Agate Falls: closed through November 1, 2026
Agate Falls Scenic Site is closed through November 1, 2026 for trestle work above the path and overlook. When open, a half-mile accessible trail reaches a crest view.
Right now, Agate Falls is a stop to save for later. Michigan DNR says the entire scenic site is closed through November 1, 2026, while crews repair and improve the steel trestle bridge. The work is directly above the visitor path and overlook, so both remain inaccessible. The completion date depends on the weather.
The closure also changes the motorized trail. DNR has rerouted a 4.6-mile piece of the Sidnaw-Bergland ORV Route onto an 18.6-mile detour. An open-looking roadside pull-off is not a way around the closure. Follow the signs and the live DNR page instead of trying to reach the overlook or trestle.
When the site reopens, the usual visit is short and fairly gentle. The entrance is on M-28 in Interior Township, about four miles west of Trout Creek and seven miles southeast of Bruce Crossing. A half-mile trail leaves the adjacent MDOT roadside park, passes through a tunnel under M-28, and reaches an accessible observation platform.
That platform looks across the crest, or top edge, of the falls. It is not a full view from the river below. The Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River spreads across terraced sandstone here, making a broad set of connected cascades nearly 40 feet high.
In a normal season, the adjacent roadside park provides parking, vault toilets, an accessible picnic area, and paved trail access. DNR says the roadside park is generally open from early May through late October, while vehicle access to the scenic site is typically available from mid-May through mid-October. The trail is normally open in winter, but it is not monitored or groomed for snow and ice. None of those normal access details overrides the current construction closure.
The DNR page currently marks Agate Falls as requiring a Recreation Passport for vehicle entry. Check both the DNR destination page and MDOT’s roadside-park map before a later-season trip. Until Agate reopens, Bond Falls is the nearby developed waterfall option, though its vehicle season and winter conditions need their own check too.
Where to see it
Do not plan this stop during the closure. The DNR says the scenic site, path, and overlook remain inaccessible through November 1, 2026, weather depending. The entrance is on M-28, four miles west of Trout Creek.
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Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 20, 2026.