The Best-Ever Summer Weekend Starts Near Tahquamenon Falls
Plan your best summer weekend near Tahquamenon Falls. Incredible scenery, thrilling adventures, heroic stories and the peacefulness you long for.
Ready for a change of pace? Trade your busy routines for nature’s best scenery, adrenaline-surging adventures, legendary shipwreck tales and peace and quiet — it’s what Tahquamenon Falls delivers. Below are budget-fitting ways to make this your best summer weekend ever.
Ease into your weekend with a couple of restful nights in Newberry. After settling in, follow your cravings to one of these restaurants. Unsure what to get? Around here, Friday fish frys are a beloved U.P. tradition. Dive into perch, whitefish and all the fixings at spots like the Catch of the Day food truck, Wheelhouse Diner and Goat Locker Saloon, The Inn or Timber Charlie’s.
Still hungry? End the night on a sweet note with a cone from Ice Cream Bandits or a sundae from Snowflake — the perfect start to your summer escape and certainly something you can repeat every day!
When you can hear the water long before you feel the spray, you know it’s powerful.
Row or walk right next to the Lower Tahquamenon Falls. Four miles downstream from the Upper Tahquamenon Falls is a series of five small waterfalls cascading around an island. Once there, rent a rowboat or cross the free pedestrian bridge to reach the island. On a warm day, wade into the swirling water near the falls. You will need a current Michigan Recreational Passport to access the Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
From here, drive or hike to the Upper Falls.
Stand in awe at Tahquamenon Upper Falls. Experience one of the United States’ most breathtaking waterfalls! Set within a pristine wilderness, the Upper Tahquamenon Falls is over 200 feet wide and 48 feet high. Over 50,000 gallons of water rush over this incredible waterfall per second. The park is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and has several viewing areas, including a wheelchair-accessible path and overlook.
Enjoy lunch at the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub. The home-crafted microbrews and broad menu will please everyone around your table. Take a few minutes to check out the Camp 33 Gift Shop for clothing, snacks and souvenirs.
BONUS: Stop at the Fact Shack near the Upper Falls to see when you can join the daily 45-minute, naturalist-led walk to learn more about the falls.
Lake Superior off the coast of Whitefish Point is known as the Shipwreck Graveyard. Learn why.
Dive into Haunting Shipwreck Stories at Whitefish Point. Visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, about 20 minutes away. It brings over a century of stories to life for kids and adults. One of its most famous exhibits is the original 200-pound bell recovered from the wreckage of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which lies at the bottom of Lake Superior.
Take a self-guided tour of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse. It is the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. Continue viewing other buildings at your own pace, including the 1861 Lighthouse Keeper’s Quarters, the 1923 Surfboat House and the 1923 USCG Motor Lifeboat House with a video theater. Walk along the colorful, rocky beach. Watch for Great Lakes and international freighters going to and from the distant Soo Locks.
Spy birds and raptors. Walk the shoreline or trails at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. On an ancient migratory flight corridor, this sanctuary is the stopover and nesting spot for hundreds of bird species. If you are not a birdwatcher, gain new insights from the displays in the visitor center.
BONUS: For a rare adventure, forgo Whitefish Point and drive to the extremely remote Crisp Point Lighthouse. Getting there is a rockin’ and rollin’ journey, but worth every body-jostling minute. Once there, browse the marine artifacts, take an exhilarating climb to the top of the lighthouse tower, stroll the beach and leave before sunset. You will want to drive back in daylight.
Choose a favorite outdoor recreation or try a new encounter with nature.
Lace up your hiking boots or walking shoes. When it comes to hiking in Michigan, you’ll be hard-pressed to find trails more beautiful and full of landmarks than those in Tahquamenon Country. Not only do these include miles within Tahquamenon Falls State Park, but also on the North Country Trail — part of the nation’s National Scenic Trail System. Since our trails made the cut for national acclaim, we hope they make it onto your weekend itinerary, too.
Go off-roading on scenic trails. Tahquamenon Country is all things throttle-twisting, dust flying and mud flinging. We boast over 200 miles of great ATV/ORV/Side by Side and UTV trails to rattle your teeth on. Bring your off-road freedom machine or rent one at U.P. Power Sport Rental in Newberry or Paradise Recreational Sports. Study up on the trails we’ve compiled.
Paddle where original Native American families and European explorers dipped their oars. We are not over-promising when we say this is one of the most peaceful places in America. If you are going to unplug from your busy life, canoe or kayak our rivers and inland lakes. See wildlife, like moose, that you seldom see elsewhere. Listen to the playlists of songbirds. Breathe in the fragrances of white pines and wildflowers. Let your body relax.
Feel the tug and reel in a tasty catch. There is more to experience than thundering water on the Tahquamenon River. For centuries, it’s lured anglers into the wilderness. Why it is so popular is that there are so many places to fish with or without a boat. It is home to northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Upstream from the falls, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) annually stocks brown trout, making this a favorite place to cast your flies.
Want a local angler’s tip? Target yellow perch, channel catfish, northern pike and muskellunge at the river’s mouth on Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior.
Get your thrills mountain biking. Have a blast twisting and turning your way to our renowned landmarks and hidden gems on groomed biking trails. You set the pace, nature will deliver the scenery.
Even if you or your traveling companions aren’t history buffs, these time travel stops capture your imagination.
The Luce County Historical Museum is in the old Sheriff's residence. The Queen Anne-style building was constructed in 1894, complete with turrets, arches and unique brickwork. Discover what frontier justice was like as you explore the Sheriff’s office, jail cells, the judge’s bench and witness stand, plus an old-fashioned schoolroom.
Tahquamenon Logging Museum will amaze even teens with the amount of work it took to get timber out of the area forests and to the mills. Learn about Northern Michigan logging camps and the rigorous and dangerous life of being a timber cutter. Don’t miss chowing down at one of the Lumberjack Breakfasts held throughout the summer.
You will have lots to talk about after your best-ever summer weekend near Tahquamenon Falls — including what you will do to top those two days when you come to see us again. We would enjoy hearing your stories and seeing your pictures. Share with #Tahquamenoncountry.
