Bond Falls 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 ...
on the middle branch of the
Ontonagon River
The Ontonagon River ( ) is a river flowing into Lake Superior at the village of Ontonagon, on the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. The main stem of the river is long''The American Rivers Outstanding Rivers List'', Sec ...
, a few miles east of
Paulding in
Haight Township in southern
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 site is near
U.S. Highway 45 in the western portion of the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
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 ...
. The waterfalls are listed by the state of Michigan as the Bond Falls Scenic Site.
The total drop of the falls is about .
Trails lead to and from the falls from a picnic area atop the falls. There is a newer walkway that extends across the river below the base of the falls that allows for perfect viewing. The river drops down from Bond Falls Flowage, which is perched on the highlands of the western Upper Peninsula, to Lake Superior. Bond Falls is the first stage of this drop in elevation. From Bond Falls, the river continues northward to the
Agate Falls Scenic Site.
A "flowage", in the language of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is a reservoir. Bond Falls is not a natural waterfall, it has been changed by a nearby dam built by the
Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO). There is a rest-area park below the dam and waterfall, from which the falls can be admired. The Ontonagan River and Bond Falls Flowage are separately stocked with
brook trout.
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Gallery
BondFallsOutpost.jpg, Bond Falls outpost
Bond Falls in January 2.jpg, Bond Falls in January
Bond Falls Winter Ice.jpg, Up Close Icy Flow
BondFallsScenicSiteSignMichigan.jpg, Entrance sign
References
External links
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Landforms of Ontonagon County, Michigan
Waterfalls of Michigan
State parks of Michigan