Laughing Whitefish Falls Hike

Laughing Whitefish Falls Scenic Site – August 20, 2014

It was our second rainy day in a row while we were camping at the Tourist Park in Marquette. We already used up our rainy day activity list the day before. So I got out the guide books and smart phone and had to come up with another rain day plan. The first thing on the agenda was Laughing Whitefish Scenic Site.

Visiting the falls here has been on our to do list for a while, but the location is kind of in the middle of no where between Marquette and Munising. It is about a 50 minute drive from either city and it just has not worked into our plans the other times we have been in the area. However, since it was raining and we did not have much else to do a 50 minute drive didn’t sound too bad on this morning..

Rain coats on and ready to hike to the falls.

At the trailhead there are a few picnic tables and an outhouse.

To reach Laughing Whitefish Falls it is about a 0.6 mile hike down a wide gravel path that looked like it was recently improved.

If you have an umbrella or rain coat hiking to a waterfall in the rain is not a bad option. Unless it is coming down really hard, the rain doesn’t really obstruct the view of the falls and it can even help bring out the color of the surrounding rocks.

The trail ends at a deck overlooking the top of the falls.

From the top viewing deck there are stairs that take you down along the left side of the falls to the bottom of the gorge.

Reid at the bottom of the falls. The wet steps were pretty slippery so we had to take our time on the way down.

The rain let up just in time for some pictures at the bottom of the falls.
I have read that when the water is high, Laughing Whitefish Falls is considered one of the most spectacular cascades in Michigan. Dropping 100 feet it is the 4th highest waterfall in the state. According to Gowaterfalling.com it is the tallest waterfall that can be easily visited. For a listing of all the waterfall heights in Michigan see the World Waterfall Database website.

See Gowaterfalling.com for more information on Laughing Whitefish Falls and others in the area >>

Directions to Laughing Whitefish Falls >>

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Best Hikes with Children in Michigan

With 3 small children this has become one of our favorite hiking guides. This is really a good book for anyone looking to get out and find short, but interesting hikes all over the state. Like all of the books written by Mr. DuFresne there are well written trail descriptions and nice maps of each outing.

Find the Best Hikes with Children in Michigan on Amazon >>

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