Bond Falls: Fifty Feet of Cascades and One Heck of a View

I've seen quite a few waterfalls around the Upper Peninsula by now.

Some are little roadside falls. Some require a hike. Some look great in pictures but don't quite hit the same way once you're actually standing there.

And then there are the ones that make you stop and just stare for a minute.

For me, Bond Falls is one of those.

Tahquamenon is still my favorite.

But Bond Falls?

Number two.

And the first time I walked down toward it and saw the whole thing spread out in front of me, my reaction was pretty simple...

"OMG... awwwwww."

Yeah.

Sometimes I'm really good with words.

But honestly, that's about the best way I can describe my first reaction to Bond Falls.

My First Trip to Bond Falls

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived was how well the place was set up.

There was a nice parking area, plenty of signage and a boardwalk leading down toward the falls.

And then you get down there.

Okay...

Now I understand why people make the trip.

Bond Falls isn't one giant vertical plunge.

The Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River drops about 50 feet in total, spreading across fractured rock and breaking apart into a whole series of smaller cascades.

And there's water everywhere.

It pours through different channels, drops over ledges and works its way down this huge stair-step section of river.

Your eyes almost don't know which part to look at first.

That's why saying Bond Falls has a drop of about 50 feet doesn't really tell you much about what you're going to see.

Fifty feet is a number.

Bond Falls is a whole lot more than that.

You really have to see the entire thing spread out in front of you.

I Wanted to See a Little More

Of course, once I saw the main view, I wanted to poke around a little more.

On that first trip, I mostly explored the lower portion of Bond Falls.

After checking out the main view, I made my way up the left side through the woods to see a little more of the falls in the wild, so to speak.

That's pretty much how I explore.

What's around that corner?

What's up there?

Can I get another view?

I got a bunch of pictures and video and eventually worked my way back down.

At the time, I thought I'd gotten a pretty good look at Bond Falls.

Turns out...

Not really.

Looking back, I don't think I realized how much more there was to explore around the developed scenic area.

I found that out when I came back for my second visit.

And knowing what I know now, I'd stick with the established trails, stairs, boardwalks and viewing areas. Waterfalls and wet rock aren't exactly a forgiving combination.

Fortunately, you really don't need to go scrambling around here anyway.

Bond Falls gives you plenty of places to see the water safely.

Six Different Places to See It

Michigan DNR has developed Bond Falls into one of the more accessible waterfall experiences I've found in the U.P.

There's an accessible boardwalk with six viewing locations around the lower falls, along with parking, picnic tables and a vault toilet.

That's something I really like about this place.

Some waterfalls make you work for them.

And there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes the hike is half the fun.

Bond Falls is different.

You don't have to hike three miles through the woods just to get your first look at it. You can come specifically for the falls and get a pretty incredible view without turning the day into a major hiking trip.

But here's the thing I didn't completely understand on my first visit.

If you walk down, see that big lower view and turn around...

You're missing part of what makes Bond Falls so good.

My Second Trip Started at the Top

When I returned to Bond Falls, I approached the whole place differently.

This time, I parked near the top.

It was definitely busier than my first visit, but there was a nice parking area and a couple of picnic tables up there.

Instead of starting with that giant view from below, this time I started with the river.

I began walking downstream along the water.

And almost immediately, Bond Falls felt like a different place.

The first time, I'd basically arrived at the big payoff.

This time, I got to watch it build.

There were more picnic tables, stairs and different places to stop along the way.

And the river just kept changing as I followed it.

A little drop here.

Another cascade there.

Then another section of rushing water farther down.

You'd walk a little farther and the river would change again.

That's what I had missed the first time.

Eventually, I worked my way right back to the area I'd explored on my first visit.

Except now I was seeing it completely differently.

I knew where all that water had just come from.

I'd followed it down.

That's when Bond Falls really clicked for me.

It's not just one viewpoint.

It's the whole stretch of river.

And if I were taking somebody there for the first time, that's what I'd want them to see.

Don't just walk up to the big view, take a picture and leave.

Follow the water.

The Water Has Another Story Upstream

There's something else going on here that I didn't know about during my first visit.

Immediately upstream is the Bond Falls Flowage, a managed reservoir connected to a larger hydroelectric system.

Water from the flowage can be diverted through a canal system toward the Victoria hydroelectric facility.

But there's an important distinction here.

There isn't a hydroelectric generating plant at Bond Falls itself.

Bond Falls is a natural waterfall, but the amount of water flowing over it today can be influenced by the managed reservoir upstream.

That also means water volume can vary.

So the Bond Falls you see on your visit might look a little different from the one I photographed on mine.

I think that's pretty interesting.

Because standing at the bottom, you'd never necessarily know any of that.

You're looking at this huge spread of water crashing over rocks and disappearing into the woods...

while upstream, that same water is part of a much larger managed system.

There's a lot more going on here than you see from that first viewpoint.

It's Not About One Giant Drop

That's probably what separates Bond Falls from some of the other U.P. waterfalls I've visited.

You're not coming here for one huge vertical curtain of water.

Bond Falls doesn't need one.

The river spreads across a broad area of fractured rock. Federal river-planning information identifies the rock at the falls as basaltic.

And then the water just seems to find every possible way down.

One section drops.

Another splits around the rocks.

Another turns into a little chute.

Then you notice another cascade below it.

And another.

There's always something moving.

That's why I think pictures struggle a little with Bond Falls.

You can get a great picture here. Actually, you can get a whole bunch of them.

But a photograph freezes one little piece of what you're seeing.

Standing there, you get everything at once.

The water.

The movement.

The sound.

All those different cascades working their way down through the rocks.

Then you step back and look at the whole thing.

Yeah...

That's Bond Falls.

Bond Falls in Winter

Bond Falls isn't necessarily off-limits once summer and fall are over, but visiting in winter is a completely different experience.

Normal vehicle access is generally available from about mid-May through mid-October, depending on weather.

The trails remain open year-round, but Michigan DNR says the winter trails and boardwalks aren't groomed or monitored for snow and ice.

So I definitely wouldn't treat a January trip to Bond Falls like the same easy boardwalk stop you'd make in July.

Snow and ice change things pretty quickly around a waterfall.

That's a different adventure with different conditions.

And one you'd want to prepare for accordingly.

Before You Go

Bond Falls is on the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River in southern Ontonagon County.

During the normal driving season, you'll find parking, picnic tables, a vault toilet, established viewing areas and an accessible boardwalk with six viewpoints.

A Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry.

But my biggest advice?

Give yourself some time here.

You could pull in, walk down, look at the main falls, grab a couple pictures and leave fairly quickly.

But I wouldn't.

Especially after seeing Bond Falls the way I did on my second visit.

Walk around.

Check out the different viewpoints.

Follow the established paths along the river.

See what the water is doing above the main falls.

Then make your way down and look back at the whole thing from below.

That's when Bond Falls starts making sense.

At least that's when it did for me.

My Second-Favorite Waterfall in the U.P.

I've been here twice now.

I'd absolutely go back.

Actually, I probably will.

Tahquamenon Falls still holds my number-one spot.

But Bond Falls is sitting comfortably at number two.

And it's not because it's the tallest waterfall I've seen.

It isn't.

It's because of the way the whole place comes together.

My first visit gave me that huge view from below.

That was the "OMG... awwwwww" trip.

My second visit showed me everything I'd missed above it.

The smaller drops.

The cascades.

The river changing as I followed it downstream.

And then eventually arriving back at that big view I'd seen the first time.

Except now I understood it a little better.

And that's probably the best way I can explain Bond Falls.

Don't just go there to see the waterfall.

Take your time and follow the water.

Watch how the river changes as it works its way down through the rocks.

Stop at the different viewpoints.

Listen to it.

Then work your way down until all those smaller drops and cascades finally come together into that big view from below.

And when you get there...

Just stand there for a minute.

"OMG... awwwwww."

Yep.

After two visits, I'm sticking with that description.

Bond Falls is pretty amazing.