Bond Falls
Michigan day trip to Bond Falls - Bond Falls is one of Michigan’s most popular waterfall destinations and it beautiful in all seasons, summer and fall being the busiest. In the warm months you can drive down to a parking area adjacent to the boardwalk skirting the falls. In winter, snowmobile riders can make it to the parking area, but cars are best left at the top near the gate. It is just a short walk down to the falls.
The waterfall is on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River, a few miles east of Route 45 on Bond Falls Road. The entrance is a gravel road that winds downhill to the parking area giving access to the trails and walks along the waterfall. The river drops about 50 feet here. A boardwalk that extends across the river, below the base of the falls, where one can get a perfect view. The waterfall is close to 100 feet across and approximately 30 feet high with a thunderous volume of water blasting down the rocky cliff. Bond Falls is photogenic from every angle and it is easy to get great pictures.
There are trails on both sides of the waterfall that afford different points photo opportunities. The new trail is easier with stairs to facilitate the climb. The old trail, on the east side of the falls, is steeper and rough. It is still accessible for hikers who are in good shape. There are other trails that follow the course of the river below the waterfall through the woods as the river continues its drop of nearly 900 feet enroute to Lake Superior.
Directions: Bond Falls is just outside the town of Paulding, Michigan famous for the eerie “ghost light” often seen in the forest. Paulding is on Route 45 about halfway between Watersmeet and Ontonagon in the western upper peninsula. The road to the falls is clearly marked with a sign. From Route 45 it is just a few miles to the parking area.
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The monthly newsletter is published on the 1st of each month and is delivered by email, www.travelinmichigan.com .
