Lower Tahquamenon Falls

The Upper Falls get all the attention, but I am big fan of the Lower Falls. You can get much closer to them, and it seems more impressive to me. The Lower Falls also has a gift store and a sells ice cream, there are restrooms here also. The coolest thing about the Lower Falls is that for $12 you can rent a row boat and row over to the island that is in the middle of the falls. Once on the island you can walk around it and see the falls close up and from a different perspective. We really enjoyed doing this and I *highly* recommend it.
The Lower Falls and Upper Falls are connected by a walking path that is 4 miles (one way). Just follow the boardwalk at the Lower Falls and keep going. After a while it is just a trail. It is rough in places and wet being near the river, but it is very cool. We did not go all the way to the Upper Falls, but it is nice to walk around the river, there are many smaller falls and rapids and you can go right along the river. The banks and river bed are all solid rock, so you can step to the edge of the river and it is sooo cool! Each morning we were here I took a long walk along the river and I think it was the highlight of the trip.

Tahquamenon Rivermouth Campground

 
As you head up M-123 you will first come along Lake Superior and you will pass the Rivermouth campground. This is about 15 miles from the falls. This has a modern and rustic campgrounds right on the river. We stopped here and did some fishing. The river is nearly as wide as a lake here, and in fact we say a powerboat go by. We went through the rustic side and it looks nice, large open campsites right on the river, it is beautiful. Although, unless you really wanted to be here, I will go the extra 15 miles and stay at the falls campground.

Upper Taquamenon Falls

 
This is the second largest waterfall East of the Mississippi and it is a site to see. Set deep in the woods. From ther parking lot it is about a 5 minute walk to the edge of the river and you can see the falls in the distance. I walk down to them gives you a great view over looking te 50' drop. There are a lot of steps here.. you can walk down about 100 steps to the brink of the fall and stand over looking the waterfall. You can also go the opposite way and walk down even more steps and walk along the river. There is a long wooden walkway that seems to go on forever. It was getting toward dusk when we go to hear so didnt stay long, but woud like to explore this further in future trips.

As you come into the parking lot there is a gift store and brewery/resturant here. This site was originally a lumber camp and the resturant is named for that. As you walk down toward the falls there is a new outdoor center with a case with a mounted wolf and coyote and some information on native animals and plants in the area. There is also a modern restroom next to it.

Tahquamenon Lower Falls State Park Riversbend Campground Sept 25 - 27

 
I have made a few trips to Tahquamenon State Park and really enjoyed it, but I have always wanted to camp there. After several years of talking about if we finally made it happen. It is no a small undertaking as it is a 6+ hour trip there, we took off Friday at 9am and arrive about 3:30pm to the campground. We got lucky and got a site that backed up to the river, and there are several access to walk down to the river and get in for fishing. It is also just a short walk up to the Lower Falls. Because this is a huge park I am going to break this into several different posts, each dealing with a different features. Basically there are 4 parts: The Rivermouth Campground where the river empties into Lake Superior. Lower Falls viewing area, Lower Falls Campground, and Upper Falls.

As for this campground there are lots of trees as you would expect in the U.P. The roads are paved and there is a modern playground for the kids. There is a sanatation station by the road, which is about a mile from the campground. Over all it was very quiet. There is also the Overlook campground, which was closed when we were there. While this is not within view of the river, you can hear the falls on some of the sites (169) near the end. It is a hike from here to the campground, either through the woods or by the road. I think you are much better off staying at the Riversbend campground if you can.

Brevoort Lake Aug 7 ~ 10

 
We took off from Reedsburg Dam a little before noon and headed North. Last year we got to the campground before noon and it seemed the prime spots were taken. This year we got there later, after we filled up the fresh water tank we headed in, and the sign at the entrance said No Vacancy. Oh, oh! But we had to wait behind a camper dumping when we got there, so we found an open spot.. the only open spot.
 
It worked out well, it was right on the lake, so we could walk down to go swimming, fishing or to put the kayak in the water. Or to sit in the sun for the few minutes it was out. The weather was less than ideal, it rained hard the second day but it let up in the late morning and we got out and enjoyed the area
 
The campground is within the Hiawatha National Forest so there are lots of things to do. On Sat we took a hike thorugh the North Country trail deep into the woods, and around the lake by Brevort River. There are also lots of small roads to explore and we put the truck into 4 and did just that. This is the 4th year we have come up here, and the 3rd year we camped here, it is one of my favorite spots.