The Agate Falls Scenic Site is a waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

 and state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 located in Interior Township

Interior Township, Michigan

Interior Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 375 at the 2000 census.-Communities:A large portion of the township is within the Ottawa National Forest....

, in southeastern Ontonagon County, Michigan

Ontonagon County, Michigan

-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,818 people, 3,456 households, and 2,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 5,404 housing units...

. The waterfall is 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Bruce Crossing, Michigan

Bruce Crossing, Michigan

Bruce Crossing is an unincorporated community in Ontonagon County, Michigan, United States. Bruce Crossing is located in Stannard Township at the junction of U.S. Route 45 and M-28, south-southeast of Ontonagon. Bruce Crossing has a post office with ZIP code 49912.- History :Bruce Crossing was...

 on the state highway M-28

M-28 (Michigan highway)

M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township...

.

Agate Falls is a 39-foot-high (12 m) waterfall of the Ontonagon River

Ontonagon River

The Ontonagon River is a river flowing to Lake Superior on the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. The main stem of the river is 25 mi long and is formed by a confluence of several longer branches, portions of which have been collectively designated as a National Wild...

. Dropping down from the highlands of the western Upper Peninsula, this river drops 875 feet (267 m) from the Bond Falls Flowage to Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...

, and Agate Falls is part of this change in elevation.
The water flows over a shelf of erosion-resistant sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

.

The falls can be seen from a trail accessible from a parking lot on M-28. A hiking bridge, which once carried the tracks of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway

Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway

The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...

, spans the falls.

External links

• Michigan Department of Natural Resources