Trappers Falls

Is this the right waterfall day for you?

For hikers willing to make a longer half-day river walk, not a roadside waterfall. Choose Trappers after Overlooked and Greenstone when you have about six trail miles and reliable access to Little Carp River Road.

Visitor parking

Use the designated Little Carp River Road trailhead off South Boundary Road inside Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. DNR's park map and cabin visitor guide show official Little Carp River Road parking and the Little Carp River Trail; the regional waterfall brochure directs hikers from that trailhead via Overlooked and Greenstone Falls. Road opening and plowing, especially around the December 1 winter seasonal closure, are not confirmed for today.

Walking route and time

Follow the marked Little Carp River Trail from the official Little Carp River Road trailhead. You pass Overlooked Falls at the first bridge, then Greenstone Falls, and continue into old-growth forest to Trappers Falls about three miles from the trailhead according to the Western U.P. park-waterfall brochure. Expect roughly six miles round-trip over roots, wet ground and uneven hills. Keep to official trail connections, do not force a river crossing, and do not use the natural falls GPS as a hiking line.

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

The park states portions of South Boundary Road close around December 1 until late spring. Little Carp River Road/trailhead and river conditions must be checked; no winter vehicle access or trail grooming promised.

The waterfall and the forest around it

An intimate waterfall on the Little Carp River, tucked deep in hemlock and hardwood forest beyond the better-known Overlooked and Greenstone stops.

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

The regional brochure says approximately three miles one way from the Little Carp River Road parking area, passing both earlier falls. Michigan DNR publishes the actual Little Carp River Trail and its trailhead in park maps. The brochure's coordinate agrees with Michigan GIS #102 within about 70 metres. This is not an accessible platform, and no current live river or trail conditions are provided.

The state GIS river property calls this 'Carp River' while the named park trail and waterfall brochure place it on the Little Carp River. Do not use that generic source attribute to send visitors to the separate Big Carp River Trail.

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.