
The Upper Falls
The 'Tahquamenon Falls' are two different
waterfalls on the
Tahquamenon River. Both sets are located near
Lake Superior in the eastern
Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The water is notably brown in color from the
tannins leached from the
cedar swamps which the river drains.
The upper falls are more than 200 feet (60 m) across and with a drop of approximately 50 feet (15 m). During the late-spring runoff, the river drains as much as 50,000 gallons (200,000 liters) of water per second, making the upper falls the second most voluminous vertical waterfall east of the
Mississippi River, after
Niagara Falls.
The lower falls, located four miles (6.5 km) downstream, are a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island which can be reached by rowboat. A hiking trail runs between the falls along the riverside.
The falls are within the
Tahquamenon Falls State Park, between
Newberry, Michigan, and
Paradise, Michigan. They are a popular tourist destination in the
Upper Peninsula during all seasons. Snowmobile trails lead almost to the falls, and walkways are kept clear for most of the winter.
The Tahquamenon is noted as being the land of
Longfellow's ''
The Song of Hiawatha'' - "by the rushing Tahquamenaw" where Hiawatha built his canoe.
"Tahquamenon Falls" is also a song from
Sufjan Stevens's album ''
Michigan''.
While the name Tahquamenon is now primarily associated with the falls, it appears to have originally designated an island in Whitefish Bay: Tahquamenon Island. The first written record of the name appears as "Outakouaminan" in a 1671 French map.
[1]
The upper falls are located at and the lower falls are at
External links

The Lower Falls
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Tahquamenon Falls State Park
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Superior Sights entry on Tahquamenon Falls
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See Tahquamenon and other Michigan waterfall photos