Memorial Falls is a 30-foot plunge waterfall in a small sandstone canyon near Munising in Alger County, Michigan. It stands on a Michigan Nature Association preserve that has been closed to all visitors since 2021, and will stay closed through 2028.
The falls
The water drops about 30 feet in a single plunge; earlier estimates were closer to 40 feet. The association's sanctuary map labels the stream Memorial Creek. A seasonal tributary about 100 feet away has a small fall of its own, which is why locals also call the pair Twin Falls. It is a separate fall from neighboring Tannery Falls, also called Olson Falls.
Getting there
The falls lie within the Michigan Nature Association's Twin Waterfalls Memorial Plant Preserve, about 1.1 miles from Munising. The association closed the preserve to all visitors on May 5, 2021, and its website shows it remains closed through 2028. There is no public access to the falls.
When to go
Flow is stronger in spring, water is low in dry summers, and columns of ice form in winter. The preserve is closed in every season until it reopens.
History and name
The association acquired the sanctuary in 1986 as its 100th acquisition, after a fundraising drive in honor of Rudy Olson, a birdwatcher from Calumet. The falls honor more than 100 deceased association members who had contributed before the purchase. The name has been recognized by the USGS since 2007; the fall was earlier called Monument Falls and MNA Memorial Falls.
Nearby
Tannery Falls is about 0.1 mile away. Munising Falls, about 0.4 mile away, and Horseshoe Falls, about 1.2 miles away, are the other close neighbors.
Distances are straight-line.