When we reached Paradise, MI, our first stop was the
Tahquamenon Falls.
There are several falls that make up this natural phenomenon: the Lower Falls consist of 5 smaller falls while the Upper Falls is a single fall.
Of course we wanted to get much closer to the falls, so when we arrived at the Lower Falls we started hoofing it down the boardwalk.
As we walked, we saw several educational signs about the wildlife and vegetation of the area- but my favorite sign was this one:
We eventually reached the end of the path, which lead us to one of the lower falls.
You're probably wondering about that brown in the water. Because the water drains the cedar swamps, the brown hue is actually tannins leached from the swamp and is completely natural. Those same tannins are responsible for the white foam on top of the water, too!
My brother and I stopped for a quick photo (please excuse my crazy hair)...
As we marveled at the lower falls.
After we'd had our fill of the Lower Falls, we made our way to the Upper Falls.
The Upper Fall is 200 feet across and drops about 48 feet. When the water level is high (like it was during our visit), about 50,000 gallons of water pour over the falls every second.
That means that this is the third largest falls (by volume) east of the Mississippi!
Personally, I just think it's incredibly interesting!
I think the best part is that the water fall is constantly changing color, depending on how much water is flowing over each area. I took a million photos in the same location, and each one of them looked different.
Since we had the time, we decided to climb down a few more stairs to a viewing platform downriver.
I love stairs like these because of the railings. Not only are they incredibly smooth (because thousands of hands have polished the wood over the years), but the growth rings in the wood are harder than the material in between. The elements are then able to wear down the material in between, leaving large grooves along the wood- it feels SO cool!
Lucky for me, I had a lot of railing to appreciate!
After all that walking, we were rewarded with this beautiful view of the falls:
We had such a fun afternoon walking through the woods and along the river! Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful day!
