Location: Marquette, Michigan
Waterfalls created by or surrounded by dams are not my favorite. But every once in awhile, one must look beyond the concrete and fencing to see what beauty can be found. Forestville Dam Falls is one such case.
The Dead River is penned up in 5 dams as it flows east into Lake Superior. Some of these dams have no waterfalls while others have small drops. The Forestville Dam Falls is, without a doubt, the most impressive.
The Forestville Dam was one of the 5 dams involved in the 2003 Dead River Flooding. Silver Lake Basin Dam failed, allowing 9 billion gallons of water to flood the Dead River. Forestville Dam was one of the 3 dams that the floodwaters crested. It withstood failure, but did have some damage.
The dam can be accessed from several different trailheads along the Noquemanon Trail Network. We parked at a gated area off of Forestville Road. There are additional parking areas off of Wright Street.