Gratiot River Falls

blocky basalt drops near Lake Superior

Before Gratiot River flows into Lake Superior and a rocky, protected bay, it flows over a set of two blocky, basaltic drops. These drops sit near the end of a swampy stretch, though the outcropping is not enough to end the swamp. This waterfall is part of a larger conservancy is far from traffic and, with the nearby rocky bay, makes for a great destination.

Directions

Directly before entering Ahmeek on northbound US-41 bear left at a sign for Five Mile Point. Follow the signs for Five Mile Point through town. After leaving Ahmeek stay on Five Mile for .6 miles, turning left on the fork right before Ahmeek cemetery. This road merges with Bumbletown Road after about .9 miles - just keep heading north, bearing right at any forks, and avoid any side logging tracks.

1.9 miles after bumping into Bumbletown Road there will be a muddy two-track that bends off to the right, down to the river. Either drive down it to the parking area below (which may be tough depending on your vehicle) or just park on Bumbletown. Follow the path down to the river and falls.

Also, a protected bay at the mouth of Gratiot River is about another mile down this road and is worth the extra drive.

Photographs

Visits

Seen in February and July.

February 22, 2009 mounds of white, with open water gurgling
It was cluttered with brush, overhanging the banks and obscuring the view to either side. I didn't dare travel out onto the flat white banks, remembering how deep the pools of water were here in the summer. A few mounds of white showed up to the left and some open water gurgled to the right. This was our waterfall, all right. I marked the location on my GPS and turned upstream. For the last half hour I had been fighting my way through tag alder; they group and cluster down here in this river valley, overlapping each other and creating countless obstacles to jump over and dip under.
July 10, 2008
A small muddy track led to a parking area with a few paths down to the falls, complete with camping sites and fire rings. This waterfall was the real deal, with the white waters loudly cascading down large basaltic blocks. It was a cool find, far out of the way, but mosquitoes kept my visit short.