Tahquamenon Falls State Park is literally in the middle of nowhere. It is located in Michigan's Upper Penninsula, and is approx 35 miles from Sault Ste Marie, Mi, with the small town of Newberry being the closest. The best way (and maybe the only way) to get there is to take Mi28 from I-75 until it reaches M-123.

The park consists of three distinct areas; the Upper Falls, which are the largest, the Lower Falls, which is where the modern campground is, and the Head of the Falls (where the river empties into Lake Superior), which has a primitive campground.

After Niagara Falls, Tahquamenon Falls is the second largest falls east of the Mississippi River, which is pretty impressive since the Tahquamenon water shed is not that large. The Tahquamenon River was made famous in the Longfellow poem, "Hiawatha". "by the rushing Tahquamenaw" where Hiawatha built his canoe." is thought to be a reference to the Falls.

According to Indian legend, the name Tahquamenon describes the water's amber color, which is the result of leaching of tannic acid from the cedar and hemlock swamps that feed the river. The Falls are sometimes called the "Root Beer Falls" due to their color.

The upper falls are 200 ft wide and 48 ft high, while the lower falls are a series of step falls that you can access by rental boat. On a hot day, you can cool off by walking on the lower falls.

Approx four miles from the Upper Falls you will find the Tahquamenon Falls Campground. The site consists of two units, an East and West unit. The West unit is the one we stayed in, and is closest to the lower falls. Firewood is sold by a local vendor that brings it around on a truck every evening.

The campground is typical of most Michigan State Parks with well worn sites, a couple of shower facilities, and electrical hook up (although you may need a 50ft cord). There is a snack bar at the lower falls, as well as Ice Cream, but no camp store to speak of. The upper falls however has a resturant and micro-brewery.

In fact, you would need to travel the 16 miles or so to Newberry to find a small grocery store. So it's best to bring in whatever foodstuffs and other supplies you will need for the duration of your stay.

If you visit the micro brewery, be sure to try the Black Bear Stout.

One issue is the shore power pedestals for the campground is wired as a quad, meaning one pedestal services 4 sites. Unfortunately, the pedestals are not always located dead-center of the 4 sites, but in some cases, seemed to have been randomly located. Consequently, we were about 45ft from our power, and we had to go without electricity for the night.

RV parking at Upper Falls area especially is big-rig friendly. In addition to the Falls area, make sure you get over to Whitefish Point as they have a very nice Maritime and Shipwreck Museum there. Whitefish Point also has a separate area for RV parking, but if you are towing a vehicle, you may find it difficult as there is no drive-through parking.

Websites:
Newberry Area Tourism
Tahquamenon Falls Brewery
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum - Whitefish Point