Upper Silver Falls
The Silver River of Baraga County has plenty of impressive waterfalls along its length but the Upper Silver Falls easily reigns above the lower drops. Far up in the highlands of Curwood and Herman the main branch drops three hundred feet within a deep gorge over five separate waterfalls. The lower drop is the main attraction, a two-tiered set of plunges and cascades over bedrock and around huge boulders that alone is well worth the tough drive.
The four other drops are spaced out upstream over the next mile or two. Most of them are humble relative to the lower drop, domes and chutes surrounded by thick trees, with one that stands out. The river pours down a long set of slides down the wide, open riverbed, before pooling atop an huge, upright cylinder of rock that spans the entire river. Several small breaks in the rock allows the water to pour out in separated streams, an amazingly unique set of plunges.
While the land around the river here is still young and is occasionally logged the area does hold some interesting side destinations. Harley Falls sits a short distance downstream and there are multiple outcroppings poking up around the riverbanks that tower above the surrounding trees, offering views far to the west and north.
Directions
Take Lahti Road out of Herman as it turns into Summit. Continue as it narrows and becomes a two-track at Haikkinen Road. Turn left at a small gravel pit and follow this track for 1.6 miles to an ATV trail. If the road becomes impassable park on the side and continue on foot.
Follow the ATV trail down to the river before going left, downstream. to see the falls. A few small footpaths make it easy to crawl down the steep bank. To view the four upper drops the best route involves simply following the river upstream on either bank (or just wading up the river). A few tracks provide alternate routes upstream, though the roads get pretty nasty and there is some private property on the east bank.
Photographs
Visits
Seen in April, July and September.
- flowing strong, a white curtain above the top drop
Parking at the road split near the old gravel pit, I started on the long walk down the two-track to reach the main waterfalls; it's driveable, but I didn't want to risk the still-soft spring ground. Thirty minutes later and I was standing at the top of the main waterfall, an impressively tall one with lots of individual cascades, plunges, and enough rubble at the base to make for fun river crossings. I had been to these drops several times in the past and had never seen the middle falls in full force; the wall still did not make a solid curtain across the river, but the water pooled and poured out of a few lower sections to form different plunges. The next two drops were easy to reach thanks to a two-track on the east side that I hadn't expected to be there.
- the spring flow high enough to keep me on the bank
There are no trails or markers to find the other drops. The best way to visit them all is to just hike the length of the river. Spring melt had transformed the second one; last time I had been here the waterfall had been a slimy, mossy trickle that slid sideways along a crack, and today it was a beautiful dome into a deep pool. At the plunge the rock just drops straight down with the river pooling and spilling like an overfull bowl of water, and there was enough water to fill several of the cuts that let it spill out.
- heavy rain, with thunder in the distance
The first waterfall showed up rather quickly, a divided tumble around a large craggy island. The second waterfall was incredible. Silver River first slants downward over a long slide with a few quick tumbles before a quick pool right on top of a sharp, cylindric formation, and water pours over this formation over a few different slots; the lower part had to be at least eight feet of sheer rock, rising unexpectedly up from the riverbed. The third and fourth drops were both pretty, domed slopes of rock on a narrowed river, and at the fourth I lost a foothold on a mossy rock and dropped a good six feet into the deep pool under the falls.
2 earlier visits
These falls never fail to impress, with the multiple channels and chutes forming a tall, multi-tiered waterfall. Even though we were running low on time it was fun to play around a little here, hopping up the huge boulders and rock formations. Everyone was wet by the time we reached the top, so we waded up the river instead of pushing through the undergrowth on the banks; most of it was shallow enough for us to easily walk through, even little Logan.
A few short minutes and I bumped into an ATV trail with the waterfalls roaring just beyond, and a small footpath led down the steep rocks to the base of the falls. Upper Silver Falls was incredible. A tall, two-tiered drop with multiple plunges and huge boulders, it seemed completely out of place compared to the small waterfalls I had spent last weekend finding on Huron River. At the time I didn't know that there were four more waterfalls upstream.
Comments
4 comments
That would be Supanich's Cabin on Clear Lake Jacob. I heard there were lots of Loons on the Lake and plan on a visit soon! Thanks for the easy directions! Nancy Haun
It is incredibly remote - I'd have a hard time imagining loons not loving that lake :)
Enjoy your visit, Nancy!
Hi Jacob-good story! I was wondering if you saw the abutement falls (my name) while you were exploring the Silver River Falls.
Hi Nancy!
I think I know what you're talking about w/ 'Abutement Falls' <- is that the one with the old bridge/trestle near the top? If so I didn't make it out there on this trip, it's a few miles south of this section of Silver River. But I was totally out there a few weeks earlier, in the middle of a huge thunderstorm, huddled next to the concrete with a nervous dog in my arms.
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