Miners Falls

Star rating a waterfall is difficult as they are all 5 stars in my book. That said, I am rating more on accessibility and if I had less time I would choose the 5 stars to see first. The falls were very nice and worth the 1.2 mile walk. You walk through the woods on a wide dirt path, contending with tree roots, stones, washed out areas and timber steps to reach the falls. At the end of the path the falls can be viewed well, or you can choose to walk down some wooden steps to get a little close look. Even senior citizens can make the walk at a leisurely pace.

Favorite falls I visited this trip. Very raw terrain but very easy to traverse. Water was flowing heavy and looked great

Such a beautiful waterfall and an easy hike!

A brisk walk in the woods leads to an impressive waterfall. The waterfall is loud and powerful and can even feel the spray from it on the observation deck. There are two observation decks to enjoy the sights and sounds.

So fun and crazy when it's covered in snow, lol, we climbed then went back down on our butts. Beautiful falls. I'm sure it's easy when the snow melts but I'll rate it as a hard trail covered in snow 🤣

Really amazing falls. The trek in was about a half-mile of wide trail with a gradual downhill slope, followed by the final 500 feet or so being descending a bunch of stairs. Unfortunately, due to erosion, the trail stops a decent distance from the falls themselves. Also unfortunately, that wasn't enough to deter one family (dad, mom & 3 teen-aged or older girls) from climbing all the way down to the bottom to play in the water. Here's hoping there's not a lot more people like that who will wind up ruining the place, but that people can respect the boundaries and maybe the NPS can figure out a way to give everyone an even closer view than what exists right now.

Nice trail. Beautiful forest. Waterfall is nice but lower observation deck is still a ways back and no established trail to the bottom to get up close.

One of the best waterfalls in the upper peninsula. A short hike on an easy path will bring you to a couple flights of stairs that lead to the observation deck. A very impressive waterfall

Miners Falls is another great, relatively easy hike that can be done by all skill levels and I would highly recommend it as well during your Pictured Rocks trip, either before or after you make a stop at Miners Castle as well. Clocking it at 1.2 miles, it takes about half an hour to complete out and back. Miners Falls is way bigger and grander than Munising Falls, so it's definitely impressive and worth the hike out. You aren't able to get as close to it as you do to Munising Falls, you view it from 2 different viewing platforms across a wide river, but it's still impressive just the same. The hike is more intensive. It's mostly shallow, sometimes steeper in areas decline through forest on the way there, but that just means that you know the way back is going to be a constant uphill, which is a bit killer. Total elevation gain here is about 150 feet. Great part about this hike is that the trail is so WIDE, tons of space to walk and be distant from other people, not that this trail was even all that heavily trafficked by any means. When you get to the falls, the first viewpoint you get to really doesn't give you a good view. For both viewpoints, you are already looking down at the falls, and the first viewpoint, which is much higher up, is blocked by trees and at too high of an angle for you to appreciate much of anything. So it's imperative that you head to viewpoint #2, which is down one final series of steep stairs. From this viewing platform, you get a great, impressive view of the falls, get a moment to take pictures, catch your breath, before you embark on the not-so-long-but-sort-of-feels-long-because-it's-all-uphill journey back up to the parking lot. I was definitely breathing hard by the time I got to the parking lot, but it was a great, short hike to do! It really didn't hurt either that there was gorgeous fall foliage all along the road leading into the Miners Falls parking lot and spots of color along the entire hike as well. Can't be anything but happy when looking at fall rolling in! :)

Okay so here is another decent/worthwhile waterfall to visit within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This is Miners Falls. And...it's really easy to find and hike to. From the trailhead it's a 0.6 mile walk along a gravel path. And the 0.6-mile stroll to Miners Falls takes you throughout an incredibly pleasant and tranquil forest setting. Even before I arrived at the falls, I was grabbing pictures on the walk being immersed in lush green trees and vegetations of the woodsy outdoors. Miners Falls is about a 50-foot waterfall that's one of the more majestic flowing falls you'll find in the small town of Munising, Michigan...and Munising is sort of the host town of Pictured Rocks NL. In Munising, you'll discover a bunch of other scenic waterfalls like Alger Falls, Chapel Falls, Munising Falls, Mosquito Falls and Horseshoe Falls to name a few. You can plug all these waterfalls into Google Maps on your phone to specifically locate them. Cell phone reception in Munising works just fine. Now, one of my issues with this Miners Falls and I know I'm nitpicking...is that once walk the 0.6 mile...you can only view the falls from an observation deck. And...this overlook platform had guardrails installed as high up as your waste. So...when trying to take optimal photos of Miners Falls for yourself and or family...you're sort of held hostage to these guardrails. It's sort of like you're being photobombed by a stranger but instead it's really the tiny platform and guardrails that taint the experience. Most visitors here at the overlook were taking selfie pics, which for myself...isn't worth the time. So, I gladly took a picture or two of Miners Falls before returning back towards the trailhead. I guess just in the end I'm a narcissistic person and I want myself in every picture to officially claim that I've "been there, done that", lol. Oh well, this miniscule platform vista point and the guardrails were out of my control. Here was another frustrating aspect... I was visiting back at the end of May 2021 and the parking lot and hike to the falls were pretty busy. In fact, it was congested enough to the point that there was a crowded line of people just waiting to step onto the observation area. And because the platform barely allowed tourists to step foot on it together at one time, the wait was about 10 minutes to get that photographic memory. Wow I thought to myself...this is a popular part to the Pictured Rocks NL area. And just a side note...when I was here this past summer, it was free to explore and hike to all the waterfalls. But for the 2022 travel season, starting on March 1, there'll be a $10 fee for visitors which will eventually over time get raised to $25. So, yes...people are coming. National parks, monuments, lakeshores, state parks, hikes and trails are all getting busier each year. Be prepared for maybe eventually losing that true essence for being outside in the heart of nature. Tourists are coming in droves and it's not stopping anytime soon. Anyways...finally, I got my time at the overlook deck for a quick couple of photos before yielding to the people behind me. Miners Falls was pretty impressive when looking down upon it. I just wished that the hiking path continued down towards the base of the falls because in my opinion...there's nothing like looking up at a scenic waterfall as the prime attraction within a scenic backdrop. Welp...lol, sorry for all my venting. From here at Miners Falls, I continued onto Munising Falls, about a 9-mile drive away. And yeah...once again, Munising Falls was simply a 0.5 mile walk each way to and from an observation deck, but at least the platform there allowed more space to accommodate tourists. Lastly, although I never found true fulfillment from the viewing platform looking down at Miners Falls, I still enjoyed the hike through the forest and simply getting a chance to witness another waterfall here at Pictured Rocks Lakeshore in the UP - Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Bit of a walk and some stairs but worth it. Lovely falls. This was our first time to the area .. so many lovely falls, lighthouses, beaches .. forest. cant wait to come back .. maybe in the fall.

Miners Falls, when flowing, is a stunning Michigan waterfall to see. You drive down a gravel path and reach a decent parking lot that I bet fills up quickly in the summer. I visited in early October and the fall foliage was stunning! This is a bit of a walk like others have said. Largely flat and there are some benches along the way to stop. When you actually arrive at the falls, the best viewing spot is down a steep staircase. It wasn't too strenuous of a hike but definitely got our heart rates going. While in the area, drive down the road to see the famous Miner's Castle.

Miners Falls is a great hike for all ages and abilities in Painted Rocks National Seashore. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. Along the way, you will be treated to beautiful forests and peaceful surroundings. When you get to the end of the trail the best viewpoint of the falls is down the set of stairs to your left. It is well worth the climb back up. The falls is 39 feet high and it has a pretty good water flow. The total distance on this hike is 1.2 miles. The parking is large and there are pit toilets at the trailhead. Signage is also good at the trailhead. We enjoyed our hike out to the falls, in all we took about 50 minutes on this hike, stopping along the way for pictures of cool trees and also taking a bunch of pictures of the falls.

Excellent walk through beautiful woods to reach this. Spectacular. Nice trail. ONLY THING is, if it's warm / wet, wear mosquito netting (which we wore everywhere in the woods). Everybody we passed complimented us on being prepared for the bugs. Two couples bailed quickly because they were getting eaten up. But we loved it.

The trails are well maintained and great for any level hiker. Easy walk to falls (maybe mile each way) and plenty of parking. Absolutely beautiful scenery...especially this waterfall! One of the best in our visit in my opinion!

The hike was nice and fairly flat. The flowers were beautifully lined almost the entire trail. It was beautiful to see, worth the hike!

Michigan is just beautiful, and this area especially. After spending some time touring the Pictured Rocks area by boat the day before, we opted to come and see the area by foot. There is a bit of a walk to get to the best views, but it's so worth it. The wooded paths are just gorgeous and the fall was a wonderful time to visit. We loved Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula so much. Michigan has a great not-so-secret secret for sure here.

Lovely little stop. Short hike, peaceful gardens. Gift shop with ice cream. Bring quarters and feed the fish!

Gorgeous! Bit of a walk on the trail before getting to the falls but nothing too strenuous. Stairs were a bit steep, but conveniently enough there are benches along the way if you need to take a break. The platform is a little small if there are a lot of people but worth it for the view. Many people were going off this platform to make their way down to the falls. I don't think that is encouraged and it looked pretty steep but many were doing it. Bug spray is a must. Highly recommend!

Researching the UP trip, it was recommended to see the local falls in Munising, as well as the Tahquemanon Falls in Paradise. Miners Falls was recommended along with Munising Falls & Memorial Falls. The falls are beautiful and many people go off path to the bottom. Be careful going down! After visiting the Pictured Rocks and the T. Falls, I definitely recommend also visiting some of these or other local falls bc it's worth it. It's quiet & peaceful, and you can get up close for some wonderful views.

This was the highlight of our second half day in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We arrived mid morning to a parking lot with only one other car, and took a leisurely hike (about 6/10ths of a mile, or 1.2 miles round trip) down to the falls. Because we have two children, 11 yo daughter and 9 yo son, who we try very hard to cultivate an interest in nature, we grabbed the Miners Falls Trail NPS flyer that was at the trailhead in the box, and stopped at all 12 stations along the way and learned just a little about this habitat. It was actually quite was fascinating. Adult or children, this 12 stop self guided brochure is a nifty little treat that I'd enthusiastically recommended if you are that kind of nature explorer, and you like to stop and learn what you are passing through. The falls themselves were the best of the inland falls we visited, which was only Musining and Alger Falls besides Miners. Miners Falls had a great approach, around 50-60 stairs down, and as the falls were revealed between the leaves of the trees, it was spectacular. Of the falls we visited on this trip, Miners Falls has the greatest water volume going over it, and thus it is most captivating. I found the falls from the viewing platform to be grand enough, but a number of folks arrived after we did and went off trail, they said, to get a better view. I would enthusiastically discourage that approach so this area can be preserved for generations into the future, which is our responsibility. When we got back to the parking lot it was completely full with cars waiting to find a parking spot. So very glad we arrived early, as we did. Because this is an easy drive, and a "walk up" bit of scenery, everyone tries to stop here and the current parking lot probably does not offer enough parking for high demand days. Plan accordingly. Besides our boat cruise to see Pictured Rocks from the lake, this was a highlight of our trip, and if you have time for just ONE stop, make this the one, it is a natural joy.

Easy hike for most. My mother has a bad hip and in her 60s had a difficult time heading back to the parking lot. But there were benches for her to take breaks. I wouldn't suggest this hike for anyone who has any difficulties walking up hills. Otherwise, it was a beautiful fall and I enjoyed the short hike to it.

Enjoyed a little hike to see the falls. The trail to get to the falls does include some stairs; however, there are areas to stop and take a rest as needed. With this said, the falls are beautiful and definitely worth the effort to go see! There is a convenient parking lot near the falls to park. Recommend checking these out while visiting Munising.

It was a long yet Beautiful hike through the woods to get to the waterfall but it was definitely worth the work. The waterfall was pretty big. I was with my dad and we both just sat and watched the water poor into the river.

Very pretty waterfall with a clear entrance and exit. My only complaint was that I almost watched a kid slip in because he was walking around the side and nobody seemed to care. Either way, very easy hike with very pretty views along the hike. Would go again!

Awesome falls with a short hike considering how good this waterfall actually is. If you are in the area, why wouldn't you make this hike. If my 4 year old can do it and you can walk, then you should do this Falls.

Gorgeous!! Bit of a walk, and if you want to go really close, you'll have to climb and be somewhat fit. Just be forewarned!

This is the best set of falls in the area. It's a good hike in but its worth it. Be careful going all the way down.

Would have given a 5 but dogs not allowed. Otherwise a 2 mile, well worth it hike. Easy, rolling trail with some stairs at the end but with a bench half way if needed. Spent a day going to the Taqhmeneon Falls (dogs allowed though) the day before. If I knew this he munising falls were so easy and beautiful would have skipped that long, out the way drive. I guess this reminds me that Michigan is a dog friendly state but Pictured Rock is a National Lakeshore and not so dog friendly. Thanks Michigan from a Wisconsin neighbor!