Laughing Whitefish Falls
Our visit to Laughing Whitefish Falls is a classic tale of the early bird getting the worm…and the late bird getting…well, glaring sunlight, I guess? The trailhead is just under three miles off M-94 and about a half hour from Marquette. It’s a great spot to stop on your way into or out of town and well worth the trip.
There isn’t much parking at the trailhead, but as we were there in September, it wasn’t as busy. The trail to the falls is about a half mile. When you reach the trail's end, you’ll find yourself at the top of the falls. There’s a platform built and stairs leading to the bottom. The view from the top is quite lovely. To describe the falls as a non-geologist, the top of the falls looks similar to a smaller waterfall like Wagner Falls, but there’s a long slide roughly four to five times as high as the top fall below it. It’s a unique sight, and I would estimate the total height of Laughing Whitefish Falls is close to 100 feet. In the spring, the water flows over the whole slide, but in the dryer months, the water is contained to the eastern side of the falls.
From photos, the falls look a lot smaller than they are in person. There are stairs down to the bottom—a quite strenuous journey if you struggle with stairs. The view from the bottom is lovely, but the platform is small. On our visit, which was around noon, the sun was so bright it was difficult to see from the bottom due to the sun's location. Don’t get me wrong, it was still worth the visit, but I imagine it would have been much easier to enjoy if the sun was lower in the sky or behind us.
For a mile hike round trip, Laughing Whitefish Falls is worth it. I prefer more rugged waterfalls that are harder to get to and typically have fewer people, but it’s nice to see a 100-foot waterfall after driving for a few hours. Whether you’re an adventure hunter or just want to stretch your legs, Laughing Whitefish Falls is the place for you.
