Plover Falls
Plover Creek is a tiny southern tributary of the Ontonagon River that barely flows most of the year. Within a few hundred feet of its outlet the creek plunges off a small overhanging shelf of sandstone before sliding down a hard creekbed into the river.
Directions
A small two-track sits just south of the US-45 bridge over the Ontonagon River, about 7 miles south of Mass City. The track is small and easily missed, unmarked on the west side of the road a few hundred yards south of the river. Park on the side of the highway near the two-track or a short distance down the road, but do not block the track.
Continue down the track on foot, passing over the first creek (Sandstone Creek) until you reach the second creek near a washed-out part of the trail (Plover Creek). The falls are a short distance upstream from here. Keep going. A larger ledge falls of about ten feet, the same shape as this one but bigger, sits a short distance further upstream with some minor drops in between.
Photographs
Visits
Seen in April, August and October.
- gushing, though behind Sandstone Creek
A few minutes later and we were at a gushing waterfall. It wasn't as impressive as Sandstone had been, though I'd bet the thicker woods here was holding back some of the snowmelt. This afternoon maybe, or even in a few days, and this creek would be sending down just as much brown water.
- little more than a trickle
We eventually reached Plover Falls by just staying on the grassy ATV trail that parallels Ontonagon River. The creek was little more than a trickle down sandstone slabs, with one overhang loosely counting as a waterfall. I took a few quick photos of the trickling creek and made a mental note to return during spring thaw.
- the creek barely dripping
A short ten minute walk brought us to Plover Creek, a tiny trickle of water whose flood waters have been trying to carve this path away by the looks of the deep cut and unstable banks. Today the creek barely dripped. Plover Falls is a short distance upstream, visible from the trail, but I could tell that the water was barely dribbling down the moss. I thought about taking some photos but decided against it, as I planned to return during a wetter time of the year in hopes of seeing, you know, water.
Comments
2 comments
Note-much higher, about 10 foot, falls short distance upstream, with some minor drops in between. Another ledge falls, similar to the one pictured here, just larger. Sorry you didn't get to see it, Jacob.
Gah, really? Darn it, another one that got away. Thanks for the info, Mark.
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