Rapid River Falls is a waterfall on Rapid River in Ontonagon County, Michigan, in the Northern Lakes and Forests region, with a total height of about 12 feet. It lies about 16.6 miles northeast of Wakefield and roughly 116 miles east of Duluth as the crow flies.
At 12 feet it is on the modest side for Michigan, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 20 feet; it ranks 83rd of 116. The water comes down as a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 4 drops.
The Northern Lakes and Forests are a glaciated landscape of pine, spruce, aspen and northern hardwoods dotted with thousands of lakes and wetlands. Rivers step down over ancient bedrock ledges, with dark, tannin-stained water pouring over rock. Rapid River carries 2 recorded waterfalls, and Rapid River Falls is the tallest of them.
There are 31 recorded waterfalls in Ontonagon County. Deer Creek Falls, a tiered waterfall, is about 2.2 miles away. Hidden Falls, a tiered waterfall, is about 4.7 miles away. Sandhill Creek Falls, a cascade waterfall, is about 6 miles away.
Rapid River Falls is located at 46.6270° N, 89.6688° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.