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
61 named places within 25 miles
- Bond Falls Scenic Site: 0.2 mi
- Bond Falls Day Use Area: 0.6 mi
- Maple Grove Park: 4.2 mi
- Agate Falls Scenic Area: 5.2 mi
- County Line Lake Public Access: 8.7 mi
- 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
- Big Rock: 3.9 mi
- Haystack Mountain: 15.9 mi
- South Military Hill: 19.9 mi
- Alligator Eye: 20.3 mi
- North Military Hill: 20.4 mi
- 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
- Sylvania Wilderness: 15.1 mi
- Gogebic Lake State Park: 21.1 mi
- Forests for the Future #15 Conservation Reserve: 22.6 mi
- Vilas County Forest- Muskrat Creek Unit: 23.5 mi
- Vilas County Forest- White Squaw Unit: 24.2 mi
- Clark Lake Picnic Area: 15.2 mi
- Langford Lake Picnic Area: 19.6 mi
- Bob Lake Picnic Area: 20.3 mi
- Norway Lake Picnic Area: 21.3 mi
- Northern Waters Museum: 17.8 mi
- Old Victoria Historic Townsite: 20.8 mi
- Childhood Cottage Museum: 22.8 mi
- Phelps Historical Museum: 23.9 mi
- The Bluff: 8.3 mi
- South Bluff: 21.9 mi
- Oak Bluff: 22.8 mi
- Paulding Light: 4.7 mi
- Gateway Roadside Park: 17.0 mi
- Lake Gogebic State Park Beach: 21.0 mi
- Gibbs City: 24.2 mi
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.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Military Hill | S 174° | 560 m | 23.8 mi |
| Alligator Eye | W 274° | 481 m | 20.3 mi |
| Big Rock | SW 215° | 448 m | 3.9 mi |
| Haystack Mountain | ENE 74° | 441 m | 15.9 mi |
| C Shaft Hill | N 356° | 422 m | 22.4 mi |
| South Military Hill | N 358° | 293 m | 19.9 mi |
| North Military Hill | N 354° | 292 m | 20.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 08:00 | 19:29 | 20:09 |
| June solstice | 06:05 | 21:07 | 21:53 |
| September equinox | 07:44 | 19:16 | 19:56 |
| December solstice | 08:38 | 16:22 | 17:13 |
Local time (America/Detroit).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 12 | 14 | 24 | 37 | 51 | 61 | 65 | 63 | 56 | 43 | 30 | 18 |
| Precip in | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 106 | 102 | 141 | 351 | 270 | 185 | 140 | 120 | 136 | 158 | 157 | 126 |
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.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/1587709054
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