Arnold Mine Falls | Eagle River, MI

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Located on Jacob’s Creek between Eagle River and Eagle Harbor, Arnold Mine Falls is one of the least-visited waterfalls in the Keweenaw. A pleasant, 0.5-mile hike takes you to this peaceful spot, which sits below the ruins of a historic copper mine.

Arnold Mine Falls is located inside the Society of St. John’s Monastic Park. The hiking trails are clearly marked and well-maintained by the monks — they also carved the beautiful handmade wooden benches that line the route.

How To Get to Arnold Mine Falls

Arnold Mine Falls is located about 15 miles north of Calumet in Michigan’s Keweenaw. The roads in are paved and accessible year-round.

Directions to Arnold Mine Falls

  1. From Calumet, head north on US-41
  2. Turn left on the Eagle Harbor Cut-Off Road
  3. Drive 1.1 miles, and look for the small gravel parking area on the left. (It’s called “Monk Trails” on Google maps, and the GPS coordinates are: 47.418116, -88.226032)

From Eagle Harbor, drive 4.7 miles on the Eagle Harbor Cut-Off Road to reach the trailhead. If you’re coming from Eagle River, there are two ways to reach Arnold Mine Falls. In the warmer months, take the gravel Garden City Road 3.4 miles to the Eagle Harbor Cut-Off Road and turn left. (This road isn’t plowed in the winter.) The rest of the year — or any time you want to avoid potholes — take M-26 and US-41.

Hiking to Arnold Mine Falls

At the trailhead, look for the red sign that marks the trails. Hike about 0.1 miles; when you reach an intersection, turn left and follow the sign for the Arnold Mine Ruins. You’ll reach the ruins after about 0.25 miles.

Go left at the first intersection for a shorter, prettier waterfall hike

From the mine ruins, follow the signs for Jacob’s Creek Gorge. The trail winds down the hill near the creek and travels down a set of stairs. Keep an eye out for the poor rock — piles of waste rock from the mining operation — along the way. The Arnold Mine Falls are about 0.25 miles from the ruins.

Arnold Mine Falls Map

To return to the trailhead, you have two options: return the way you came, or complete the loop. If you choose the latter, follow the trail downhill until it crosses the river. The path starts to climb through the trees, passing orchards and an impossibly clear pond. Follow the Trailhead signs to get back to the parking area. The entire loop is about 1.3 miles.

Note: a two-track road from the trailhead offers a shortcut to the waterfall. As of May 2023, that route was blocked off with a substantial gate.

Hiking to the Waterfall from Jacob’s Falls

If you happen to be visiting Jacob’s Falls near the Jampot on M-26, you can take a more challenging 0.7-mile hike to Arnold Mine Falls. Follow the trails up the hill; the path climbs steadily, and is often muddy until late May or early June. When you reach a fire pit surrounded by wooden seats, take the small bridge across the creek. Continue uphill until you get to the waterfall.

Arnold Mine Ruins

While you’re exploring the waterfall, take a few minutes to check out the ruins of the old Arnold Mine. This small copper mine was built in 1860, right in the middle of the Keweenaw copper-mining boom. Here, miners dug down into the Ashbed Amygdaloid.1 — a layer of rock that features hollow areas filled with minerals including native copper. It’s part of the Portage Lake Volcanics, a flood basalt lava flow that formed during the Precambrian period. It’s one of the biggest lava flows of its kind in the world.2

The Arnold Mine had a single shaft, which was completed in 1863. Today, all that remains are the historic stone foundations of an old miene building.

Sources

1. “Mafic Volcaniclastic Deposits.” Keweenaw Geoheritage, Michigan Tech Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences. Accessed 15 June 2023.

2. “Origin of the Portage Lake Volcanics.” Geological Survey Professional Paper 754—C, United States Geological Survey. Accessed 15 June 2023.