Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Paradise, MI

Photo: Dawn Endico from Menlo Park, California, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

41382 W M-123 · Paradise, MI

Why you should go…

Tahquamenon Falls State Park covers nearly 50,000 acres of Michigan's Upper Peninsula around the Tahquamenon River. The Upper Falls drops about 50 feet over a ledge some 200 feet wide, and tannins from cedar swamps upstream tint the water a root beer brown. Four miles downstream, the Lower Falls splits around an island you can reach by footbridge or rented rowboat, and more than 35 miles of trails wind through the forest.

  • #state park
  • #waterfall
  • #hiking trails
  • #upper peninsula
  • #camping

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Tahquamenon Falls State Park, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Mackinac Island

    Free

    Ride a ferry to a car-free Lake Huron island of horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, fudge shops and a hilltop fort.

    58 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Stay
    Iconic

    Grand Hotel

    Under $25

    Stroll the 660-foot front porch of this 1887 island resort, tour its gardens, or stay over and arrive by horse-drawn carriage.

    59 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Arch Rock

    Free

    You climb 207 steps or bike Arch Rock Road to see a limestone arch framing Lake Huron far below.

    59 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Mackinac Bridge

    Under $25

    Drive five miles across the Straits of Mackinac on the suspension bridge that links Michigan's two peninsulas.

    59 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Fort Mackinac

    Under $25

    Explore a hilltop military outpost built during the American Revolution, with costumed interpreters, cannon and rifle firings.

    59 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing