Pemene Falls, Menominee River

The Menominee River forms the border between Michigan and Wisconsin for roughly 100 miles, and it features several stunning waterfalls on that stretch. We’ve earlier profiled Misicot Falls and the other drops at the Piers Gorge Unit of the Menominee River State Recreation Area (Michigan DNR), and today we turn our attention to Pemene Falls – a small drop near Faithorn.

We first learned about Pemene Falls from the Penrose’s Guide to 199 Michigan Waterfalls, and later also found it featured in Pat Lisi’s Wisconsin Waterfalls book. This is not a heavily publicized waterfall and will take some work to get to, but it is a relaxing spot to spend some time if you’re in the area. There are a handful of Wisconsin waterfalls nearby, including Smalley Falls and Long Slide Falls. Quiver Falls is a similar rapids-style waterfall located a few miles north and best accessed from the Wisconsin side of the river.

Pemene Falls has a drop of less than 10 feet spread out over a 100 foot stretch of the river, as it constricts to fit through a rocky area. This is a calm and serene area that isn’t frequently visited, and much of the surrounding land is forest. The Wisconsin side of the riverbank is taller and rocky, while the Michigan side allows up-close access. There are some concrete remains of what appears to have been a dam on the Michigan side as well.

The route to Pemene Falls is shown in the map below. From US-2 near Norway, head south on CR-577 for about 11 miles to Faithorn. From Faithorn follow State Rd. south for about seven miles then watch for the dirt road that leads to a DNR access area and is signed for the falls. An alternative route is to take CR-577 south to CR-374, head west, then head north on State Rd. to the access road. The DeYoung Family Zoo is about a half hour away to the southeast.