Tahquamenon Falls State Park implements upgrades to improve accessibility

Ren Brabenec
·4 min read

PARADISE — Michigan lawmakers earmarked $220 million in federal COVID-19 stimulus funds to perform 188 maintenance and upgrade tasks at Michigan State Parks. As a part of that package, Tahquamenon Falls State Park was granted $4.2 million for the Lower Falls Island & Visitor Services Improvements Project, a series of construction and maintenance tasks that will upgrade scenic viewing platforms, improve accessibility to difficult-to-reach sections of the park, and replace bathrooms and gift shops.

The most anticipated upgrade is the pedestrian bridge opened to the public on Memorial Day weekend. For years, park visitors who wanted to explore the island at Lower Tahquamenon Falls could only do so by renting a rowboat. Now, visitors can take a bridge to the island, making the island wheelchair accessible for the first time.

The 143-foot aluminum bridge connects to an expanded boardwalk, offering increased accessibility to the 5-acre island that splits the Lower Falls. The island offers scenic views in all directions, providing mobility-challenged visitors with access to parts of the park previously unavailable. Other upgrades include new hand railings at the River Trail entrance and a new boat rental building.

More:Make the outdoors your office, bid for state park concessions

Workers assemble sections of the Lower Falls accessibility bridge at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
Workers assemble sections of the Lower Falls accessibility bridge at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.

Improved accessibility is not just a good thing for visitors; it benefits park management, too.

“This bridge will allow for easier park staff and emergency services access to help maintain and keep the island safe,” said Tahquamenon Falls State Park Manager Kevin Dennis.

Sections of the bridge were lifted in by helicopter and carefully placed at the southwest section of the island to keep the bridge out of view from other viewing platforms and to reduce the bridge’s impact on the park's natural beauty.

Much of the upgrades in Tahquamenon Falls State Park won’t necessarily be glamorous, but they’ll be appreciated by anyone who once had to wait in long lines to use the restroom facilities. A new restroom at the Lower Falls will provide visitors with clean, usable bathrooms, fully accessible and designed to accommodate high traffic during peak visitation. A new park store is also being built.

While the pedestrian bridge has been open to the public since May, the new restroom and store are still under construction, with anticipated completion dates in 2023.

More:New pedestrian bridge set in place at Lower Tahquamenon Falls

A sign announces the construction site and future upgrades at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
A sign announces the construction site and future upgrades at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.

Michigan State Parks posted a landmark year for visitors in 2021, with 1.4 million camping and lodging nights recorded and an estimated 35 million visitors in and out of the parks. Tahquamenon Falls State Park is one example of spiking visitation numbers. According to a 2017 General Management Plan, Tahquamenon Falls State Park usually receives about 500,000 visitors yearly. But in 2020, visitation almost eclipsed 600,000, a 20 percent increase.

“Visitation at the park is up. And that's great for our businesses,” said Sherri McLellen, owner of the Tahquamenon General Store, located a half-mile from the park entrance. “But more visitation means a need to improve accessibility to the park. The pedestrian bridge will enable folks with mobility challenges to reach the island. I'm glad the park is keeping the rowboats, but I'm also glad the boats are no longer the only means visitors have for reaching the island. I was also pleased to hear the park is building new restrooms.

“All-in-all these are good improvements, because they’re empowering more visitors to get out into nature and enjoy some of the beautiful features that make us locals proud to be Michiganders.”

Subscribe:Get unlimited access to our coverage

The COVID-19 federal relief funds will not be enough to fund all the improvements park enthusiasts and DNR officials would like to see. At last count, the DNR estimated Michigan needed about $300 million to make maintenance upgrades to the state's park system. That means there’s $80 million worth of projects that the $220 million COVID-19 stimulus windfall won’t fund.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer published a 2023 and 2024 Executive Budget to add funding, hire more staff and offer pay raises for park rangers and new hires. Given the boon that increased tourism has brought to Michigan’s economy, officials said it is hoped that park upgrades and improvements will continue to be funded for the benefit of local Michiganders and out-of-state visitors.

For questions about Tahquamenon Falls State Park, call the park office at (906) 492-3415.

Ren Brabenec is a Brimley-based freelance writer and contributing columnist with The Sault News. He reports on politics, local issues, environmental stories and the economy. For questions, comments, or to reach out with a story, send him an email at hello@renbrabenec.com.

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Tahquamenon Falls State Park implements upgrades to improve accessibility