Agate Falls Scenic Site
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The Agate Falls Scenic Site is a
waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
and scenic site located in Interior Township, in southeastern
Ontonagon County, Michigan Ontonagon County ( ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 5,816, making it Michigan's third-least populous county. The county seat is Ontonagon. The county was set off i ...
. The waterfall is 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Bruce Crossing, Michigan on the state highway M-28. Agate Falls is a 39-foot-high (12 m) waterfall of the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River. Dropping down from the highlands of the western
Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
, this river drops from the Bond Falls Flowage to
Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
, and Agate Falls is part of this change in elevation. The water flows over a shelf of erosion-resistant
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
. The falls can be seen from a trail accessible from a parking lot on M-28 or from a sturdy railroad bridge which now is part of a snowmobile and atv trail. This bridge, which once carried the tracks of the
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, we ...
, spans the falls. A roadside picnic area offers simple recreational opportunities.


References


External links


Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Ottawa National Forest - Agate Falls
Protected areas of Ontonagon County, Michigan Waterfalls of Michigan State parks of Michigan Ottawa National Forest Landforms of Ontonagon County, Michigan {{OntonagonCountyMI-geo-stub