Agate Falls

Bond Falls’ quieter sibling sits a few miles downstream on the very same river — and a lot of travelers drive right past it.

Agate Falls is on the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River in Ontonagon County, near Bruce Crossing, right along M-28. Here the river slides about forty feet down a broad, tilted shelf of hard sandstone in a wide, glittering sheet — especially gorgeous in autumn, framed by color. It’s part of the same long descent that produces Bond Falls upstream: this river drops some 875 feet on its way from the highlands to Lake Superior, and Bond and Agate are two of its grand stair-steps.

There’s a bonus view here for the curious. A sturdy old railroad bridge — once part of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic line, now a snowmobile and ATV trail — spans the river right at the falls, giving a sweeping look from above.