Laughing Whitefish Falls

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—feet tall

A cascade on Laughing Whitefish River.

Scale12/60

Documentation15/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Cascade
Watercourse: Laughing Whitefish River
Coordinates: 46.38385, -87.0692

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About Laughing Whitefish Falls

Laughing Whitefish Falls is a cascade in Michigan, on Laughing Whitefish River.

It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.

Plungeworthy rates Laughing Whitefish Falls 4.1/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

A hundred feet of limestone fan hidden in the Escanaba River State Forest — the Laughing Whitefish River spreading over a great tilted apron of rock, viewed from a staircase platform at its base. The name alone earns the gravel-road detour.

Getting there

Trailhead: Laughing Whitefish Falls Scenic Site, off North Sundell Road, near Sundell
Parking: Small forest lot
Road: County gravel roads — take them slow
Hike: 1.5 mi round trip (moderate — forest descent with stairs)
Heads up: 2.5 miles of site trails connect to the North Country Trail.

When to go

Spring melt spreads the fan widest; the fall beech-maple canopy is worth its own trip.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Michigan Recreation Passport
Dogs: Leashed
Camping: State forest camping nearby
Warnings: Remote gravel access — winter plowing is nobody's promise.

Researched from Wikipedia — Laughing Whitefish Falls · Michigan DNR — Laughing Whitefish Falls Scenic Site. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Laughing Whitefish Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.