Pinnacle Falls is a 25-foot waterfall on the Yellow Dog River in Marquette County, Michigan, where the river drops into a gorge below high bluffs near Big Bay. It sits on the Pinnacle Falls Preserve, land owned by the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve and open to the public on foot.
The falls
The drop is estimated at about 25 feet based on lidar data, in a single step, with figures ranging from 20 to 30 feet. The river plunges over a dark rock shelf and widens toward the base, landing in a pool about 7 feet deep. Above the falls a rock cliff rises some 150 feet to a wooded pinnacle.
Getting there
Directions start from County Road 550: turn left onto County Road 510 before Big Bay, continue straight through the County Road AAA intersection after about 3 miles, and about 6 miles later turn left onto a small two-track marked with a Pinnacle Falls sign. The track passes the M.J. VanDamme truck depot; wooden signs at the junctions lead to a small parking area. From there a foot trail through red pine and mixed hardwoods reaches the falls in about a mile, over steep and rugged terrain. Motorized vehicles are not allowed inside the preserve.
When to go
Seasonal flow and winter road conditions aren't documented. The last stretch is a steep descent into the gorge, and sturdy footwear is recommended.
On site
The preserve allows hiking, fishing, birding, blueberry picking and swimming, and warns that the water is cold and forceful. Camping is allowed at least 300 feet from the water, trails and parking. Mountain bikes are limited to the roads.
History and name
The falls take their name from the wooded pinnacle on the cliff above them. Timbermen built a logging dam and chute here in the 1880s; their remnants still stand. The Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve bought the first 40 acres in 2003, and a donation of 240 acres in 2017 brought the preserve to 280 acres on both banks, protected by a Nature Conservancy conservation easement.
Nearby
Mulligan Falls is about 1.8 miles away, Wylie Falls about 2.4 miles and Rocking Chair Lakes Falls about 2.9 miles. Yellow Dog Falls, also on the Yellow Dog River, is about 5.3 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.