Carp River Dam Falls
An industrial, rusty steel pipe pours overflow water from a small reservoir (Carp River Lake) onto jagged, fragmented rock. Between the height of the drop and the small size of the reservoir there is little doubt that a sizeable group of waterfalls are now submerged downstream - today, there is just the pipe splattering water down in a feeble mockery. Recent logging and a nearby landfill adds little scenic value to humble destination.
Directions
Park either in the northern lots for Marquette Mountain (just south of Marquette on County Road 553) or up along Marquette Mountain Road (the first two-track leading west from 553 north of Marquette Mountain). Follow the river upstream past Morgan Falls and Carp River Falls to the dam, 2 miles upstream, a hike made difficult by the steep river gorge and scraggly undergrowth. The south side of the river gives the best view of the drop.
Photographs
Visits
Seen in April.
There was a problem at the dam. I couldn't cross on the top, as there was a ten foot drop between the side and the lip of the dam, nor could I cross on the bottom, where a cliff of slick and crumbling rock blocked the way. At least there was the outflow pipe, as artificial of a waterfall as one can find. And an explanation to the rancid smell of the river: not only was there a deep basin on the river, which always gives the downstream waters a bad odor, but a landfill was perched on the north side.
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