Wonderful Waterfalls

ANDREA ZANI

Andrea Zani is managing editor of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine.

Finding a beautiful waterfall is easier than you might think in Wisconsin, especially in the northern part of the state. Numerous scenic waterfalls dot the state’s upper third, many within easy driving distance of each other.

Here are five Instagram-worthy places well worth a visit when spending time up North. Share your own adventure using #OutWiGo.

Find this picturesque place in Copper Falls State Park, just north of Mellen. With the Bad River and its tributary, Tyler Forks, winding through it, the state park has four noteworthy waterfalls: the Tyler Forks Cascades, Brownstone Falls, Red Granite Falls and the park’s namesake Copper Falls.

The Doughboys Nature Trail — named for the World War I era Army veterans who originally built it — offers views of Tyler Forks, Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls, with lots of scenic spots to stop and take pictures. The 1.7-mile loop takes hikers through the heart of the park, and about a half-mile of the trail is accessible for people with mobility needs via the Disabled Access Road.

The park’s 1-mile Waterfall Trail has views of Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls, while the Red Granite Falls Trail starting at Loon Lake features a longer 2.5-mile trail with views of that waterfall. The North Country National Scenic Trail also runs through the park.

At 165 feet, this Pattison State Park beauty is Wisconsin’s highest waterfall and the fourth highest east of the Rockies. Big Manitou Falls is formed by a huge drop of the Black River as it passes on its journey through Pattison, south of Superior. The park also includes the smaller Little Manitou Falls and Interfalls Lake. Pattison has more than 7 miles of trails, including the Big Manitou Falls River Trail, a half-mile trail just downstream from the falls, and other short segments known as the Big Manitou Falls Overlooks. These trails are reached by a pedestrian tunnel from the main picnic area and offer many views of Big Manitou Falls from both sides of the Black River.

This 8-foot falls in Cornucopia, about 20 miles west of Bayfield, is unique in that visitors can walk behind its flowing waters. A smaller 3-foot cascade can be found just downstream from the main falls.

Bayfield County maintains a wellmarked and developed trail out to the falls, with about a quarter of the trail now boardwalk. From the trailhead parking area at Trail Road and County Highway C, it’s about a 3-mile round-trip hike to see Lost Creek Falls.

Not a tall falls, this spot in Willow River State Park instead offers a series of cascades that serve as a natural splash park in the summer. Visitors to the park, about 5 miles northeast of Hudson, often enjoy taking a dip in Willow Falls’ cool, flowing waters.

Several park trails will get you there including Nelson Farm Trail, a 3.7-mile stretch that ends near the falls, and the scenic Pioneer Trail, a 1.2-mile trail featuring a spectacular falls overlook. The Willow Falls Trail runs from the campground along the shore of Little Falls Lake and Willow River and has breathtaking Willow Falls views. Another trail, Willow Falls Hill Trail, is the shortest route to the falls but with a steep hill.

Visitors to Amnicon Falls State Park southeast of Superior will enjoy seeing several waterfalls and rapids along the Amnicon River, including the three main falls — Upper, Lower and Snake Pit. When conditions are just right, another falls will flow.

As its name implies, Now and Then Falls comes and goes, depending on water levels along its small branch of the river. Catch it while you can because only when there’s enough water — after a rainfall, for example — will you see this delightful little waterfall.