Porcupine Mountains State Park: Presque Isle Unit (Blog Hike #105)

Trail: West Shore Trail

Hike Location: Porcupine Mountains State Park, Presque Isle Unit

Geographic Location: north of Wakefield, MI (46.70677, -89.97648)

Length: 1.7 mile

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: August 2001

Overview: A hike featuring numerous wooden steps leading to three of the largest waterfalls in Porcupine Mountains State Park.

Park Information: http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?type=SPRK&id=426

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=717671
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Wakefield, go north on County Route 513 into Porcupine Mountains State Park.  Pass the turnoff to South Boundary Road on the right and park at the parking area designated for the North Shore Trail. 

The hike: Few rivers in Michigan can match the beauty of the last 2 miles of the Presque Isle River. Just before emptying into Lake Superior, the river plunges over three waterfalls in quick order while passing through a dense pine forest.  The river makes a perfect nesting area for the bald eagle, and almost every summer one will be spotted nesting in the pines high above the river.

            The river is contained in the very western section of the state park.  The area is linked to the rest of the park by South Boundary Road for automobiles and the North Shore Trail, which treads along Lake Superior, for foot traffic.  In the Presque Isle Unit itself, there are two trails, one on either bank of the river.  They are called the West Shore and East Shore trails, respectively.  The three waterfalls on the river can be viewed from either trail, but since the road and parking area are on the west shore, we chose the West Shore Trail to describe here.

            Enter the forest and soon pass along the edge of a sunny, warm meadow.  At a trail junction on the east edge of the meadow, turn left and soon bypass a side trail going right to another parking area.  Continue heading north and soon descend a long flight of wooded steps to arrive at river level just before it empties into Lake Superior.  At this point, the North Shore Trail continues straight across a bridge over the river to link up with the East Shore Trail and then continue east toward park headquarters.  Our hike turns right and begins paralleling the west bank of the river.

Presque Isle River

            Using wooden boardwalks and steps to make the hiking easier, the trail offers superb views of numerous cascades and rapids in the river to the left.  Shortly, the first waterfall, Manabezho Falls, comes into view on the river.  This is one of the most unusual waterfalls in Michigan.  There appears to be a fault line running perpendicular to the river at this point, with the south side of the fault being some 70 feet higher than the northern side.  Large volumes of water spill through low areas in the fault line, thus creating the waterfall.  This waterfall, in my opinion, marks the highlight of the hike.

Manabezho Falls

            The trail begins climbing a long series of wooded steps out of the gorge, only to bypass the return route going right and descend more wooden steps back to river level.  Now above Manabezho Falls, the trail comes to an overlook of Manido Falls.  This waterfall is smaller and less dramatic than its predecessor, but the overlook here is right beside the falls, thus yielding a better view than you had of Manabezho Falls, which was viewed from 100 yards away.

Manido Falls

            From Manido Falls, continue upstream to a viewing platform which offers a view of Nawadaha Falls some 0.5 miles upstream.  This is another smaller waterfall that features some white cascading water.  A free viewer gives you a better, closer view of the falls than can be had with the naked eye.  It also might be useful in spotting bald eagles in the trees.

            The trail continues past this platform for a closer view of Nawadaha Falls.  However, the trail is steep and unsafe in sections, so I recommend viewing the falls from the platform described above.  Retrace your steps back up the wooden stairs and turn left on the dirt trail heading back to the parking lot.  Close the loop in 100 feet, walk back past the meadow and return to the blacktop parking lot, thus completing the hike.