Explorers Falls

Is this the right waterfall day for you?

A natural extension for experienced hikers already committed to Trappers Falls, not an easy standalone waterfall stop. Allow more than six miles of walking for the full out-and-back trip.

Visitor parking

Use Michigan DNR's official Little Carp River Road parking near the south end of the park's Little Carp River Trail, approached from South Boundary Road when open. The regional waterfall map establishes this as a continuation past Trappers, not a separate drivable waterfall turnout. Carry a current DNR park map and return by the same trail; don't use the GIS waterfall point as a destination for vehicles.

Walking route and time

Begin at the designated Little Carp River Road trailhead, follow the marked Little Carp River Trail past Overlooked Falls and Greenstone Falls, continue to Trappers Falls (about three miles from parking in the Western U.P. waterfall brochure), then follow the same official trail a short distance farther to Explorers Falls. It is more than three miles one way; do not represent the remaining gap as a measured connector or turn an unmarked riverbank shortcut into a trail.

Land and trail management

Michigan DNR operates the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and publishes the named public trails and trailhead map. The Western U.P. waterfall brochure independently identifies this fall along the park trail. A Recreation Passport or park vehicle entry permit may apply; a wilderness trail does not imply maintained stairs, a platform or cell coverage.

Seasonal and trail conditions

South Boundary Road may be seasonally closed and the backcountry trail is not a groomed winter path. No current parking/bridge/ford condition is confirmed.

The waterfall and the forest around it

An out-of-the-way Little Carp River drop beyond Trappers Falls, approached through long corridors of old-growth forest, fern and dark river stone.

Expect old hemlock trunks, maple crowns, and the unbroken sound of moving water between root-filled footpaths. This is not a paved overlook. Waterlogged ground, downed timber, narrow trail and wet rock can make the effort considerably greater than a number on a map suggests. A cautious walker sees plenty from the maintained path without approaching a drop-off or fording a river.

Follow the park trail, not a pin

DNR's official Little Carp River Trail is 10.7 miles end to end in its current trail map (an older trail description lists 11.3 miles). Western U.P. brochure locates Explorers just past Trappers along that marked path, and its falls coordinate is within about 33 metres of Michigan GIS #104. No independent exact trailhead-to-Explorers mileage is published, so the guide deliberately avoids an invented number.

State GIS uses generic river attribute 'Carp River'; regional park map and visitor trail define this outing on the Little Carp River. Explorers is distinct from the unrelated waterfall with the same name in some unaudited internet lists.

Before you leave the trailhead

Review the DNR park trail map, the DNR trail descriptions, the regional falls map and the park's road, pass and wilderness notices. Save the map offline and allow extra time for route choices, safe rest stops and the return. Seasonal closures are not inferred from the fact that a waterfall is geographically present.