DNR to share design plans for scenic site around Michigan’s tallest waterfall

HOUGHTON COUNTY, MI – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input as it looks to develop a scenic site around Michigan’s tallest waterfall.

The DNR has been working with U.P. Engineers & Architects, Inc. to create concept designs to develop an area around the Douglass Houghton Falls in Houghton County.

The 115-acre site was purchased from a private landowner for $300,000 in 2018. It includes the 110-foot waterfall and panoramic views of pristine wilderness in the heart of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The DNR and its partners will present conceptual designs during the meeting at Lake Linden-Hubbell High School, 601 Calumet St. in Lake Linden, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 6.

The public will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

“Douglass Houghton Falls is a natural gem in Michigan’s Copper Country, and it’s a place we want to ensure more people can discover and enjoy,” said DNR Parks and Recreation Division Chief Ron Olson. “It’s a special site with great significance locally and regionally, too, so it is key that the public has the opportunity to share their input as plans move forward.”

The Keweenaw Peninsula has long thrived on tourism, and the DNR wants to move forward with the project with input from local governmental entities, the Hubbell Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4624, and local tourism officials.

Funding is also mostly in place, according to the DNR. The DNR Parks and Recreation Division was awarded a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant of $300,000 in 2022. The division also allocated $300,000 in 2023 Parks Capital Outlay funds.

Site plans for Douglass Houghton Falls currently include a parking lot, vault toilet, information kiosk, pedestrian path, pedestrian bridge, an observation deck or decks, and safety fencing. A veterans memorial will also be erected at the site.