Hi there!
Miners Falls is one of the great waterfalls of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It’s pretty easy to get to, so this is one of the waterfalls you shouldn’t miss! I went to Pictured Rocks and saw Miners Falls, and here’s what you need to know!
Miners Falls Trail information
- Distance: 0.6 miles one way
- Duration: 30 minutes or so
- Type of trail: Gravel and dirt trail with stairs to the overlook
- How tall are the waterfalls? Around 50 feet.
To see Miners Falls won’t be a super quick stop, but it won’t take too long either. It would be good to give yourself maybe 30 minutes or so for this waterfall stop in Pictured Rocks.
Miners Falls trailhead
There is a small parking lot for Miners Falls Trail.
Miners Falls parking is pretty easy, since once you’re near, you will just follow the signs!
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has the town of Munising on one side to the west and Grand Marais on the other side to the east.
Miners Falls is on the Munising side.
Your destination for google maps can be Miners Falls or Miners Falls parking. Both will get you to the trailhead. It could be best if you have offline google maps downloaded before your UP trip, as data is spotty in the Upper Peninsula. GPS generally works.
According to the National Park Service, vehicles longer than 32 feet should not try to access the Miners Falls parking lot.
Hiking the Miners Falls Trail
Once you are at the Miners Falls parking lot, you’ll see where the trail starts. And then you can start your hike to Miners Falls!
You’ll walk for around 10 minutes, and then you’ll get to the stairs to the overlook. Once you start to take the stairs, you’ll get your first glimpse of the waterfalls, and then you’ll keep going for the main overlook to see Miners Falls!
When I arrived there were a few people down at the overlook, but it wasn’t long before everyone who was there left and soon there was no one.
The mid-July 8pm Friday evening crowd. The summer days are long in the Upper Peninsula!
🌳
Getting to Miners Falls Trail parking
On your drive to Miners Falls Trail, once you are near, you will follow the signs for Miners Falls Road and Miners Falls.
And then you’ve made it to the parking lot and trailhead!
There is a bathroom here.
Cost to see Miners Falls
According to the National Park Service:
To access Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, you must possess and display:
Pictured Rocks 7-Day or Annual Entrance Pass
OR
America the Beautiful Pass (Annual, Military, Fourth Grade, Senior, or Volunteer).
If you already have an America the Beautiful Pass, you do not need to buy a separate Pictured Rocks Entrance Pass!
The Pictured Rocks entry fee will cover all trails and waterfalls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and that includes the Miners Falls Trail.
The cost to visit Pictured Rocks in 2023 is $20 per car. This will get you a 7-day Pictured Rocks national park pass. (There is no one-day Pictured Rocks pass.)
Confirm current Pictured Rocks fees.
You can buy a Pictured Rocks national park pass at a Pictured Rocks visitor center when you arrive, or you can buy it online at recreation.gov before you go.
If you will also be visiting other national parks that have entry fees, then you may want to look into getting an annual national park pass aka the America the Beautiful pass!
This annual national park pass will also be accepted at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Other popular national parks “near” Michigan include Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, but these parks do not have a national park entry fee.
If you have several more weeks to spare in the summer or fall, you can make use of the America the Beautiful national park pass by driving out to Yellowstone National Park!
You can go to national parks in Wyoming and national parks in South Dakota, and you could even add on a national park in North Dakota and/or a national park site in Idaho! See how I did the drive from Chicago to Yellowstone.
If you are a senior, there is also an annual national park pass for seniors that will be worth it even if you only visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore! It’s $20! See current fees under America the Beautiful passes.
And that’s a bit of what it’s like to hike to Miners Falls!
I made a visit to Miners Falls in July 2020. Your experience may vary!
See more waterfalls in Pictured Rocks!
- Munising side: Chapel Falls Trail to see waterfalls in a forest, a tree growing on a rock, waterfalls on a beach, and a Lake Superior beach!
- Grand Marais side: Sable Falls Trail to see waterfalls and a colorful beach
See more waterfalls while you’re in the neighborhood with some easy access roadside waterfalls:
And if you’re headed to Marquette after Pictured Rocks, or you’re coming from there:
HAPPY HIKING TO MINERS FALLS!
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