East Branch Falls
East Branch Falls is a small, sliding drop over smooth slate maybe a foot or two tall. It is a pretty waterfall, with high river banks on each side and large trees drooping low over the river. More impressive waterfalls are upstream, though. The named waterfall merely marks the end of a long, deep gorge carved in rugged slate rocks that stretches all the way to Big Falls and contains numerous unnamed drops, most of which are both taller and more dramatic than this small waterfall.
Directions
After crossing Big Erick’s Bridge continue southeast, taking the right fork at .5 miles, for a total of 1.7 miles. Park on the far side of the one-lane bridge at the blocked logging road. Either follow the overgrown logging road west, cutting straight through the woods to East Branch Huron River when it ends, or follow the creek under the bridge to the river. Turn upstream after either route for a short walk to the falls. More drops are further upstream, including U-Turn Falls, although the river gets harder to follow as you enter the gorge. For an additional mile or so you can walk all the way to Big Falls. Try to stick close to the river, as there is private property around both waterfalls.
Photographs
Visits
Seen in March and July.
- the boulders piled high with snow and ice
East Branch Falls was not much to look at, but it never really is. The drop is a foot at most, a gentle slide channeled between rounded boulders, and today those boulders were piled high with snow and ice.
Following a small, trickling creek took me past a hunting blind and through the woods to a winding, sluggish East Branch Huron River, then a half mile up the wide banks to the falls. The waterfall was tiny, maybe a few feet high at most, but the tall cedars around the falls and steep rock walls made for a pretty little scene.
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