Misicot Falls (Third Pier)

Piers Gorge is where the Menominee River gains speed and presses through a close-walled bedrock channel. Misicot Falls is the drop also called Third Pier, one of the features that gave the gorge its name. You visit it from Michigan's public Piers Gorge hiking trail, with overlooks high above the rapids rather than by following the paddlers' routes down to the water.

Established public trail and viewing area; current opening and road conditions are unverified. Land-manager maps describe the route, not today's gate, water level, snow or trail surface. Check official updates before driving.

Plan this visit DNR trail and parking map All U.P. waterfalls

Before leaving the car

Park: Menominee River State Recreation Area, co-managed by Michigan and Wisconsin DNR.
Arrive: Use the Michigan-side Piers Gorge Road turnoff from US Highway 8, near Norway, Michigan, and follow park signage to the designated trail parking at the end of the access road. This is a different lot from the Wisconsin Sand Portage Falls trail off US-141/Knutson Road. Do not direct a car to Misicot's raw river GIS coordinates.
Walking route: The Michigan tourism authority documents a 1.5-mile Piers Gorge Scenic Hiking Trail with multiple overlooks. Wisconsin DNR specifically identifies Piers 1, 2 and 3 as Michigan-side views reached from the Highway 8/Piers Gorge Road access. Third Pier is along that designated trail; an independently verified one-way mileage to its exact viewpoint is not supplied here, so the full trail length should not be misrepresented as the distance to Misicot.
Time allowance: Allow 60–120 minutes to explore the gorge overlooks and return, depending on how many designated viewpoints you visit. This is a planning estimate; the precise walk to Third Pier has not been measured here.
What the viewpoint really is: From the established gorge trail you can see the river compress toward Third Pier, where powerful whitewater spills past rock walls. American Whitewater calls the river feature Misicot Falls / Third Pier. Its paddling notes describe a dangerous rapid, not a visitor path: stay at signed overlooks and avoid slick scramble routes to water.
Season: The area is listed as open year-round, but access roads can be difficult in wet periods and are not winter-plowed according to the land-manager's area-wide guidance. Current opening and road conditions are unverified. Park hours are not a live trail or parking report.

The mapped geographic waterfall point is not public parking, not an accessible trailhead and not a verified walking route. Follow land-manager signs.

Two shores, two different hikes

From Michigan, follow Highway 8 to Piers Gorge Road and the signed Michigan parking, then enter the riverside Piers Gorge Scenic Hiking Trail. From Wisconsin, Sand Portage Falls has its own separate parking off US-141 east of Knutson Road. The official DNR map shows these routes on opposite banks. A point along the water is not a connection between trails, and there is no ordinary pedestrian river crossing between the two approaches.

What Third Pier means

The gorge includes several prominent drops known as piers. Wisconsin DNR identifies Michigan-bank views of Piers 1, 2 and 3. Independent American Whitewater geography calls the third pier Misicot Falls and records it as the entrance to the more forceful gorge rapids. The alternate spelling Mishicot also appears in regional tourism material. The name link is well established; the coordinate of a natural rapid in two geographic databases can differ from the coordinates of an approved overlook.

Follow the designated public path, not the paddlers

The state tourism listing reports a 1.5-mile scenic trail with several viewpoints. The official park infrastructure map marks Michigan-side parking and the gorge hiking path. At each overlook, look for the designated approach and stay back from broken rock edges. Whitewater descriptions of scouting rapids from the shore are written for experienced boaters and are not visitor hiking directions; this guide excludes those river-entry paths.

The view is worth the forest walk

The Menominee channels through tilted stone and dark ledges, making the rapids seem close enough to touch from above. A walk between multiple overlooks adds scale: the water that looks like a broad slide at one turn is a constrained, churning chute at another. In autumn, hardwood color rises above the gorge; in spring, high flows can make the rapids especially forceful. Neither season makes the water's edge safe.

Practical access decisions

Choose this stop for a proper trail walk, not a roadside waterfall photograph. Carry water, allow daylight for a return walk, and expect some uneven natural-surface ground. Do not assume the scenic trail's full advertised mileage equals your distance to Third Pier. Check Michigan DNR trail notices and park-entry requirements before travel; the location and water-flow markers are not opening updates.

Independent source checks

Sources reviewed October 28, 2026. This guide documents a public visitor trail, not live park access or river-flow conditions. Official map dots and outside whitewater notes are not driving instructions.

Land manager, piers 1–3 visitor views: Wisconsin DNR identifies the Michigan public Piers 1–3 viewpoints via US Highway 8/Piers Gorge Road.
Piers Gorge hiking trail length and parking: Michigan tourism authority documents 1.5-mile scenic trail and signed parking off Highway 8/Piers Gorge Road.
Public visitor trail and unit map: Official DNR infrastructure PDF page 3 separates Michigan-side trail parking from Wisconsin Sand Portage Falls access.
Misicot / Third Pier identity: American Whitewater independently names Misicot Falls as Third Pier. Whitewater approach is not visitor hiking guidance.
Natural feature coordinate: Michigan GIS object #2 identifies the river feature. It is NOT a driving destination.
Current seasonal access caveat: Wisconsin DNR recreation-area road information is not a live Michigan-side opening report.

Additional land-manager information: Michigan DNR park overview.