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

You can also rent small boats from the state park near the gift shop to take out to the island. It is an easy paddle to the island. The hike around the island is brief and easy, as well. We would have paddled down river to the bay, except we were camping by ourselves with only one vehicle, and it is a long hike back to camp (over 10 miles). 

Lower Tahquamenon Falls from hike

The next day, we hiked to the brewery and upper falls from our campsite. We walked by the lower falls first, and then there was a detour off the usual/main trail for a ways, as they were building a bridge out to the island near the lower falls. 

View of river from Tahquamenon trail hike to upper falls

The entire hike was 5½ miles one-way, and it is a bit challenging. Our total elevation climb, according to Runkeeper, was 378 feet. Much of the trail was rooty and on the edge of the hill, so you need to be paying attention.

Along hiking trail between upper and lower falls at Tahquamenon Falls State Park

Many mosquitos and bugs were out in May. Our bug repellant kept them mostly away. We passed one couple returning to camp from their hike, as they had not been prepared with bug spray when they started out.  

Hiking trail between upper and lower falls at Tahquamenon Falls State Park

When we did this hike in 2015, we hiked both ways. Well actually, we walked along the road on the way back until we came to the trail that returns to the campground where it crosses the road. This time, my husband took our truck to the upper falls parking lot in the morning, and then rode his bike back. We had initially planned to leave both our bikes and bike back together in the afternoon; however, we changed our mind after driving this route. The road between the upper falls and the campground is curvy, and there is no shoulder to ride on. There was almost no traffic when my husband rode this in the morning, and there was quite a bit of road traffic later in the day.

Tahquamenon Falls Brewery 

Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub

We sat at the bar, and shared a sampler and an appetizer when we first arrived. They usually have four beers on tap; however, there were only three the day we we were there. After this, we attempted to order two half price beers using our HopPassport. The bartender told us they would only honor one half price beer. She said it was the brewer's discretion as to what they could offer. We paid for the HopPassport book, which clearly states that participating breweries offer two beers at half price. We did not argue the point, other than to politely question what we were told. After our trip, I made an "FYI post" in the HopPassport group to let people know that they were only honoring one. When I did, I learned the brewery had been at fault. The discretion they have, is about which beverages they want to allow; not about whether they will honor the discounts or not. The HopPassport administrator was contacting the brewery after he learned what happened.

Misc. and overall

If you arriving at this park from the southwest/Newberry area, there is firewood for sale on M-123 near 407. It was a much better bundle size and price than the state park bundles. 

Hike route between the falls at Tahquamenon Falls State Park

Overall, this is a great state park. There is plenty to do, and many of the campsites are spacious. There is a lot more hiking in this park that we have not done yet. I am sharing a screenshot of our hike between the falls above.

Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post!