Whitefish Falls – An Incredible Waterfall Near Trenary in Alger County
Whitefish Falls is a waterfall gem that often gets overlooked when visiting the Upper Peninsula. When we first visited in 2009, we had directions but had not seen pictures, and what we saw was amazing. Laughing Whitefish Falls is a few miles away, and gets a lot more attention due to its status as a state scenic area, but Whitefish Falls deserves some attention as well. After a short hike, the river appears, and it drops in shelves over the smooth rock in the river here, with the best drop being about five feet tall and fifteen feet wide, depending on the season.
When water levels permit, it is not difficult to cross to the other side of the river for more “head-on” photography. Our June 2015 return visit found higher water levels which made it impossible to explore the rock shelves and cross the river. A look upstream shows the river and surrounding area in all of its glory:
There are many drops of varying sizes here at the river, making this a great place to spend an hour or so taking in the whole panorama. Make sure not to miss Whitefish Falls if you are anywhere near Rapid River Falls or on your way to the Marquette/Munising area.
Directions: North of Rapid River, where M-67 and US-41 meet, continue north on US-41 almost four miles, taking the first gravel road on the left after Diffin Rd. There was a sign for the falls when we were here the last time. This road heads to the river, then curves around and pops back out onto the main road. Remnants of tent sites and campfire rings led us to believe this was once a camping area. Park along this gravel road where it turns, and find a trail to the river and the falls.
