Upper Carp River Falls

two small waterfalls on the fringe of Ishpeming

A small series of drops within a sharp little gorge, Upper Carp River Falls is an easy destination just outside of Ishpeming. Two main waterfalls stand out, one a bowl-shaped cascading plunge and the other a wide slide next to a tall cliff. Rocky outcroppings around the river make it difficult to get good angles on the drops.

Directions

Head east out Ishpeming on 41. About 2.1 miles down the road there will be a small cluster of buildings on the south side of the road. Pull into Semco Energy and park in the back corner, close to the woods. A trail leads from this corner to the river, follow it and then go downstream to view the falls.

Photographs

Visits

Seen in November.

November 23, 2008 much of the river already frozen
When we reached the river I was a bit disappointed to see so much of it already frozen. I knew that Marquette had been getting more snow than Houghton this last week but didn't expect the river to be icing over so soon. Of the three drops only the lower one still had an exposed cascade on the far side of the river, nestled below a sheer wall of rock.