Houghton-Douglass Falls
Houghton-Douglass Falls is a waterfall in Michigan, at a modelled elevation of 289 m. Mount Horace Greeley stands 470 m to the northeast, 17 miles off. The nearest named place is Houghton Douglass Falls Scenic Site, a nature reserve 0.1 miles away. Copper Country Trail passes 1.6 miles off. 169 named places lie within 25 miles, 8 of them named summits.
The story
Houghton-Douglass Falls (also known as Douglass Houghton Falls, Douglass Falls or Houghton Falls) is a waterfall in the U.S. state of Michigan. At 110 feet (34 m) from the top to its base, it is Michigan's tallest waterfall. It is located in the state's Upper Peninsula between the villages of Laurium and Lake Linden just off Highway M-26. It is designated by the state as a Scenic Site and Veterans Memorial Park, and named after Douglass Houghton – Michigan's first state geologist – and his cousin and assistant Columbus Christopher Douglass. The waterfall is situated in a deep gorge that is flanked by sharp loose rock. Multiple deaths have been reported at this location, including one in September 2011. Part of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the falls expose two layers of volcanic rock which have been folded over younger, softer sandstone. The site includes 115 acres (47 ha) of land along Hammell Creek and frontage along M-26. The property was purchased in 1949 by the Kuusisto family, then sold to the state in 2018 by Jim Kuusisto, a Vietnam War veteran who wished the site to be preserved as a veterans memorial. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources paid $300,000 (equivalent to $368,000 in 2024) and began developments for visitor accessibility and safety. Phase 1 was completed in 2025, adding an access road and parking, a vault toilet, and a pedestrian bridge over the creek. Phase 2, projected for completion in 2027, includes a trail to the falls, safety improvements, observation platforms, and the veterans memorial.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q24061406, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 33.528 m
How to reach it
- 1.6 mi off the Copper Country Trail, National
Overlooks nearby
- Keweenaw Waterway Lookout · 9 mi
169 named places within 25 miles
- George Gipp Recreation Area: 1.8 mi
- George Gipp Memorial Park: 1.9 mi
- Daniell Park: 2.1 mi
- Tamarack City Park: 2.7 mi
- Agassiz Park: 2.9 mi
- Float Copper: 2.6 mi
- Alexander Agassiz Memorial: 2.6 mi
- Ahmeek Stamp Mill Ruins: 2.7 mi
- Italian Hall Memorial Park: 3.2 mi
- Ruth Ann Miller Memorial: 4.0 mi
- Houghton Douglass Falls Scenic Site: 0.1 mi
- Hungarian Falls Nature Area: 2.5 mi
- Boston Pond Nature Area: 5.0 mi
- Lake Linden-Hubbell School Forest: 5.4 mi
- Lily Creek: 7.3 mi
- Houghton County Historical Museum: 1.5 mi
- Coppertown USA Mining Museum: 2.7 mi
- Calumet Union Building: 2.8 mi
- Paige Wiard: 2.9 mi
- Upper Peninsula Firefighters Museum: 3.1 mi
- Cathedral Pines: 4.1 mi
- Old Homestead: 4.1 mi
- WPA Stone Boat: 4.3 mi
- Prospector's Paradise - Rock Shop: 5.2 mi
- Bayside Bike Park: 7.3 mi
- Upper Hungarian Falls: 2.5 mi
- Middle Hungarian Falls: 2.6 mi
- Lower Hungarian Falls: 2.6 mi
- Tobacco Falls: 13.2 mi
- Ten Foot Falls: 14.8 mi
- Calumet Waterworks Beach: 6.7 mi
- Breakers Beach: 10.0 mi
- Stamp Sand: 15.7 mi
- Eagle River Beach: 15.7 mi
- Stamp Sand: 16.7 mi
- Arcadian Hill: 6.2 mi
- Rubber Mountain: 10.9 mi
- South Range: 16.4 mi
- Mount Horace Greeley: 16.5 mi
- Tolonen Hill: 17.3 mi
- Gregoryville: 2.2 mi
- Cliff: 12.6 mi
- Clifton: 13.0 mi
- Mandan: 24.5 mi
- The Miner: 8.6 mi
- The Love Wall: 8.9 mi
- Aurora Borealis Mural: 8.9 mi
- Wadsworth Garden: 8.3 mi
- Pewabic Street Community Garden: 9.0 mi
- Louis Hill: 1.9 mi
- Keweenaw Lower Entrance Light: 16.5 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Houghton-Douglass Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Horace Greeley | NE 47° | 470 m | 16.5 mi |
| Tolonen Hill | SW 227° | 455 m | 17.3 mi |
| Gratiot Mountain | NE 51° | 453 m | 19.5 mi |
| Mount Bohemia | ENE 57° | 438 m | 23.2 mi |
| South Range | SW 228° | 433 m | 16.4 mi |
| Mount Lookout | NE 42° | 402 m | 22.6 mi |
| Arcadian Hill | SW 228° | 372 m | 6.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:58 | 19:26 | 20:06 |
| June solstice | 05:58 | 21:06 | 21:54 |
| September equinox | 07:41 | 19:13 | 19:53 |
| December solstice | 08:38 | 16:15 | 17:07 |
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 | 16 | 17 | 25 | 37 | 50 | 60 | 65 | 64 | 56 | 44 | 32 | 22 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Hancock Houghton CO AP, 4 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Mar–May — fullest in Apr, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 22.0 | 20.5 | 45.9 | 172 | 83.0 | 36.3 | 21.6 | 16.1 | 20.5 | 31.7 | 36.8 | 28.5 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Trap Rock River Near Lake Linden, MI, 3 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/11743041950
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