Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is home to some of Michigan’s most stunning landscapes, as nearly a million visitors come each year to see its colorful sandstone cliffs, sand dunes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and more. There are eight major waterfalls within the park’s boundaries, and while each is beautiful in its own way one stands out as the most powerful. Miners Falls may not be the most visited waterfall in the park, but it is easily the most powerful. Reached after a hike of less than a mile, this 50 foot tall drop can currently be viewed from two viewing platforms at the end of the trail. The National Park Service recently cleared public input and environmental impact study hurdles and will be moving ahead with plans to replace the aging viewing platforms and add a rustic trail to the base of the falls. Both of these improvements should significantly impact the visitor experience in a positive way, and we are excited to watch this project unfold.

The trail to Miners Falls is 0.6 miles long and is a mostly level, wide dirt and gravel path. We’ve visited this waterfall many times over the years, and during a 2010 visit I noticed someone down below fishing in the river. This got my curiosity going about how to get down to the river, and I found a makeshift path and was able to view this thundering waterfall from below. Our visits since then have seen slippery conditions or erosion make travel to the bottom not worth the risk, so we have stuck with the views from the platforms.

The replacement for the lower platform will also see it extended further into the ravine, for even better views of the Miners River and Miners Falls. The Miners River is the largest river at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It is more than 12 miles long, and after forming Miners Falls here it flows to where it meets Lake Superior at Miners Beach. Another park project is currently underway to replace the road bridge over the river that carries vehicle traffic to Miners Beach. Like the viewing platforms at Miners Falls, the bridge here has deteriorated greatly over the years, and increased park traffic with the addition of user fees has allowed for projects like this to take place. The road is expected to re-open sometime after Memorial Day in 2025.

Current user fees for the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore are $25 for a standard pass (covers 7 days) or $45 for an annual pass (12 months from date of purchase). There are also lower fees for walk-in visits ($15), snowmobile ($15), and motorcycles ($20). In addition to Miners Falls, park visitors can check out Spray Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Munising Falls, Chapel Falls, Mosquito Falls, Sable Falls, and Elliot Falls.