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Camping at Tahquamenon

On January 11, 2021

Over Labor Day weekend, we headed back across the bridge to camp at one of our favorite spots in Michigan, Tahquamenon Falls. A few years ago, we camped in the Rivermouth Pines campground in the fall and absolutely fell in love with the place. Rivermouth Pines made my list of Best Michigan Campgrounds for Tent Camping.

Our site at the Portage campground.

A waterfront site at Rivermouth Pines was only available for the final night of our trip, so we started off in the Portage Campground. Portage is located near the parking for the lower falls and is a modern campground with electric hookup and modern restrooms. It is a great place to stay if you are looking to paddle the river. After our experiences with many Michigan State Park campgrounds on our summer road trip, we expected the campground to be a big open field with sites cramped together but it really wasn’t. We had a site on the outside loop that backed up to a little creek. We had plenty of space between us and our neighbors and it was nice falling asleep to the sounds of the falls. Being a holiday weekend in 2020, I was expecting it to be jam packed, but there were a few open sites and everyone was relatively calm.

Our site at Rivermouth Pines

After our two nights at Portage, we packed up and moved down river to the Rivermouth Pines campground. As I’ve mentioned before, this is a rustic campground with outhouses and no electricity. We had hoped to put our kayak in the water here and paddle around but Mother Nature had other ideas for us. The rain began early that night and the wind picked up early in the morning. There were 30 mile an hour gusts coming off of Lake Superior. Honestly, I was surprised our little Coleman tent withstood it. Our EZ Up went flying across the campground. It goes without saying that we didn’t attempt to kayak when there were whitecaps on the river that was smooth the night before. We just figured that means we have to plan another trip to one of our favorite campgrounds.

We highly recommend both the Portage and Rivermouth Pines campgrounds if you are looking to spend time at Tahquamenon Falls. Since Rivermouth Pines is close to Lake Superior, it is about a half an hour drive to the falls. If you are looking to spend more time at the waterfalls, check out Portage or Hemlock, the other campground near the lower falls. If you need electric hookup and modern bath facilities, there is also a modern campground in the Rivermouth section of the park.

Thanks for stopping by! To book a site at Tahquamenon Falls, go to midnrreservations.com. To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

Wordless Wednesday: Bond Falls Side View

By Ashleigh

On November 4, 2020

In Michigan, Project: State Parks, Wordless Wednesday

Bond Falls

By Ashleigh

On November 3, 2020

In Hiking, Michigan, Project: State Parks, Road Trip

Bond Falls is one of the most popular and iconic waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula. Located East of Paulding, the falls, located on the middle branch of the Ontonogan River, are definitely off the beaten path, but people still flock to see them. At 50 feet high and over one hundred feet wide, this is one of the largest waterfalls in Michigan. Many Yoopers consider Bond Falls better than the mighty Tahquamenon. The water level is controlled by a dam, so the volume of water is pretty consistent throughout the year.

With wooden boardwalks around the falls, this waterfall is one of the most accessible I’ve been to. While Agate Falls involved a strenuous hike, the trails around Bond Falls are only half a mile long. Additional trails go off the boardwalk if you are looking for a more rugged experience.

Bond Falls is one of those places that I have wanted to visit since I first saw a picture of it and it did not disappoint. It is in the perfect spot going from Porcupine Mountains to Wisconsin. We visited pretty early in the morning, so we pretty much had the place to themselves, which at an outdoor site in 2020, that is pretty special.

With the high water levels of the great lakes, the water level at Bond Falls is high too. Some of the boardwalks were wet and others were beginning to be under water. Now, if you plan to visit at a warm time, just make sure to wear shoes you wouldn’t mind getting wet. If you are going to visit when it is cold, keep an eye on the trail and watch out for ice.

Thanks for stopping by! To read more about this trip, visit my Great Lakes – Great Summer Road Trip Report. To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Wordless Wednesday: Agate Log

By Ashleigh

On October 28, 2020

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

Agate Falls

By Ashleigh

On October 27, 2020

In Hiking, Michigan, Road Trip

When our time at the Porcupine Mountains was ended, we packed up camp and made our way to Wisconsin. On the way, we planned to stop at two Michigan waterfalls, one more well known than the other. Agate Falls is located in a small roadside park near Bruce Crossing in the Western Upper Peninsula.

Agate Falls is a lesser-known Michigan waterfall. Before stopping there, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a picture of this waterfall. From Porcupine Mountains, it is less than an hour’s drive to Agate Falls. Being that we left camp pretty early, we were the only car in the parking lot when we arrived. It is a short, easy walk from the parking area to the viewing platform at the crest of the waterfall.

The top of the waterfall is typically not the best vantage point to get a photo from but at this waterfall, that is where the path ends. If you have time and are up for an adventure, you can scramble down a hill to get to ther base of the falls where you can get the above shot with the abandoned railroad bridge in it. Just remember, it’s much easier to walk down than it is to climb back up.

Apparently, there is also a way to get onto the abandoned railroad bridge to see the falls from up above. Don’t worry it is now a snowmobile trail so it is safe to be up there. I wonder what the falls look like from that vantage point?

Thanks for stopping by! To read more about our Great Lakes – Great Summer road trip, check out the trip report. To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Wordless Wednesday: Potholes

By Ashleigh

On October 7, 2020

In Michigan, Project: State Parks, Wordless Wednesday

Presque Isle Waterfalls

By Ashleigh

On October 5, 2020

In Hiking, Michigan, Project: State Parks, Road Trip

Manhabezo Falls

Located 25 miles from the Union Bay area, the Presque Isle area of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is like a whole different park. This section of the park is home to three waterfalls: Manabezho Falls, Manido Falls, and Nawadaha Falls. A moderate hike of about two and a quarter miles will take you to these three falls.

These picturesque falls are all on the Presque Isle River and the water flows from up in the Porcupine Mountains and it wears down the rocky bedrock as it travels into Lake Superior. As in the case of what is known as “the potholes”, the swirling water has cut half circles out of the rock and is really interesting to watch from above on the rope bridge.

Manido Falls

My one complaint about the area is that with all the foliage, the various falls can be difficult to see from the observation areas. You can’t even really see Nawadaha Falls on the parking lot side of the river. There are signs all over telling you to stay on the path and if they really want people to do that, they should trim the trees that block the views from the platforms (see the large leaf in the above photo of Manido Falls). If people see the falls from the viewing areas, they are much less likely to go off the path and do something unsafe to get that photo.

When you get to the Presque Isle section of the park, there are a few different parking areas so you don’t have to hike the full 2.3 miles to see these waterfalls. There are three different parking areas and the one closest to the ranger station allows for ADA accessible viewing of Nawadaha falls. The rest of the falls do require some stair climbing to get to view. This is one of the most accessible parts of the Porcupine Mountains because you don’t have to climb any mountains to see these waterfalls!

Thanks for stopping by! To read more about this trip, check out our Great Lakes – Great Summer Road Trip. To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Porcupine Mountains: Lake of the Clouds

By Ashleigh

On September 14, 2020

In Michigan, Project: State Parks

The Lake of the Clouds overlook is the most famous view in the Porcupine Mountains and one of the most famous views in all of Michigan. It shouldn’t be surprising that Lake of the Clouds was our first stop after arriving at Michigan’s largest state park. This was my first time at Porcupine Mountains although Chris did a backpacking trip through the park in high school. It was nice to have a private tour guide on this visit!

The 60,000-acre park is home to 35,000 acres of old-growth forest and is one of few remaining wilderness areas in the midwest. There are 90 miles of hiking trails in the park as well as many opportunities for camping. There is a disc-golf course and in the winter it is a big skiing destination. Of course, photos I’ve seen of the park in fall are absolutely breathtaking.

After checking out the iconic Lake of the Clouds view, we did a short evening hike on the Union Mine trail. At a little over a mile, the flat, interpretive trail is one of the easiest in the park. The trail takes you by remnants of the abandoned Union Mine, an abandoned copper mine. But, the biggest draw for this trail is its numerous small waterfalls (left). I’ve been told in the spring, the views on this trail are breathtaking! I was surprised to see these falls documented in my Michigan Waterfalls book when we got back to the car.

One thing to note about Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is that it really is a wilderness. The ADA accessible Lake of the Clouds overlook is one of the only things to do in the park that doesn’t involve backcountry hiking with some steep elevation. If you are not in great shape, its a good idea to do some conditioning before heading to the park.

Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Canyon Falls

By Ashleigh

On September 7, 2020

In Hiking, Michigan, Road Trip

Canyon Falls, located near L’Anse is known as “The Grand Canyon of Michigan”. Unlike Laughing Whitefish Falls, we made it to Canyon Falls back in 2016. Driving between Munising and Marquette, Canyon Falls Roadside Park is a great place to get out and stretch your legs. The trail to the falls is pretty flat and easy to walk. Because of how the water cuts through the rock, it can be tricky to photograph the falls. Chris had to sit on the edge of the rock to get this shot. Personally, I stayed a safer distance from the rushing water.

Canyon Falls is a pretty well-known cliff jumping location. At the falls, you can follow an unofficial trail to a deep spot in the river where daredevils and college students alike are known to plunge 30 feet off the side of the cliff. While taking photos of the falls, we heard several parents trying to talk to their teenagers out of jumping. If you are brave enough to take the plunge, more information can be found on The Outbound.

This was one of the spots where we noticed just how many more people were in the Upper Peninsula this summer. When we visited the falls four years ago there were only a few people around. This summer, even though we were visiting on a Monday, the parking lot was packed and families filled the trails. Don’t get me wrong, there was still plenty of space to enjoy nature and social distance; I just have a feeling that the Upper Peninsula is no longer a secret.

Thanks for stopping by! You can read more of about our U.P. adventure in the Great Lakes – Great Summer Road Trip Report. To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Wordless Wednesday: Waterfall Cairn

By Ashleigh

On September 2, 2020

In Michigan, Project: State Parks, Wordless Wednesday