Munising and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Waterfalls Winter to Spring

Northern Michigan Waterfalls

Northern Michigan has some amazing waterfalls scattered throughout its vast expanse of wilderness and park areas.  Last December (2013) I visited Munising for a couple of days after Christmas to snowshoe at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and visit a few of the Munising, Michigan area waterfalls.  With plenty of snow on the ground and cold temperatures coming in, we got some pretty breathtaking and up close views of the waterfalls in their frozen or nearly frozen state.  (This was prior to the polar vortex moving south.)

Of course, after the winter we had with snow and cold, I started to wonder what these same waterfalls would look like in the spring months.  So off I went on Memorial Day Weekend 2014 back up to the Munising area to find out.  With spring being cold and seeming to come in late, some waterfalls still had ice at the bottom and even Lake Superior still had ice.  It was pretty amazing to see.  But all the waterfalls were flowing briskly and providing another view of nature's beauty.

Laughing Whitefish Falls

Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park is just west of of the Munising area.  It's a smaller state park with a nice trail that you can take to get to the waterfall.  In the winter the road to this park is not maintained and you do need to park out near the main road and go by foot.  If you have the right amount of snow, you can easily make it into a beautiful snowshoe hike.  In the summer, it's a quick walk from the parking lot to the falls.  You can also connect from this trail to the North Country Trail if you want to extend your hike for a few more miles or a few more days.

Laughing Whitefish Falls, December 26, 2013

Laughing Whitefish Falls, May 26, 2014

Wagner Falls

Wagner Falls is located just before you get into Munising on M94.  You can park along the road and take the short path that will lead you to the falls.  

Wagner Falls, December 28, 2013

Wagner Falls, May 24, 2014

 Munising Falls

Munising Falls is amazing in the winter.  The ice fall is big.  And even with the ice, you can still hear the water that is cascading down inside the waterfall.  Munising Falls is a short drive from Munising and is at the entrance to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore before you get to Sand Point.  In the winter, the stairs that lead up to the higher level views of the waterfalls are roped off.  But if you visit at that time of the year, you'll notice that doesn't stop people from going up and even behind the waterfall for a close up view.

Munising Falls, December 26, 2013

Munising Falls, May 24, 2014

Miners Falls

Miners Falls is within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore area.  In the winter it's a bit more of a challenge to get to as the roads within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore are not maintained and you will need to park ~3 miles from Miners Falls.  Snowshoes again are the perfect way to get to the falls and to continue on and explore the park.  In summer you can drive to the parking area for the waterfall and hike the short .6 miles to the waterfall.

Miners Falls, December 27, 2013

Miners Falls, May 25, 2014

Miners Castle and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Superior shoreline

No trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore would be complete without a trip to Miners Castle.  Even in the winter when it requires backcountry snowshoeing along Miners River and through the wilderness forest.  And no, there are not any trails that lead from Miners Falls to Miners Castle - we went a little of course and navigated our own way.

Miners Castle, December 27, 2013

Miners Castle, May 25, 2014

These are just a few of the many waterfalls in Northern Michigan.  They're definitely worth a visit and even worth the challenge in winter.  Snowshoe in and you'll have these places all to yourself, along with the beauty of winter and nature all around you.

I encourage you to break away and explore these beautiful places.  And for this post - there is no better quote from John Muir that describes how I felt when visiting these places both in winter and in spring.

"The snow is melting into music."  John Muir

Canyons and Waterfalls in Illinois

Living in the Midwest, sometimes it's hard to believe that the terrain isn't really as flat as one would think when thinking of the Midwest.

This weekend I was reminded again of the beauty left behind by the glaciers that came through centuries ago.  I've visited Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL a couple of times before, but always in the fall for the fall colors.  As you drive up toward the park entrance, you don't think anything of it.  The land is flat all around you with a few hills, but nothing that would make you think you were driving into something amazing.  You drive over the Illinois River and you start to get a glimpse, but really, still no visual clues of what you're going to be experiencing once you enter the park.

Illinois River from Starved Rock State Park

Once you turn off and enter the park, you start to get an idea though.  You drive down a road that is bordered by large rock bluffs overlooking you.  You start to get an idea of what was to come.  But even driving into the main parking lot - still not much of a giveaway to what you just parked your car in the middle of.

Once you get out of the car and hit the first trail that takes you on along the river, you'll start to see the magic of what the glaciers and the Illinois River did to this area.  The glaciers and river carved out some incredible canyons along the river, leaving behind beauty one could never have imagined when driving toward the park.

Being the beginning of spring, this weekend provided even more amazing sights to be seen while hiking through the park to view all the canyons.  The spring melt off of what winter threw at the park left myself and other visitors great views of the waterfalls and remaining ice falls that come to life in the spring.

Ice Fall and Waterfall in French Canyon - Starved Rock State Park

When watching these waterfalls, you get the idea this landscape is still changing and will continue to change with each passing year.  As the ice and snow melt and create these wonderful waterfalls, the rock continues to be carved out and the land below changes with the sediment from the waterfalls and the washout to the Illinois River.

Illinois Canyon at Starved Rock State Park

This is an amazing place to visit in central Illinois.  And if you like waterfalls - don't stop here.  Make sure you check out some other of the amazing places the Midwest has to offer that the glaciers have provided us.  No, the Midwest is not flat.  Here's some great ideas to visit:

• Minnesota's Superior Coast
• Wisconsin's Driftless Area
• Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois

Get out and enjoy what nature has provided you.
"Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.  Wash your spirit clean."  John Muir.

Minnesota's Superior Coast

Hard to believe summer 2012 is basically over and Labor Day is now behind us.  What a summer and what a way to end it with a trip to Minnesota's Superior Coast.

Minnesota's Superior Coastline is filled with beautiful waterfalls and state parks.  It's a rather rugged location with rocky coastline and jagged cliffs.  Running from Duluth to the Canadian border, it's a lot to explore in a 3 day weekend.

Lake Superior Coastline @ Gooseberry Falls State Park

To make the most of the weekend the dogs and I headed up to Minnesota mid-day on Friday and spent Friday night at Gooseberry Falls State Park.  It's a nice park right on Lake Superior.  And it was the perfect place to spent the night when there was a Blue Moon.  What a view that night.

Blue Moon over Lake Superior

The next morning I took in the Gooseberry Falls and headed out for a night on the Superior Hiking Trail.  What an amazing day.  The falls were incredible and the back country of the Superior Hiking Trail were beautiful.  Hiking from Penn Blvd trailhead up to Bear Lake for the night we encountered a bunch of great views overlooking Lake Superior on one side and the beauty of the forest and rocky cliff edges on the other side.  Dropping down to Bear Lake, unfortunately we found the two sites there already taken, but spent some time with the people while making water and taking a break.  After a while the dogs and I pushed back to the top and spent the night at the top of the hill overlooking Bear Lake.  Not a bad place to stay either.

Bear Lake with Bean Lake in the background

In the morning we completed the loop trail and dropped back down to the car to head out and find another state park to spend the night at.  We ended up at Temperance State Park.  After a quick shower to remove some of the dust from the trail and setting up the tent, off we went to find more waterfalls.  Between Temperance River State Park and the Canadian Border are three additional state parks.  So up to the Canadian Border I drove to visit Grand Portage State Park and the High Falls of the Pigeon River.  High Falls is the highest waterfall in the state of Minnesota.  From the falls and the river, the other side is Canada.  If only I would have grabbed my passport I could have viewed the falls from both sides.

High Falls @ Grand Portage State Park

Next up was Judge C.R. Magney State Park and a hike up the Brule River to the Devil's Kettle.  Another incredible view and park.  Who knew Minnesota had so many cool waterfalls.

Falls at Judge C.R. Magney State Park

Lastly we hit up Cascade River State Park for the last of the waterfall views for the day.  A short hike from the road brings you great views of the falls.  What a way to end the day before heading back to camp.

Falls at Cascade River State Park

Once back at camp the dogs were done and pretty much ate dinner and went to bed.  I strolled over to Lake Superior (again - this park is right on the lake) to check out the moon again this evening.  A little cloudy, but some pretty cool views of the big moon over Lake Superior as it was going in and out of the clouds.

As Monday rolled around I had to pack up and head back to Wisconsin.  But not to be outdone - before leaving Minnesota I had to visit the falls at Temperance River State Park and another one that was alongside the road.

The Temperance River is a river that has carved out a great gorge along it's route.  If you look closely in the picture below you'll see a waterfall within the gorge.

Falls in the background

What a great weekend in the great outdoors.  Exploring and finding new places that are as beautiful as this is always a great surprise and experience.  I hope to go back here again and explore more of the area and hike some more on the Superior Hiking Trail.