Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park is a public recreation area protecting along the

Laughing Whitefish River The Laughing Whitefish River (not to be confused with the Whitefish River (Michigan), Whitefish River) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed January 3, 2012 stream located ...

in Onota Township and Rock River Township, in far western

Alger County, Michigan Alger County ( ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,842. Its county seat is Munising. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is located within the county. History Alge ...

. Its main scenic feature is Laughing Whitefish Falls, a 100-foot fan-shaped cascade located in the southern part of the site, in Rock River Township, eight miles (13 km) south of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

and three miles north of M-94.

Waterfall

Laughing Whitefish Falls is formed by an abrupt

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

escarpment of the

, which flows northward into

. The escarpment is shaped so as to draw out the cascade into an unusual fan-shaped wall of water. The falls is located within the Escanaba River State Forest, three-quarters of a mile east of County Route 327 (North Sundell Road). It can be reached by a half-mile hike through beech-maple forest. Foot trails also connect the falls to the

North Country Trail The North Country National Scenic Trail, generally known as the North Country Trail or simply the NCT, is a footpath stretching over from Middlebury in central Vermont to Lake Sakakawea State Park in central North Dakota in the United States; ...

, which runs through the north end of the park.

Activities and amenities

The park offers picnicking, three observation decks, and of hiking trails.

References

External links

Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources {{authority control Waterfalls of Michigan State parks of Michigan Protected areas of Alger County, Michigan Landforms of Alger County, Michigan Protected areas established in 1946 1946 establishments in Michigan IUCN Category III