Munising Falls is a 65-foot waterfall on Munising Creek in the westernmost section of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan, inside the city limits of Munising. The short trail to it has been closed since a storm washed part of it out in April 2025, and a rebuilt, fully accessible route is expected by the end of 2027.
The falls
Munising Creek drops over a sandstone cliff at the head of a shaded canyon. Lidar measurements place the height at 65 feet in two drops; earlier surveys recorded 75 feet, while agency records cite 50 feet. Flow remains modest outside the spring snowmelt.
Getting there
The falls sit where Washington Street becomes Sand Point Road, near Munising Memorial Hospital, next to the Munising Falls Visitor Center. Normally a paved 800-foot trail leads up the canyon to a viewing platform, with two sets of stairs climbing to more platforms. On April 28, 2025, heavy rain washed out about 75 feet of that trail, and it is closed until further notice; there is currently no access to the falls.
In September 2026 the Park Service awarded a $2.8 million contract to rebuild it as a fully accessible trail, replacing three wooden bridges with elevated boardwalks and stabilizing the slopes. Work is expected to finish by the end of 2027, weather permitting. The visitor center stays open during construction, but parking is limited.
Pictured Rocks charges $25 per vehicle for seven days, $20 per motorcycle and $15 per person aged 16 and older arriving on foot, by bike or by boat; the park's annual pass is $45 and federal passes are accepted. The park doesn't take cash, and the Munising Falls Visitor Center sells passes by card. A pass doesn't open the closed trail.
When to go
Spring snowmelt brings the strongest flow. In winter the falls freeze into ice formations, though the falls themselves are off-limits to ice climbers.
On site
When the trail is open, leashed pets are allowed on it and on the viewing platforms, and wheelchair users may be able to reach the main platform on the gently rising path, depending on ability. Walking into or behind the falls is prohibited. In July 2000 a visitor trying to reach the top fell from a ledge and was seriously injured; stay on the paths and platforms.
Nearby
Memorial Falls is about 0.5 mile away, Tannery Falls about 0.6 mile and Horseshoe Falls about 1.6 miles. Downtown Munising is about 1.5 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.