Miners Falls Waterfall

The image was taken at the Miners Falls waterfall in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. To get there, you'll need to drive and then take a long, challenging hike. Please note that it's a very steep, short and very slick trail to the riverbed where I took the photo. Take the Miners Falls Trail for .6 miles on foot. Then, make a left at the stairs leading to the lower overlook. Very carefully climb over the guard rail at the lower overlook. Follow the "social trail" (unmarked trail) into the canyon. Then, follow the river a short distance (on your left) and head upwards at Miners Falls from the water's edge Follow the GPS coordinates and they will lead you to the exact location of where I stood to get this view. By car: - Drive East on H-58 out of Munising for 9.5 miles - Turn Left on Miners Castle Road and drive for about 3.7 miles - Turn Right on Miners Falls Road and drive 1/2 mile to the trailhead/parking lot.

September is the most suitable month to photograph Miners Falls — especially after Labor Day when there will be less bugs and less people hiking the trail. In the summer months, parking is extremely difficult and in June, the area is extremely buggy and unpleasant. The waterfall will freeze in the winter.

Visit this falls during the day when it's cloudy or rainy. The light would be pretty harsh if you have a sunny day, so the overcast will help shield the sunlight. It's good to think about how much rain there's been that season. If it's been an extremely rainy time, it won't be easy to access the canyon since it'll be full of water so you won't have as many options. Pay attention to weather conditions. A super windy day might not be ideal. For one thing, the foliage will be moving around and there could be incredible amounts of water getting kicked up into your lens from a distance.

The Miners Falls waterfall is powerful, so there are a lot of water sprays. Bring a lens blower and lens cloths to keep your lenses clean.

If you have conditions that are pretty bright, I think a neutral density filter might be good to get the silky water effect. Use a polarizer, otherwise the canyon walls would be too shiny.

I did an HDR image by blending six images using the program Photomatix.

I'd recommend bracketing in this location if you want some shadow because the canyon walls are pretty high.

The Miner Falls area is in the heart of Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore. There's a place called "Miner's Castle" along Miners Castle Road that is a very iconic photographic location.

Check out Miners Beach, which is also off of Miners Castle Road. These places are within just a few miles of each other.