Ocqueoc River's Camping Jackpot

- The Lower Peninsula’s Only Waterfall -

Sept. 7, 2014

Approaching the Ocqueoc River crossing on M-68, halfway between Onoway and Rogers City, there’s a sound not heard very often in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

"It sounds like a waterfall," said one hiker, stopping to listen. "I didn’t know we had any waterfalls [here]."

He’s not alone. While Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is home to countless waterfalls, south of the bridge there is only one: the Ocqueoc Falls.

"It’s a hidden gem," said Ron Olson, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Recreation Division.

"Unlike many waterfalls in the UP where you have to be content to just stand alongside and gaze at their beauty, Ocqueoc invites you right in," he said.

Its structure is inviting, especially during the warmer months, said Olson.

"With four small rapids and a pool of cool water just perfect for splashing around in, people just feel that urge to get in the water and enjoy it," he said.

Walking down to the falls, there were children jumping into the pools created below the cascades. The cool waters did look tempting on a hot August afternoon.

One of the mothers watching the children remarked that a waterfall brings out the child in all of us as she sat dangling her legs in the river.

"I never get tired of coming here when we are up visiting family," said the woman, who had come from Grand Rapids. "It’s a beautiful spot, never crowded and the kids absolutely love it."

The area received a makeover in 2012 with a barrier-free, paved trail from the parking lot to the waterfalls. Two picnic areas surfaced with crushed limestone were also added. Access to the river is now provided by either a ramp or a rock climb.

"Our biggest challenge was making the bluff, the historical route to the river, accessible," said Brenda Curtis, a DNR forest recreation planner.

Three routes of various challenge levels were created, she said.

"Now everyone can experience the rock climb and have a choice of how to get to the river. With platform transfers top and bottom, even those in a wheelchair," Curtis said.

Nearby is the Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway, a state forest four loop hiking trail adjacent to a small state forest campground. The waterfall is the primary thing that most visitors come to see, but don’t ignore the six-mile scenic trail, which is also open to mountain biking, according to Curtis.

It begins by passing through a red pine plantation ascending a ridge that looks down on the meandering river snaking through a valley flanked by towering wooded ridges. The return trail offers a scenic streamside hike.

The state forest rustic campground, across the road from the trailhead, is small offering only 14 sites, but most are located along the edge of a scenic ridge overlooking the river.

"It’s the kind of place that if you stumble across it, you immediately feel like you’ve hit the vacation jackpot," Olson said.

Visitors need the Recreation Passport, required by the state, to enter the park.