• Friday-What'sUP May 8 - 10:44 pm

Let me say this right off the bat here today: THESE FALLS ARE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY!! Our photographers, Barb and Tom Bouwkamp are friends of the property owners, so they had permission to be here snapping photos on this day. Please do not trespass to view these falls.

With that said, it has been quite some time since I viewed these falls myself, due to the property being closed to the public after innumerable accidents (some fatal) and mishaps of people needing to be rescued there, precipitated the closing by the landowners. It has always been a very impressive falls, with the drop over 100 feet, and the water bouncing off sharp volcanic rock along the way. As kids we would either access the area from above the falls or hike up through the gulley, along Hammell Creek.

While Barb and Tom were hiking to see the falls, they stumbled upon a mallard duck sitting on its eggs and unintentionally scared it off the nest, so Barb took the opportunity to snap a shot of the cozy looking nest. Sure hope the duck came back to sit and keep those eggs warm.

Once they arrived at the falls, Parker immediately found the last patch of snow in the area and decided to cool down by sitting and rolling around in it. I bet it felt good after hiking on a warm spring day.

Again, please do not trespass on this property... the danger of a careless visit cannot be mentioned often enough.

Love all the U.P. falls in the Spring

I'm thinking that these falls are best viewed in photographs. Beautiful but very dangerous!

Love that Parker!;>

Very symmetrical-looking falls...very nice!

The "U.P."...
Primeval, untamed.
and forever untameable.

Henry David Thoreau
(as he meant to say)

my very first trip up here, my grandpa took me out to those falls....beautiful.

I like that..Pat and Glenda...so true!

And yes...those falls are so dangerous...some folks
HAVE been killed there...so STAY OUT!!

AWESOME Pics!

That is a beautiful waterfalls. I never tire of viewing waterfalls. Once upon a time I read that there were 99 waterfalls in Michigan and all but one of them are in the UP. Sorry, I do not recall where I read it.

Duane P....I have been to the falls you're talking about in the L.P. Their called "Ocqueoc Falls" located near Rogers City...not to impressive.

Interesting tidbit about the falls; it is one of the few places on the Peninsula where the Keweenaw Fault can be seen up close. I was there years ago before it was closed off, hiking from the bottom up but I never got any photos. Stupid me; I could use those geologic photos now for presentations!!!!

Just to be perverse and throw a grenade, the original formal name for the falls was/is Houghton-Douglass. Named for Douglas Houghton and C. C. Douglass. Mr. Douglass was an early mining and civic leader. When the falls were still open to the Public there was a sign with the Houghton-Douglass name. It was gone in either the late '60s or early '70s. The Houghton -Douglass name often appears in historical references - see recent postings in the Copper Country Explorer site about the Houghton County Traction Company, therein is a reproduction of an ad referring to the Houghton-Douglass Falls. Easy to understand how the name morphed to "Douglas Houghton". Whatever the name it was a great place to visit if you were careful. My Grandfather took me for my first visit too.

Paul H. Meier (Paul):
As Paul Meier, er… Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story…" Thanks for posting the historical facts about Houghton-Douglass Falls!

I too was there a few times during my years at "da Tech", also before it was closed off, and hiking in from the bottom, but of course I too have no photos.

I thought it looked like ol' Paul Bunyan must have taken a round-pointed shovel upstream along Hammell Creek to form the falls.

You can see what I mean in this view up Hammell Creek in Google Earth (with the vertical dimension exaggerated):

Went several times to what we called Douglas
Houghton Falls when I was a tech in the early-
mid 80s. At the time we had no idea it was on
private land.

One time had to drive a friend to the emergency
room. He was climbing and someone kicked loose
a rock thast landed on his head. A few
stitches and he was OK.

We also did the obligatory exploration of the
"mine shaft" near the base of the falls. It
doesn't go far back.

Another time another friend "froze" while free
climbing the falls face. He couldn't go up or
down and we weren't sure what to do. Just as
we thought of going for help (pre cell phone
days) he managed to inch his way down.

I don't think this falls is geographically more
dangerous than say Hungarian Falls. I think
the mix of easy access, "immortal" college
students, and of course consumption of liquid
courage must have been factors.

OK for you mining students the " mine shaft " is really an addit and you are correct in that it does not go in very far. Did my exploration in the early 60s. The ledge to it was very narrow to non-existent but still managed to make it without getting stuck. Even had my trusty carbide lamp along to check it out the dark hole. Who needs the bunny?

Oh the picnics we had at those falls. Loved
going down to the bottom and walk up as close as
we could get before getting reckless. None of
us were stupid enough to climb up the falls but
we so enjoyed just sitting there and eating our
picnic lunch and enjoying the beauty of it all.
Like the Capt., I wasn't smart enough to get
pictures back then, being just a kid. How I
wish I had. Never took any of the Hungarian
Falls back then either, but have since done so.
I really miss going to see these falls. Really
wish we could go back, but it's just not in the
cards anymore. Thanks so much for posting
these. It's great to see them again, if only in
pictures.

I used to play at Douglas Houghton Falls as a child.
(and was not allowed there-naughty me) I jumped to the
rock in the middle...climbed the sides and played in
the cave below. It is a beautiful waterfalls. I wonder
if the "camels humps" are still nearby-sandstone
formations. The pictures are wonderful.

I love waterfalls. Didn't think there was still snow around, though.

As a child and teen, I had the distinct privilege of visiting Douglass Houghton Falls on numerous occasions when they were still open to the public. Pictures are beautiful, but they simply cannot convey the true impressiveness of these falls. I once took a series of pictures to capture the falls and taped them together in an attempt to show just how stunning they are. It simply wasn't possible. But the falls are etched in my mind as if I saw them just yesterday.