Cut River is a small, short river in the

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 t ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The 4-mile (6.5 km) river runs along the boundary between Hendricks Township and Moran Township, with the mouth on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

about two miles east of Epoufette and about four miles west of Brevort. It drains part of the Little Brevoort

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

through a steep-sided limestone gorge into northern Lake Michigan. The river's drainage is largely located within the

Lake Superior State Forest Lake Superior State Forest is a state forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The North Country Trail utilizes this state forest for 43 miles (69 km) of its route. The Lake ...

and is administered by the

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor a ...

. Cut River is notable for two features: * The Cut River Bridge, carrying

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

over the Cut River close to its mouth, is one of the longest

truss arch bridge A truss arch bridge combines the elements of the truss bridge and the arch bridge. The actual resolution of forces will depend upon the design. If no horizontal thrusting forces are generated this becomes an arch-shaped truss, essentially a bent b ...

s in the United States, and is the eighth longest bridge in Michigan. Completed in 1947, the bridge is 641 feet (195 m) long, and rises 140 feet (43 m) above the base of the gorge. Parking is available at both ends of the bridge, and there is a pedestrian footpath on the north side of the bridge, offering a good view of the gorge. Locals call the bridge "the million dollar bridge over a two-bit creek." * The Cut River gorge is well adapted to growth of mature

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prima ...

specimens. The bridge and footpath, which rise just above treetop level, offer good views of the gorge during the autumn color season. Hiking trails descend from both ends of the bridge down into the river valley, with a spur to the Lake Michigan shoreline.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Mackinac County, Michigan Rivers of Michigan Tributaries of Lake Michigan Articles containing video clips