• Monday-What'sUP April 19 - 10:25 am

Whenever Z-Man and his trusty pal Jack Daniels head out with camera in tow, they always come back with a treasure or two. (In case you're wondering, Jack is a four-legged friend of his and assistant picture taker! :-> ) This is Bond Falls, which is located on the middle branch of the Ontonogan River near Paulding. Dan Urbanski first brought us the winter view in February of 2001, and today Z-Man gives us an update. Considered one of the 'best kept secrets', this U.P. falls isn't that well known, but after viewing these silky looking, 'frozen in time' shots, it's certainly one you shouldn't miss. Time for a Spring road trip!

Good morning from ann arbor

Beautiful pics!

Good morning from Mishawaka IN. Very refreshing pictures this morning. The water looks a little nippy. Have a good day everyone.

Good afternoon from Sweden

You can almost feel the chill of that water.

Z-Man, once again, beeeautiful pics.

The one thing I miss the most about the UP are the waterfalls. Something about a stressful week at work, and heading up to the UP to sit on the banks by a waterfall, and luxurate in the tranquilty of it all. Aaaah!

Good Morning! Bond Falls is a yearly road trip for our family. Thanks for the awesome pictures. We truly live in God's country.

Maybe if you go see these falls at night you will see the "Paulding Mystery Light". This paranormal experience has been drawing visitors for some time.

Anyone know if the "fingers of water" effect shown above is natural? Almost looks like someone laid bricks on the brink of the falls to separate the flow into sections. Curious.

I think that "fingers" effect is from above the falls where there is steping stones laid out across the water.

Wonderful Z-Man! Absolutely wonderful!

Bond Falls has parking at the top of the falls, and you can walk down them if you wish. Several websites say they are non-accessible, but I think they mean they are not handicapped accessible. However, anyone can check out the view from the top.

Interesting about the stepping stones.

Wonderful pictures.

The finger effect is definitly man made. They are in the picnic area, near the Bond Falls flowage dam. During the Fall color season the falls gets hundreds of visitors a day.

Again many thanks for the reminders of our great scenery and the beauty abounding.

Do'nt know how we could have lived all those years in the UP & the CC and missed so much.

The bridge at the bottom of Bond Falls was washed out a couple of years ago, but I believe it has been replaced.
Last time I was there, (2003) it appeared they were installing new footings for a new bridge.

The stairs to get you down to the bottom have a couple of steep steps (say that fast 10 times) and a couple of steps were in bad shape, but that was 2003.

Does anybody know if they have fixed the steps & replaced the bridge yet?

A picture of the new bridge at Bond Falls can be seen here. https://www.pasty.com/discuss/messages/1779/2020.html

Beautiful! Last time I was here was to take some college buddies for a visit to the Paulding Light. We stopped by these falls and one of my friends took a ride on her bottom all the way down those stairs. She rode it out ok though. :)

Hello,

Your photo reminded me that we were at Copper Harbor on an afternoon adventure on Sunday (April 17) and saw Manganese Falls. The spring melt had the falls really churning.

And, we made it up to Brockway! The road was clear enough for even our definitely-not-a-four-wheeler van. I believe that is the earliest our family has been up there by at least a week or so. Great weather, superb view, etc. Not many migrating birds of prey, though. Only a few unidentified hawks. We wonder if we were too early, or, that with the warm weather the birds have gone north sooner than we could get up the mountain.

Have been seeing eagles and Canada geese over the Houghton area though! My wife even suprised a woodcock in our back yard in West Houghton the other day.

Peace

Thanks Z-man, based on the date of that pic...
I must have been there last in 2002, instead of 2003... wow time flies!

That bridge looks nice!

Great Pics!
The last time I was at one of my favorite spots on earth- Bond Falls, I think they were building a road down to the bottom of the falls with wheelchair accessable path and a viewing platform?? Wonder if it is open. Or did they have to remove it? (Since no one has mentioned it)
The hike down to the bottom of the falls and the climb up the other 'rustic' side is still one of my favorite things to do when I visit the UP.

Hallo from Finland!

EI TUULE NYT

ON TYYNI NYT

ja TUULIKIN ON JO TYYNTYNYT

and same in english;

NOT WIND NOW

IS CALM NOW

and WIND IS ALREADY WIND.. .

does anyone know what the firetrucks and emergency vechicles are doin by the lake in the lift bridge cam(18:29)

I am about to purchase the cannon digital slr, anyone have any negative things to say about it? I wonder what the z-man has. As he takes great pictures as the one posted today.

Well they say practice makes perfect, I am sure it is a training exercise for response time, and by the picture there are only a few people near by, if it was anything big half the town would be there.

Darrell,

According to the properties on Z-Man's pics, he uses an Olympus E-1. ;)

I tried using the top photo as wallpaper but my desk got all wet.
:o(

ZMAN-You just plain rock. Thank you

By Eric Stewart on Monday, April 18, 2005 - 09:11 pm:

When I saw the pictures of Bond Falls this morning I wanted to send in one that's a bit older, 49 years older, actually. I didn't have time to do it this morning, however. It's one of my dad's pictures. I would have been 5 years old at the time, so I think that must be my two older brothers standing by the rail. One caveat: Dad didn't always label his slides right away. I hope this really is Bond Falls.

Darrell: I use the Canon Rebel(6 megapixel) and have no complaints,I like it a lot, but there are a huge number of great digital cameras out there to chose from. I'm an amateur not a pro, the web is a great place to compare, just google it.
Terrific photo Z-man.

Yes Eric that is the Bond Falls.

Opening Day

Bond Falls
Who Drives
Snow Cover
Still Dark
Fishing Poles
Get the Dog
DOWN DOWN
Duck Swimming
Take Picture
Icy Steps
Board Walk
Crawdads
Raj Fly
Down Stream
Sharon Smokes
Fishing Holes
Tim’s Fire
Adding Wood
Growing Higher
Keeping Warm
Ham Samby’s
Swiss Cheese
Sun Rise
Fish Bite
UP UP
Fishing Pond
New Fire
Breakfast Going
Italian Sausage
Crackers n cheese
Cold Plates
Wet Seats
Fried Eggs
Crispy Bacon
Burnt Toast
More Laughter
Smiling Faces
Take Picture
Family Tradition

Last year I was UP for a spring burial (Uno Tanskanen) on May
15th. Went up Brockway the next day and saw dozens and
dozens of hawks in flocks migrating over the top. They were
riding the thermals, circling, and moving on. A fellow birder who
was there said that the day before there were hundreds flying
over, he counted 23 species. An interesting stunt he pulled was
to take a chunk of tree and bungie it to one of the posts. On the
branch of his "tree" was an inflatable owl (natural enemy of
hawks?) which drew the hawks in close (in attack mode). He
could sit in a lawn chair and take pictures from 30 feet away.
Wonderful!

My family was at Bond Falls last July. The old stairs have been replaced with new wooden stairs and several wooden decks and platforms have been built at the bottom of the falls for great picture taking and resting areas. A road to the bottom of the falls with access for the handicapped was in the end stages. Another great place to visit just south of the falls is the Michigan Trout Hatchery. For anyone with kids who love to fish this is a great stop. The owners supply the bait and poles, you're sure to catch as many trout as you want. They clean them and put them on ice for you.Have a great day everyone!