The Sable Falls cascade over a 75-foot drop and are located along the Sable Creek near Grand Marais, Michigan on the eastern side of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. After you visit the falls the trail continues on to a rocky beach with views of the Grand Sable Dunes.
Round-trip: 2 km
Difficulty: Moderate (due to all the stairs)
Location: Grand Marais, MI
Click here for Google Map of the Route
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore stretches along the shore of Lake Superior from Sand Point near Munising in the west, to just after Spray Falls near Grand Marais in the east. The name “Pictured Rocks” comes from the streaks of mineral staining on the face of the cliffs.
From Grand Marais, Michigan drive 1.6 km West on H-58, turn at the easily seen Sable Falls signs and follow the signs into a large parking lot. Some information you read says that this road is rough, but it has since been paved and any vehicle can drive in here now.
It is only a 1 km walk from the parking area to the falls. There is a set of stairs that takes you down almost 200 steps to the base of the falls. There is no handicap accessibility to the falls. The steps are spread out among three different overlooks.
The Sable Falls cascade down several cliffs as the river heads down to Lake Superior for a total drop of about 23 metres. The hiking trail continues down the canyon past the falls following parallel to the creek for about 1 km to the beach where it empties into the lake. Be aware that collecting beach stones is not allowed on national lakeshores.
If you are looking for a longer hike, you can park at the Grand Sable Visitor Center and take the Beech Forest Trail to the falls. In the Spring there are lots of trillium flowers growing along this route.