Paradise, Michigan: Tahquamenon Falls State Park & Brewery

 May - June 2021, Weekdays, 2-nights, Campsite 66

The last time we stayed in this campground was in May 2015 on site 11. That site overlooks the river, and you can find more information and photos by following this link to my previous blog post.

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Reservations and arrival

When we stayed here in May 2015, there were a few small piles of unmelted snow, so this time, I chose a sunny site. Also, the view of the river from the sites along the bank is not fabulous. You pretty much have to walk to the back of the sites and look down to see the river. My husband did miss that part a little bit though!

Tahquamenon Falls Campsite 66

We arrived just after checkout time, and fortunately, the staff member I spoke with let us check in early. I did not initially think she was going to until I told her we would park in the picnic area (it is spacious enough for trailers), if the site was still occupied. We thought this would be easier than returning to check-in later.

Tahquamenon Falls Campsite 66

Campsite 66 - lower falls portage area

We loved this campsite! It is spacious, grassy, sunny, level, and somewhat private. There are no trees between sites 66 and 68, and site 68 was empty during our stay. 

Tahquamenon Falls Campsite 66

There was a tent on site 65, which was behind our trailer and truck. We enjoyed privacy our entire stay.

Kayaking near island on Tahquamenon River

Recreation: hiking, kayaking

We launched our kayaks in the picnic area and took them out to the island the day we arrived. There is a kayak launch ramp at the left/southeast end of the picnic area.

Lower Tahquamenon Falls from island

Paradise, Michigan / Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Campground, and Brewery

May 2015, Weekend-Weekday, 3-nights, Lower Falls - Portage Lot #11

I have shared a few photos in this post, and there are many more photos of the trails and the falls in the Tahquamenon Falls album on my Facebook page.

Arrival and check-in

The online reservation system for Tahquamenon Falls State Park says that the lower falls portage campground is open year round; however, a post on their Facebook page said that the road to the lower falls had just opened a week before our stay. Initially, we were the only ones with a reservation the dates of our stay, and two more campsites had been reserved before we left on our trip.

upper falls

There was not anyone working at the entrance to the lower falls campground when we arrived. Our name and lot number were posted on the board for arriving campers, so we drove to our lot. There was an orange cone on the lot to designate that it was reserved. We moved the cone, and before we finished parking, a ranger drove by and stopped to greet us. She confirmed that we were the ones who had reserved the site, and she asked if we had any questions. She provided some information about the trails and such in the area, although she did not have any park or trail maps with her. She then departed to get our check-in materials. We were not on our site when the ranger returned, and when we got back later, we found that she had left our registration materials for us with a note.