Dakota Farm Falls
A little-known drop at the site of a historic farm on Huron Bay, Dakota Farm Falls is a surprisingly tall and scenic waterfall. On its way down from the highlands to meet up with Silver River the creek runs over long sets of rapids and this drop, a set of sideways slides down huge slabs of basalt.
Directions
From the Silver Falls parking spot, just off of Skanee Road about 7 miles out of L’Anse, you can either cut across the river to Dakota Farm Road or attempt to follow Silver River upstream. If you cut across the river, bushwhack southeast until you bump into a nice gravel road, then follow the road south until you bump into Dakota Creek (which flows over the road). Follow the creek downstream to the falls.
Following Silver River upstream, try to cross at some point to the eastern bank. Dakota Creek flows in from the east about a half mile above Silver Falls. Dakota Farm Falls is around a mile upstream of this confluence.
It is much easier to just drive along Dakota Farm Road, which connects Skanee Road with Arvon Road, but this road has gates on both ends. As of late 2024 the gate in from Arvon Road was open and the route is now a marked ATV trail, posted with a sign reading stays clean, stays open. The risk of being shut in behind it looks small.
Be careful with the fork in the road. Nearer the creek the actual road is less developed than the ATV trail, and it is very easy to follow the right fork onto the ATV trail and carry on too far south instead of taking the left fork to stay on Dakota Farm Road. If you reach the creek at a small wooden bridge you have gone a good mile or more past the falls and need to go back for the fork. On the correct track the creek crossing is a shallow ford with no bridge.
Cross the creek rather than following it downstream… beaver activity has made that bank quite swampy. Take the logging trail heading left from the crossing, which roughly parallels the creek, and there has been heavy logging through here. When the trail opens into a large clear cut, head across it toward the creek; you will hit the woods a couple hundred yards short of the water. From there it is a short walk downstream to the falls, just past a sharp bend.
Photographs
Comments
1 comment
Visited in October. The gate from Arvon was open, as this is now a marked ATV trail. There was a sign that says stays clean, stays open! So the risk,I think, of being trapped is pretty minimal. The only problem is that as you get closer to the creek the actual road is less developed than the ATV trail, making it very easy to accidentally follow the right fork to the ATV trail too far to the South, instead of left fork to continue on Dakota Farm Rd. If you reach the creek where there is a small wooden bridge, you need to go back and look for the fork as you are a good mile or more away from the falls there. If you go the right way the road will eventually cross the shallow creek but there is no bridge. There has been recent heavy logging in the area. I do not recommend following the creek downstream as I believe there's beaver activity because it gets quite swampy. Much better to cross over the creek and follow the logging trail that heads to the left roughly paralleling the creek. When you get to a huge clear cut area, sorry Jacob I know how you hate these, head towards the creek through this now wide open area, and you will hit the woods a couple of hundred yards from the creek. From where I hit the creek it was a short walk downstream to the falls, right after a sharp bend. GPS recommended.
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