(Photos) Tahquamenon Falls State Park on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

In Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha the Chippewa warrior built a canoe “by the rushing Tahquamenaw" near Lake Superior--Gitche Gumee--on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The Tahquamenon River flows into Superior, but near the mouth of the river are some breathtaking waterfalls.

There's your humble Blogger Laureate of Illinois. The park is accessible by automobile at three units, the Upper Falls, the Lower Falls, and the Rivermouth.

The brown that you see here in the Upper Falls is not agricultural runoff but rather from the tannins from the cedar swamps that drain into the Tahquamenon River.

The Upper Falls, with a drop of 50 feet and at 200 feet across, is one of the largest falls east of the Mississippi.

Here is a wider view of the Upper Falls.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Michigan's second largest, is located between the towns of Newberry and Paradise.

And those units are connected by Michigan State Route (M-123), the Tahquamenon Scenic Byway

Now we're at the Lower Falls. Notice the tannins.

Farther up the Lower Falls.

The falls are one of Michigan's top tourist attractions.

Oh, I almost forgot. If cars aren't your jones, you can walk on the North Country Trail between the Upper and Lower Falls. Yes, "primitive" is spelled wrong.

The North Country Trail is not a well known as the Pacific Crest or the Appalachian Trail. It is the longest of the eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress. The North Country Trail runs form upstate New York to western North Dakota.

At just under 90 miles the Tahquamenon River is not a particular long river--but who cares? It's beautiful!

If you visit Tahquamenon Falls in the summer--bring bug spray. 

One last look at the lower falls.

Finally we reach with Rivermouth Unit. Above is Whitefish Point Road.

Two kayakers and their dog rest on a sand bar.

The Tahquamenon meets Lake Superior.