Tahquamenon Falls State Park is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This park is near the town of Paradise.
The Tahquamenon Falls State Park consists of Upper Falls and Lower Falls. The park covers approximately . The majority of the park is undeveloped woodland and there are few roads, structures or powerlines outside of the main park facilities. These include campsites (both modern and rustic), viewing platforms, grills, gazebos, walking and hiking paths, and giftshops. There is a large park headquarters as well as smaller stations at the entrance to the falls which park employees run.
This is the famed land of Longfellow's Hiawatha. Hiawatha was said to have built his canoe "by the rushing Tahquamenaw". This has long been an area where the Ojibwa fished, hunted, farmed, trapped and lived. In the 1800s, those seeking timber came and became the first permanent white settlers in the area. Most of the park land including land on both sides of the falls was donated to the State of Michigan in the 1900s by the former owner, a logger who had numerous camps in the area. In his donation, he included certain stipulations which have protected the wildness of the park and prevented its overdevelopment.
The sandhill crane has nesting sites in this Park. Moose, bears, coyotes, foxes, and other woodland mammals can be spotted in the park.
The entrance to the park is located on Michigan highway M-123 which itself is a beautiful drive. The Upper Falls, the bigger ones, are about 23 miles north of Newberry. The lower falls is 4 miles up the road closer to Paradise. Both are marked with signs. This stretch holds most of the park facilities although there are campgrounds and hiking trails in other areas.
There is no public transport and no bike lanes although both walking and biking to the park are possible. The primary means of getting to the park (and around in the UP) is by personal automobile. The road can be busy in summer but is in the wilderness and is often quiet. In winter the road can be difficult as it is plowed less frequently than the nearby towns and generally gets more snowfall.
Contact the Tahquamenon Falls State Park for more information (+1 906-492-3415). Also view the State Park website.
Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub sits near at the end of the parking area near the Upper Falls. This restaurant serves pastas, whitefish, burgers and other fare, as well as a selection of beers brewed on-site. Built in the style of the logging camps that once covered the UP, the restaurant is owned and operated by the family who used to own this area, and donated this land to the State of Michigan to form the park.
There are four campgrounds. They consist of two modern campgrounds at the Lower Falls and a modern and partially modern campground at the river's mouth.