Sable Falls: 168 steps to the Lake Superior shore

Sable Falls is the Grand Marais-side waterfall with a Lake Superior beach waiting just beyond it. The National Park Service places the parking area about one mile west of town on County Road H-58. From there, Sable Creek tumbles 75 feet over Munising and Jacobsville sandstone on its way to the lake.

The mileage is short, but the stairs are the real measure of the visit. NPS lists the Sable Falls Trail at about 0.4 miles round trip. The first landing on the staircase gives you a view of the falls. The best view is at the bottom, after 168 steps, and the path continues a little farther along Sable Creek to a rock-and-sand beach.

Choose your turnaround before tired legs make the decision for you. A quick look from the first landing still means climbing those steps back out. Going to the bottom gives you the fuller waterfall view; continuing to the shore adds a quiet finish beside Lake Superior. The park warns that the decking can be slippery when wet.

Seasonal flush toilets and drinking water are near the parking area. Leashed pets are allowed on the stairs and the trail to the beach. Leave the beach stones where they are: collecting them is not permitted inside the national lakeshore.

Pictured Rocks requires an entrance pass and does not accept cash. Buy or download the current pass before arriving because service can be limited. Winter changes the route entirely: Sand Point Road is the park’s only plowed road, and other park roads close to ordinary vehicles once they are snow-covered. That makes Sable a different trip after the snow settles.