Miners Falls is a 42-foot horsetail waterfall on the Miners River in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Alger County, Michigan, about 7.1 miles northeast of Munising. The Park Service calls it the park's most powerful waterfall, and a short forest trail leads to two overlooks.
The falls
The fast-flowing Miners River pours over a sandstone outcrop in a single drop. The World Waterfall Database confirmed the height at 42 feet from lidar data.
Getting there
The small parking lot sits half a mile off Miners Castle Road (H-11), 4 miles north of Alger County Road H-58, at the end of the unpaved Miners Falls Road. Vehicles longer than 32 feet are prohibited on that road. A seasonal vault toilet stands at the lot. From there a gently rolling gravel and dirt path runs 0.6 mile one way through the forest to the falls.
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 is cashless. No reservation or extra fee is needed for the hike.
In June 2026 the trail closed for several days while crews drilled soil borings near both viewing platforms; the park plans a new stair structure in 2027.
When to go
Spring, when wildflowers line the trail, and the fall color season are the best time to visit.
On site
An upper overlook gives the first view, and 64 steps lead down to a lower viewing platform. Leashed pets are allowed. There are no established campsites around the falls. In November 2013 a 24-year-old man gathering firewood at an unofficial campsite fell about 70 feet beside the falls and died; the rock was icy, it was dark and the river was running high. Stay on the trail and platforms, especially in cold or wet conditions.
Nearby
Little Miners Falls is about 0.4 mile away, Miners Beach Falls, on Elliot Creek, about 1.7 miles, and Bridal Veil Falls, best seen from Lake Superior, about 2.4 miles. Miners Castle and Miners Beach are nearby.
Distances are straight-line.