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Bond Falls

Bond Falls is a waterfall in Michigan, at a recorded elevation of 408 m. Military Hill stands 560 m to the south, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is Upper Bond Falls, a waterfall less than a tenth of a mile away. 61 named places lie within 25 miles, 7 of them named summits.

The story

Bond Falls is a waterfall on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River, a few miles east of Paulding in Haight Township in southern Ontonagon County, Michigan. The site is near U.S. Highway 45 in the western portion of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The waterfalls are listed by the state of Michigan as the Bond Falls Scenic Site. The total drop of the falls is about 50 feet (15 m). Trails lead to and from the falls from a picnic area atop the falls. There is a newer walkway that extends across the river below the base of the falls that allows for perfect viewing. The river drops 875 feet (267 m) down from Bond Falls Flowage, which is perched on the highlands of the western Upper Peninsula, to Lake Superior. Bond Falls is the first stage of this drop in elevation. From Bond Falls, the river continues northward to the Agate Falls Scenic Site. A "flowage", in the language of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is a reservoir. Bond Falls is not a natural waterfall, it has been changed by a nearby dam built by the Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO). There is a rest-area park below the dam and waterfall, from which the falls can be admired. The Ontonagan River and Bond Falls Flowage are separately stocked with brook trout.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q37427, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
408 m

How to reach it

Coordinates46.40967, -89.13265

61 named places within 25 miles

Parks: 16
Waterfalls: 12
  • Upper Bond Falls: 0.0 mi
  • Agate Falls: 5.3 mi
  • Kakabika Falls: 16.0 mi
  • Kakabika Falls: 16.0 mi
  • Kakabika Falls: 16.0 mi
Peaks: 7
Historic sites: 6
  • North Bruce Lutheran Church (ruins): 12.8 mi
  • Wisconsin River Headwaters: 18.9 mi
  • Thirty-Second Division Memorial Highway: 19.0 mi
  • Lac Vieux Desert: 19.9 mi
  • Summerwind Mansion: 20.1 mi
Nature reserves: 5
Museums: 4
Cliffs: 3
Attractions: 1
Rest areas: 1
Beaches: 1
  • Lake Gogebic State Park Beach: 21.0 mi
Ghost towns: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Bond Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Military HillS 174°560 m23.8 mi
Alligator EyeW 274°481 m20.3 mi
Big RockSW 215°448 m3.9 mi
Haystack MountainENE 74°441 m15.9 mi
C Shaft HillN 356°422 m22.4 mi
South Military HillN 358°293 m19.9 mi
North Military HillN 354°292 m20.4 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox08:0019:2920:09
June solstice06:0521:0721:53
September equinox07:4419:1619:56
December solstice08:3816:2217:13

Local time (America/Detroit).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: May–Sep.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F121424375161656356433018
Precip in1.51.21.62.83.43.74.03.33.63.72.31.8

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Paulding, 2 mi away.

Months at or above the year’s average flow: Apr–Jun — fullest in Apr, leanest in Feb.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean cfs106102141351270185140120136158157126

USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Middle Branch Ontonagon River Near Paulding, MI, 5 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/1587709054

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