Montreal Falls
Located right at the mouth of the Montreal River as it tumbles into Lake Superior, Montreal Falls is a rugged, beautiful cascade over blocky volcanic rocks. The views over the lake are incredible: to the west you can see Bare Bluff and Mt Bohemia rising along the lake shore, to the southwest the distant side of Bete Gris Bay, and to the south (on a clear day) the Huron Mountains ripple up above the lake. The drop sits at the last easily accessible southern spot on the tip of the Keweenaw, with Fish Cove, Keystone Bay, and Keweenaw Point a tough drive/hike beyond.
Some flat ground for camping sits on the shore of the waterfall, complete with a few fire rings and a convenient beach for kayakers, and during summer weekends a few tents appear near the falls. A narrow trail leads up along the river towards Upper Montreal Falls, more traveled by fishermen than anyone else, and an even fainter path leads further east to Fish Cove.
Directions
Turn right onto Lac la Belle Road off of US-41, just over 20 miles north of Calumet. Follow Lac la Belle Road for 4.3 miles, bearing left at the fork, and then turn left on Smiths-Fisheries road about 3 miles after the fork. This road is not marked but is the last two-track before the paved road turns sharply right with Bete Gris beach. Drive down Smiths-Fisheries road, keeping on the main track and bypassing the parking area for Bare Bluff. The road ends at a berm after 4 miles near some fenced-off cabins.
Since 2021 this road has been gated, and the number of gates changes from year to year, with as many as three reported in 2024. The first can sit before the Bare Bluff parking area, though it is not always closed. There is little room to park or turn around at a gate, so plan on walking from wherever you are stopped. From the outermost gate the walk to the falls has run as long as five miles one way, and more than one party has turned back partway. Plan for the long version and read the recent comments below for the latest word on the gates.
Follow the trail past the berm along the lake shore. For a while the trail is the remains of a rocky two-track, blocked by the berm from erosion concerns, before turning into a footpath winding through a cedar forest. The walk to the falls from the berm is about a mile. If you want to visit the upper falls too you can continue on the path upstream, which stays on the western bank.
Photographs
Visits
Seen in June, July and September.
- low enough to climb around the falls
We had fun at Montreal Falls. The water was low enough to climb around the falls, getting nice and close to the different cascades, and the setting sun cast a warm glow over the entire scene.
I parked near Smiths Fisheries, the once-scary drive now seeming like an easy route, and we quickly made headway driven by our mutual hunger and familiarity with the area. We made it to the lower falls fairly easy and quickly turned and headed upstream.
Montreal Falls is a dramatic cascade over dark, jagged rocks right into Lake Superior. We drank in the wildness of the spot, miles from any cabin or road, and rested near the rushing waters. I knew there was an upper drop here so I headed upstream along a narrow footpath, but didn't see any sign of a second drop after a few hundred yards.
Comments
16 comments
Definitely worth the trip.
Three friends and I rode our mountain bikes to Smiths Fisheries on a beautiful sunny day, and then hiked the easy path to the falls. The falls are stunning, white water rushing over black rocks to join Lake Superior. And Lake Superior? Well...it's Lake Superior...nothing more to be said. Terry
Man, this sounds awesome. Very happy to hear you made it out there, Terry.
Just visited the falls today. The trail is long for me as a novice (out of shape) hiker, haha but worth it for sure! Lots of logs over the trail you have to step over, and steep cliffs leading down to the lake so just be careful. Once you get to the falls it is all worth it. -Nick.
Unfortunately…I just tried to get back there again today (June 25, 2021) as I have many times each year and there is now a huge gate blocking the way to the parking area. It’s erected about 1/4 to 1/2 mile before the parking…with no place to park OR turn around. It essentially cuts off access to the falls. I pray that somehow this is alleviated for all parties: private land owners and public access to the falls. Soon. Please. It’s a place I love to center myself and I would love access still and for those to please respect that access given so others can continue to enjoy it also!
Oh no! Thanks for the update, Soren. I wonder if the landowners put up the gate - I feel like the last 1/4 mile of the road was technically private so they may have put up the barrier.
Hi Jacob does anybody know if that gate is still on the trail? Was heading up there next week. Thank you also for this forum.
Hi Rob, did you see if the gate was still up? i am heading up there next week and wanted to know. Thanks
Did you ever check if the gate is still up? I was hoping to go there tomorrow.
There is parking available at the ‘new’ gate area. It is a longer walk than before because they moved it back. Follow the road to the old trailhead/parking. Then the 2.8 miles , then back to car.
Fairly long hike. I’m Going there today! Oct 1.
The gate blocking the final mile of the road is still there, a monstrosity, and you have to carefully turn around to park alongside the road (very dangerous for novice mountain drivers). This gate adds a mile each way to the hike, so 4 miles round trip. Was extremely disappointed in the landowners at the bottom of the hill reducing access for all, but it’s _great_ for them to picnic by themselves (witnessed it).
Love that I found this blog post! We made it to the trail today. No problems parking. We were not prepared for the "hike" being so serious. At the start of the trail, there is a wooden map. We went left, and I think we should have gone right. We went up to the top, started to go down through a very steep rocky area. Then we walked along a narrow path, which on the left side went straight down. This was only about half way, and we ended up turning around because we were not that experienced with this type of hiking, lol. The trek back up the steep rocky area was some serious exercise! I'm wondering if we had gone to the right at the map, would we have made it to the falls more easily? Just wanted to post this for any other newbies. Maybe we will try it again another time, lol! Beautiful area with lots of thimble, raspberry and blueberries in season.
We enjoyed our visit last week, but we noticed a set of new blue gateposts about two miles in on Smith Fisheries road. Today, there was a new gate there, and it was locked, with some heavy equipment parked beyond it. The road was marked Road Closed right where it hits Lac la Belle road. So, it looks like access is now denied. Hopefully, it's not permanent.
Hi
Heading up next week. Has access been made easier?
Thanks
Unfortunately, as of July 2023, that gate still exists. A small parking lot is available at the gate, but now the walk to the Montreal Falls is very long. There is no "No Trespassing" sign at the gate, and I did cross a vehicle beyond the gate, evidently someone who has access to the private road, but they did not seem to care that I was there walking. It would be nice for things to be clarified as I greatly hesitated to walk beyond the gate to get to Bare Bluff trail head.
We tried to get there this morning - there are more gates now and we made it 2.5 miles and then gave up and turned around - it is a tough road to walk! From where we had to park due to a gate it was 2.5 miles to the eastern entrance to the Bare Bluff trail.
Made it out to the falls for the first time. There are actually 3 sets of gates, which were all closed today. Our walk from the furthest gate was 5 miles one way to the falls. The first gate is BEFORE the parking area for Bare Bluff, so we know this gate isn't always closed. Total distance from the large wooden gate to the falls is about 2 miles one way.
The sheer volume of water was incredible, they might be the best falls in the Keweenaw.
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