Waterfalls in Wisconsin

Wisconsin waterfalls: where to go and when

Wisconsin's waterfalls are a northern affair. Of the 83 named falls in the state, most sit in a band of counties along the Lake Superior basin and the Michigan border, where rivers cross billion-year-old lava rock on their way north to the lake or east to Green Bay. The drops are shorter than in the mountain states, but the gorges are cut into red and black lava rock, and many falls are a short walk from a state or county park lot. The south has a handful of glens and ledges, including the one closest to the Twin Cities.

Where the waterfalls are

The tallest falls are in the far northwest, in Douglas County near Superior. The Black and Amnicon rivers there run off hard basalt onto soft sandstone, and at Amnicon the two main falls sit on opposite sides of an ancient fault. East of it, Ashland County has Copper Falls State Park, where the Bad River and the Tyler Forks drop into a gorge with walls 60 to 100 feet high. Iron County around Hurley packs falls onto the Montreal, Potato and Tyler Forks rivers.

The largest group is in Marinette County, which calls itself the waterfalls capital of the state and signs a driving tour of 15 falls and rapids on the Pike, Peshtigo and Thunder rivers. The Wolf River falls in Menominee County are on the Menominee Reservation. In the south, falls are scattered: a glen in Sauk County, a limestone ledge on the Niagara Escarpment near Green Bay, and Willow Falls in St. Croix County, the closest to the Twin Cities.

Waterfalls worth the trip

• Big Manitou Falls in Pattison State Park is the tallest in Wisconsin: 135 feet by lidar survey, though park signs still give 165. A tunnel under Highway 35 leads to overlooks on both rims, and Little Manitou Falls is upstream in the same park.
• Amnicon Falls and Snake Pit Falls are both on a quarter-mile island loop reached over a covered footbridge; wading is allowed, jumping is not.
• Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls share the 1.7-mile Doughboys loop, with a half-mile accessible stretch to an overlook.
• Potato River Falls drops about 90 feet in four steps in a free county forest park, with stairs to an upper and a lower viewpoint.
• Superior Falls is the last big drop on the Montreal River before Lake Superior; the overlook is reached from the Michigan side.
• Long Slide Falls is the longest drop on the Marinette County tour, and Dave's Falls and Smalley Falls are an easy stop on the same loop.
• Willow Falls spills about 50 feet in five tiers in Willow River State Park; the trail down to it is short but very steep.

When to go

Spring snowmelt is the season: the northern falls usually start roaring in April and keep going through May, when trails can still be icy in the shade and rivers run high. Summer flow drops in dry spells and picks up again after heavy rain. Autumn is the second peak for visitors, with color in the north often starting in late September and reaching the south by mid-October. The state parks stay open all winter, but part of the Doughboys trail at Copper Falls closes when its stone steps ice over.

Fees and access

A Wisconsin state park sticker covers Pattison, Amnicon, Copper Falls, Willow River and Parfrey's Glen: $13 a day or $28 a year for Wisconsin plates and $16 a day or $50 a year for out-of-state vehicles. Marinette County parks on the waterfall tour charge $5 a day or $25 a year from May 1, paid in cash. Potato River Falls is free. Superior Falls sits on utility land around a hydro dam, and the Wolf River falls are on tribal land, so respect posted rules at both. Dogs are not allowed on the Copper Falls waterfall trail or at Parfrey's Glen, where the boardwalks washed out and the path now follows the creek bed. At Pattison, rebuilding of the Interfalls Lake dam is planned for 2027 and may change the flow over Big Manitou.

Safety

Wisconsin's gorges have unfenced edges, wet rock and roots, and falling rock injured two people at Willow Falls in 2026. Stay on marked trails, keep children close near the rims and stay out of the water in spring, when the current is at its strongest.