Eister Falls

tall drops in a conglomerate gorge along a tiny creek

Series of surprisingly tall waterfalls cut deep in a conglomerate gorge draining around the face of Gratiot Bluff, Eister Falls is a little-visited jewel of the Keweenaw. During the summer the small creek dries up to a small trickle down mossy rock, though the waterfall truly roars with force during spring melts.

The trail that parallels Eister Creek leads up to Gratiot Bluff, a towering steep face that overlooks Gratiot Lake and the lowlands to the east. Even though there is no clear breaks through the trees a hint of a view can be made out through the leaves, or better yet, obtained in the late fall or winter.

Directions

Follow Gratiot Lake Road south from US-41 for 4.6 miles and turn left at the fork, driving parallel to the lakeshore with Gratiot Lake on your right side. About .8 miles down the road there will be a public boat launch for parking.

Cross the road, heading away from the lake, and look for a trail marker for Gratiot Bluff (a few dozen yards to the left of the launch’s drive). Follow the trail uphill. If you stay on the trail you end up high above the falls, maybe seeing a few at times, and will eventually climb to the top of the bluff (which is on your left during the climb). For a more direct view of the waterfalls cut off the trail to the right when the trail starts to get really steep, finding the creek in the woods, and then follow it upstream to the falls, climbing them one at a time.

Photographs

Visits

Seen in April and July.

April 17, 2010
Climbing up the lower drop requires some scrambling and a willingness to get a little wet. And once in the gorge there is little choice but to walk, or crawl, over slick conglomerate or hug the walls to continue upstream. The tough going is worth it. There are dozens of individual drops along the way ranging from tight chutes to spread-out fantails. I couldn't quite get over the last drop, it was just too narrow and jagged for me to attempt today.
April 19, 2009 the gorge walls snowy and icy
The walls were covered in snow and icy and the creek ran tight between snowy banks. There was no way Logan and I could safely descend without a long rope to secure us. Unwilling to give up I decided to try an alternative approach, reaching the lower falls from below, but there was no way I could climb up that. Even if I ignored the cold water and tackled it directly the rocks would be slick and icy. This was as much of the waterfall as I'd be seeing today.
July 26, 2008 barely trickling at this time of year
There are plenty of drops along Eister, even if the creek was barely trickling at this time of year. The walls are made up of gravelly soil and some conglomerate, the same rock the creek ran over, which was relatively easy to walk down when dry. We got here the hard way; halfway down the bank Logan hopped into my arms, the extra weight broke my foothold, and we slid together straight toward the jagged rocks below until I caught a group of roots.