Laughing Whitefish Falls: choose your view before the stairs

Laughing Whitefish Falls is a western Alger County stop where the approach matters almost as much as the waterfall. Michigan DNR describes a half-mile, natural-surface trail through beech-maple forest to three observation platforms above and beside the gorge. The full walk is about one mile out and back.

The useful choice comes at the falls. The upper platform does not require stairs after you finish the trail. The middle platform is 20 steps down from the top, and the lower platform is 137 steps down. You do not have to descend the whole staircase to see the water, so pick the view that matches the climb you want to make back up.

The current DNR page describes the falls as a cascade through a gorge beneath old-growth white pine and hemlock. It does not give one official waterfall height, so this guide does not turn an older tourism estimate into a precise measurement. The platforms are the intended viewing route; the river and gorge are not a shortcut around the stairs.

The drive is seasonal. The final road can be muddy, is not plowed in winter, and has no winter turnaround. DNR says winter visitors reach the park by snowshoe or on ungroomed cross-country ski trails. A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry when the road is open.

Near the parking area, DNR lists a vault toilet, charcoal grill, and hand pump for water. There are no trash cans, so plan to pack trash out. The North Country Trail crosses the north end of the park, but its 1.9-mile spur to the falls is a separate choice from the main half-mile parking-lot trail.