Sturgeon River Gorge & Sturgeon Falls

Wayne Premo

Sturgeon River Falls

Gorges and canyons up to 300 feet deep - that's the deepest valley in Michigan - have been formed by the Sturgeon and Little Silver rivers as they flow north to Keweenaw Bay. This rugged, remote Ottawa National Forest land is along the Baraga-Houghton county line between M-28 east of Sidnaw and M-38 east of Pelkie.

Here the federal government has designated the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness Area on over 14,000 acres along the Sturgeon River and west of it. Much of it is old-growth red and white pine and hemlock. The Sturgeon here is part of the National Wild and Scenic River system. At the north end of the gorge, north of Silver Mountain, is an impoundment formed by Prickett Dam, owned by UPPCO/Wisconsin Electric Power. (Residential waterfront land is going to be sold off here.) There are enough sugar maple, birch, and other broadleaf trees to make for spectacular fall color, as seen from scenic overlooks at the gorge, from the very steep and difficult 3/4 mile trail to Sturgeon Falls, or from nearby Silver Mountain.

Sturgeon River Gorge and Falls are among Michigan's most memorable and remote scenic attractions. A visit is at least a half-day outing, not to be rushed. It's a good idea to bring a sack lunch, and certainly water.

Don't undertake this trip without taking several things into consideration. First, although nice big brown Forest Service signs announce the turnoffs from the state highways, once you set off on the twisting, narrow gravel interior roads, you can't depend on signage because of vandalism. So pay attention to the road's twists and turns on a map. The DeLorme Michigan Atlas and Gazetter map works fine. Active logging is over for now. Sight lines aren't the greatest, so drive slowly enough that you'll have time to stop if you suddenly see another vehicle heading toward you. Also, you'll see some really ugly clear cuts from recent logging. (National forests are managed for multiple uses that include logging as well as recreation, hunting, and fishing.)

Even without interruptions, the drive from M-28 to the Sturgeon Falls trailhead is over 30 minutes. You may well want to stop a few times, partly to observe the river in its changing guises, and partly to keep from getting carsick.

Forest highways 2200 and 2270, on the high rim east of the Sturgeon River Gorge, provide access to parts of the gorge by vehicle and foot. One high overlook is even wheelchair-accessible. The designated wilderness area itself is by definition without roads and trails. Topographical maps and a compass or GPS system are recommended for backcountry adventures.

Here are highlights and notes for the Sturgeon River Gorge area, from south (M-28) to north.

(Another route from Baraga and the north gets to the gorge and Silver Mountain more directly. It involves going west on M-38 from Baraga and turning south on Prickett Dam Road, then bearing to the left on Forest Highway 2270 to reach the gorge. This list of points of interest along the gorge would then come in reverse order.)

Take FR 2200 north from Sidnaw. A little over two miles north of M-28, FH 2200 forks east. Be sure you make this turn. The sign may be missing.

• STURGEON RIVER CAMPGROUND. Here the river is a pretty, rocky stream in a fairly broad valley with a ferny floor. Also see Sidnaw camping. 6 miles north of M-28.

• Pullover with warnings and tips for prospective canoeists and INTERPRETIVE SIGNS about the gorge. The river is quite pretty at this logical put-in place for canoes. However, water volume can suddenly increase to over ten thousand times what it is at low-flow levels. Though the river here is rated intermediate in terms of skill levels, it soon becomes difficult for the half mile before the falls, suitable only for canoeists with excellent whitewater skills. "Flattened canoes and lost equipment is regularly recovered from the banks," warns the sign.
7 miles north of M-28 on FH 2200.

• BEAR'S DEN Scenic Overlook. A short drive leads to a favorite beauty spot. Here you are very high up on a steep bank, looking down and out across the Sturgeon River Gorge onto a sea of green treetops. A subtle gravel path from the north side of the parking area is a short, wheelchair-accessible trail to the overlook. About 11 miles north of M-28 on FR 2200.

• Trailhead to STURGEON FALLS. Stay straight (northwest at this point) where Forest Road 2200 makes a sharp right. You will now be on Forest Road 2270. Go .6 miles to the parking area on the right. The trailhead is on the left. This is the very difficult but spectacular trail down to the falls 3/4 of a mile - and back up. The official trail will have more switchbacks and few steep portions, but informal cut-throughs may fool you. Descending, hikers first look down on treetops, then see the first falls, a short drop where the river is spread out. Downstream a short way, the river is forced to cut a narrow gorge, creating a dramatic cross-sectional slice through sandstone at least two stories high. The waterfall is on Wisconsin Electric Power land, open to the public through the Commercial Forest Reserve Act.

• About a mile north of Silver Mountain, stay on FR 2270. (Another road intersects on the left.) FR 2270 goes northeast for about five miles before joining Prickett Dam Road, which then goes north two miles to M-38.

For an established rustic campground, see Sturgeon River Campground or Norway Lake Campground. The North Country Trail parallels the Sturgeon River Gorge with a short connector to Sturgeon Falls. Excellent notes and photos are on the Western U.P. Peter Wolfe Chapter web site, www.northcountrytrail.org/pwf .

Here's the story behind the gorge, as written on a Forest Service sign. "From here to Lake Superior the Sturgeon River flows over bedrock of ancient slate, sandstones, and basalt [of volcanic origin]. Sturgeon Falls is formed where the river flows over an erosion-resistant ridge of basalt. Above bedrock are thick deposits of glacial outwash, silt, and sand carried by the last continental glacier around 10,000 years ago. The top of this outwash forms the nearby Baraga Plains. Much of the Sturgeon River Gorge was cut by the Sturgeon River over many thousands of years since the glacier left.

"Sturgeon River Gorge is a place of constant change. Floodwaters erode away the bases of high sand banks, causing them to collapse and fore bare sand bluffs up to 250 feet high. Lowering water levels have left easily visible river terraces [in places]. Periodically the river will change its course, leaving castoff meanders with horseshoe-shaped oxbow lakes."

The Sturgeon River is known for fishing. Brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout spawn above Sturgeon Falls. Below the falls are smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike.

From Sidnaw go east on M-28 1/4 mile and turn left onto FSR 2200 and travel 5 miles to the National Forest Campground (on the left). Jast after 2200 makes a sharp turn to the right turn left onto 2270 and follow signs to parking area on left.
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