Bond Falls Explained

Bond Falls
Map:USA_Michigan
Map Width:250
Location:Haight Township
Ontonagon County, Michigan
Coords:46.4088°N -89.1329°W
Watercourse:Ontonagon River
Type:Cascade
Number Drops:1

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 .[1] 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 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.[2]

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.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hunt . Mary . Hunt . Don . Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula . Bond Falls Scenic Site and Bond Falls Flowage . http://hunts-upguide.com/paulding_bond_falls_scenic_site_and_bond_falls_flowage.html . 2007 . Albion, MI . Midwestern Guides . June 25, 2011.
  2. Book: DeLorme . 2002 . Michigan Atlas and Gazetteer . 10th . DeLorme . Yarmouth, Maine . 978-0-89933-335-9.