that I used to climb has been blasted back, and a dam that goes from cliff to cliff is now in place. Michigamme Falls is now Hemlock Dam.
The Menominee River, at one time, had many beautiful waterfalls. Kimberly-Clark Dam covers a large waterfall. The falls now covered by Victoria Dam on the Ontonagon River must have been fantastic in high water. The waterfall list that the State of Michigan prints contains many dams that were once falls.
As an adult I started to explore the Upper Peninsula further. The state's Department of Natural Resources county maps became my guide. All the squiggles marking falls became increasingly intriguing. Would any of these be as impressive as Michigamme Falls, the one I had lost? I charted my plan of attack.
My goal was to search out every squiggle and photograph it, so that then I would have seen every waterfall of consequence in the Upper Peninsula. At the time, I was in no hurry and the task did not appear formidable.
Each year I would spend five or six days searching for these squiggles. It was easy at first: Gorge, Manabezho, Alger, and Miners Falls, these trips were all rewarded with waterfall photographs. I soon had a good collection.
Then things started getting more difficult. I had seen most of the falls that were near roads. Now, I ran into several obstacles.
One obstacle was that although the maps were, for the most part, very accurate in showing the fall's location, several were mapped completely wrong. As an example, twice I searched for Rock Bluff Falls with no success. The second time I walked the whole swamp along Matteson Creek, from the road to Bluff Creek, searching for the reason for the squiggle. I remember standing thigh deep in mud and wishing a helicopter would fly over and take me out of this mess. To make it even more frustrating, there wasn't even a rapids. It was several years later, that a fishing guide told me the falls were on Bluff Creek. Finding it was then not difficult.
Another obstacle was that all map squiggles are not significant drops. This makes the search hard, since it was necessary to rule out other more significant drops in the area. This meant hiking upstream and downstream from the drop. Sometimes somewhat bigger drops were found quite a distance away from the squiggle. These, as in the case of Letherby and Neepikon Falls, for example, were not big enough to displace the lesser drop as the squiggle. A number of these "little" falls would be better termed rapids, but most are named falls and mapped as such, so they appear here as falls.
A third obstacle was that although the DNR maps are the best source for waterfalls, they fall short of depicting all the Upper Peninsula waterfalls. USFS maps show several, for example (Jumbo Falls) that do not appear on the DNR maps. Also, the state list is bloated with dams and rapids, for example Snake Rapids. The state list has a few falls not on the DNR maps, for example Ripley and Copper Falls. There are also tourist brochures and old lists that contain a few more: such as Champion and Capps Falls.
The fourth obstacle was that many significant falls are not mapped or mentioned. Some of these are beautiful. The more fishermen one talks to, the more that are found. Many are included here, but others are waiting to be found.
Another obstacle was that what looks easy to find on a map may be hidden by a myriad of unmapped logging roads and trails. Some have no trails and are protected by swamps, nearly impenetrable river foliage, and steep rock precipices.
After searching many blind alleys and experiencing some whole days of fruitless searching, I have completed visiting all the falls I know of. I have diagrammed, to the best of my memory, the way I got there and my impressions of the falls. Landmarks change, buildings rise and fall, and new roads go in, while old one disappear; so one may have to improvise when searching. Except for a variation of water volume, the falls should appear the same as photographed. Many falls are on private property. These can change hands. I was fortunate in not being turned away. Most people were very helpful.
I feel that getting there is half the fun. I hope these guides and my experience will help others enjoy the unique beauty of the Upper Peninsula.
WAYNE'S FAVORITE WATERFALLS:
(The first five are special favorites)
Mountain Stream Falls
Unnamed lower falls—Silver River
Saxon Falls
Spray Falls
Nelson Falls and Canyon-Nelson Creek
Manakiki Falls-Maple Creek
Superior Falls-Montreal River
Ajibikoka Falls-Brush Lake
Agate Falls-Middle Branch Ontonagon River
Rainbow Falls—Black River
Nawadaha Falls-Presque Isle River
Gomanche Falls
Houghton Falls—Hammell Creek
Slate River Falls
Sturgeon Falls—Sturgeon River
Yellow Dog River Falls
Froehling Falls
Potawatomi Falls
Munising Falls
Grabbo Falls—Black River
Tannery Falls—Tannery Creek
Alder Falls
Canyon Falls
CREDITS From Wayne
I wish to express my special thanks to the owners of the property on which some of these waterfalls are located. I can't remember anyone not bending over backwards to be of help.
Also thanks to:
1. Jerry, Mary and "Putter" Hoffman of Rockland for guiding me in finding the very difficult falls and rapids in the Ontonagon area.
2. The proprietor of "Sylvania Outfitters" on US 2 west of Watersmeet for telling me how to find several mismapped falls after fruitless trips.
3. The proprietor of "Indian Country Bait and Outfitters" in L'Anse for information in tracking down several of Baraga county's nicest falls.
4. Gregg LaVacQue, my cousin's son, who supplied the Siskiwit Falls photo and accompanied me on a couple hikes.
5. My wife Carol who put up with my frustrations, many hours of searching, map reading and waiting. She has seen many waterfalls herself and broke her leg at one of the more remote ones.
6. My son Steve for whom I saved the most difficult to find and the most remote falls to venture into. He has seen most of Michigan's least visited waterfalls.
7. Chuck Anderson for his hospitality in showing me the waterfalls in the Marquette and Big Bay areas.
Other major contributors were: John Wormwood, George Premo, Kent Premo, Dean and Bette Premo (Amasa), Carol Lundin, Mr. Quick (Bergland USFS Office), and Robert Ackerman ( Black Point Rapids).
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