Big Manitou Falls

The Black River flows out of the bogs and forests of northwest Wisconsin, gathering the dark, tannin-stained water that gives it its name and color. As it nears Lake Superior it crosses a band of hard, ancient volcanic rock, part of the vast basaltic formations that ring the Superior basin, laid down more than a billion years ago when this region was pulled apart by an enormous rift in the continent.

Where the river meets that resistant rock, it has cut a deep, narrow gorge, and Big Manitou Falls is the point where it drops most dramatically off a lip of that hard stone. The height and force of the falls come from this meeting of a steep river and durable rock, and the gorge below carries the river on toward the great lake. Upstream, the smaller Little Manitou Falls marks another step down through the same tough bedrock.

This is the homeland of the Ojibwe, also known as the Anishinaabe, whose communities in this part of Wisconsin include the Bad River and Red Cliff bands near the Lake Superior shore. For the Ojibwe, waterfalls and powerful places in the land carry spiritual meaning, and the word Manitou, meaning spirit or sacred power, appears across the region's lakes, rivers, and falls.

The Black River and its falls were part of a landscape the Ojibwe knew intimately, traveled, fished, and held sacred, and Ojibwe people remain present and rooted in this country today. The name that survives on the map is a reminder of that older and continuing relationship with the land, and a visit is a good moment to honor the falls as more than just a scenic stop.

Big Manitou Falls lies within Pattison State Park, named for a mining man who bought and preserved this stretch of the Black River in the early twentieth century so its falls would not be dammed for power. His gift, later expanded by the state and improved by Depression-era work crews, kept the falls wild and public. Today a short, well-built trail leads from the parking area to overlooks that face the plunge.

The main viewpoints put you close to the top of the falls, where you can watch the dark water slide over the lip and drop into the mist of the gorge. Longer trails wander along the river and connect to the upstream Little Manitou Falls, so a visit can be a quick look or a longer walk through the woods. The North Country National Scenic Trail also passes through the park, tying it into one of the country's great long-distance footpaths.

The forests around the falls are classic Northwoods, a mix of pine, birch, aspen, and maple that shelters white-tailed deer, black bear, beaver along the quieter water, and a chorus of warblers and thrushes in the warm months. Bald eagles and ospreys hunt the river, and in the deep cold, the tracks of fox, coyote, and snowshoe hare mark the snow.

The falls change dramatically with the seasons. Spring snowmelt and rain send the Black River roaring at its fullest, while high summer can slow the flow to a gentler curtain. Autumn brings brilliant Northwoods color to the gorge, and winter, though it can ice the trails, transforms the falls into a striking scene of frozen spray and dark, still water. Each season offers a different face of the state's tallest cascade.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.