Waterfall Wednesday: The trips you don’t take…

Posted on by farlane
Canyon Falls by Karl Wertanen

Canyon Falls – October 24 by Karl Wertanen

Karl shared this photo the other day saying “I always ask myself… Which trip is going to cost more..? The one I take or the one I don’t take. Then I know for sure.”

Pure Michigan says that Canyon Falls aka the “Grand Canyon of the UP” is an easy to visit falls with a gorge that is quite impressive, at least by Michigan standards. A scenic trail along the Sturgeon River leads to a series of rapids and small waterfalls before you reach Canyon Falls where the river slides nearly 30′ over a large chute of smooth black rock into a box canyon.

In addition to wisdom, Karl also shares a lot of awesome photos. See lots more at Michigan Film Photographer Karl Wertanen on Facebook!

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Michigan Fall Color: Double Rainbow Edition

Posted on by farlane
Fall Color Tour in Northern Michigan Rainbow edition by James Eye View Photography

Fall Color Tour in Northern Michigan Rainbow edition by James Eye View Photography

mLive’s Mark Torregrossa shares that if you think there’s more rainbows out there than usual, you are correct! He explains the science behind Michigan’s rainbow bonanza:

To have rainbows, we need rain and sun at the same time. What weather pattern is classic for rain and sun at the same time? The current lake-effect rain shower situation is perfect for rainbows. The rain showers are small, maybe only five miles wide. There is a lot of clear sky around the rain showers.

…So we know why we have had and currently have a lot of rainbows in Michigan in the past few days- the spotty lake-effect showers combined with sunshine. But why have there been numerous double rainbows? It has to do with the angle of the sun, combined with the daily weather pattern.

For a double rainbow, the sun has to be fairly low on the horizon, lower than 40 degrees above the horizon. It just so happens the lake-effect showers reach their peak intensity and coverage during the late afternoon heating of the day, when the sun is low on the horizon.

James took these last Friday on the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. You can follow him on Facebook & Instagram. For sure visit his website to view & purchase his work including 2025 Photo Calendars.

Wildly enough, I featured Double Rainbow Sunrise from James last year – he clearly has a next level knack for rainbows!!

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Fall Color marching south in Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Soybeans and fall color. Pleasanton, Michigan by Mike Carey

Soybeans and fall color. Pleasanton, Michigan by Mike Carey

The Pure Michigan Fall Color Report for October 14-21, 2025 says that Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be at or near peak color this weekend. As always, color moves slower along the water in the UP and the Lower Peninsula. In Northern Michigan they say color is at about 50%, but I am going to trust MyNorth & TV 9&10 who are saying inland areas in Northern Michigan are at peak & shoreline communities like Traverse City, Petoskey & Tawas are fast approaching optimal color (especially because the folks at Crystal Mountain who are very on the ball are reporting color at 80-100%. Southern Michigan is close to halfway in most areas, but as always, please share your observations & photos!!

Mike took these yesterday in Pleasanton, which is located slightly inland in Benzie County midway between Manistee & Frankfort so yo can see how the color is really close to peak! See more in his Fall Color MI 2025 gallery on Flickr & for sure get out there to see some of this beautiful color before it’s gone!!

So much more Michigan fall color on Michigan in Pictures!

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Get all the Fall out of Pure Michigan!

Posted on by farlane
510 Bridge by smiles7

510 Bridge by smiles7

The Pure Michigan Fall Color Update says that parts of the Upper Peninsula including Marquette (60-80%) are nearing peak fall color while others like the Keweenaw Peninsula (40-60%) and Manistique (20-40%) are still a mix of fiery foliage and emerald green.

The Northern Lower Peninsula is flirting with 50% right now while southern Michigan is mostly just getting going, but they have estimates for peak color for Traverse City & Oscoda in the October 12-19th range and further south, Grand Rapids or Frankenmuth kicking off around October 20th with Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor & southern Michigan getting to peak around the 26th of this month.

Wherever you are, the cool weather has color coming on fast. As a bonus, Pure Michigan’s color report adds fun fall activities for every region – get out there & enjoy it!

Julie took this photo a few days ago near Marquette and writes “The old CR-510 bridge crosses the Dead River west of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula . It was erected in 1921 and carried traffic over the river until 2010 when a new bridge was built. The new bridge stands high above the river and has a spectacular view of the old one. One needs to Google this bridge and read its phenomenal history. (she’s right! I did and it looks like this bridge might have started its bridging in Pennsylvania!!)

You can see more from Julie’s travels in her U.P. of Michigan gallery on Flickr.

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Here comes fall color!

Posted on by farlane
M-22 Fall Color 2015 by Craig Sterken Photography

Sunday Drive in Autumn – M-22 – October 2010 by Craig Sterken Photography

Ten years ago I featured this photo from Craig of M-22 on the Leelanau Peninsula on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook. In addition to being a signature location for Pure Michigan fall color, the car happens to be next to the exact spot where I waited for the bus as a kid in the 1970s!

You can purchase this photo & see the awesome vistas this car is bound for as it drives south on M-22 in Craig’s Sleeping Bear Dunes gallery on his website. For sure follow him on Facebook or Instagram for his latest!

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Fall Color: Rivers & Bridges Edition

Posted on by farlane
Falls River Drone Shot by Monika Kross

Falls River Drone Shot by Monika Kross

Monika regularly shares photos in our Facebook group but in case you haven’t visited, I wanted to share a couple here. About the photo above she writes:

I saw this out of the corner of my eye last August and gasped! Since then, I’ve been determined to get the shot but being 3 hours from home, I chose to wait until my autumn color tour. I’m as pleased as punch about it as it was a sketchy, tree filled drone flight in but I HAD to get the waterfalls in back and in front of the train trestle.

See Monika’s latest on her Facebook & for sure follow her @Michiganunsaltedgirl on Instagram!

Sturgeon River near Canyon Falls by Monika Kross

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Misty Morning on the Manistee River

Posted on by farlane
Fall Notes by Aaron Springer

Fall Notes by Aaron Springer

I’ve had this photo that Aaron took overlooking the Manistee River on October 15, 2016 saved for years & somehow never shared it. Problem solved!!

See Aaron’s latest on his Flickr!

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Gaze into Fall’s Mirror this weekend!!

Posted on by farlane

Autumn Reflections by Julie Chapa Photography

Pure Michigan’s Fall Color Forecast for October 11 (see below) shows that the Upper Peninsula will be at or passing peak this weekend while most of the Lower Peninsula will be in the 20-60% range. Remember that leaf color can vary significantly even locally, and in addition to producing different colors when they turn, trees change at different times. Typical patterns have more color change the further you are from the Great Lakes. You can see this in the graphic below where much of the UP’s Lake Superior shore hasn’t hit peak yet.

I’d love it if you’d share what fall looks like in your neck of Michigan in the comments below, on the Facebook post, or in our Michigan in Pictures group where this photo was shared!

Julie shares the story behind this gorgeous shot: Luckily I got up early this particular morning and the water was like glass! I was able to catch this awesome autumn reflection shot at Mirror Lake in the village of Fife Lake, Michigan. The nice mist coming off the water was definitely a bonus making it a truly serene and beautiful experience.

Follow Julie on Facebook & view & purchase her work on her website!

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Autumn’s Rainbow: the colors of fall

Posted on by farlane

Fall Color by Bob Gudas

Fall color is really starting to come on in Michigan, and the US Forest service shares that there are three pigments in the palette of autumn color:

Chlorophyll: Gives leaves a basic green color. It is necessary for photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables plants to use sunlight to manufacture sugars for food.

Carotenoids: Produces yellow, orange, and brown colors in such things as corn, carrots, and daffodils, as well as rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.

Anthocyanin: Gives color to such familiar things as cranberries, red apples, concord grapes, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums. They are water soluble and appear in the watery liquid of leaf cells.

Certain colors are characteristic of particular species, and the color of maples leaves differ species by species:

  • Oaks: red, brown, or russet
  • Hickories: golden bronze
  • Aspen and yellow-poplar: golden yellow
  • Dogwood: purplish red
  • Beech: light tan
  • Sourwood and black tupelo: crimson
  • Red maple: brilliant scarlet
  • Sugar maple: orange-red
  • Black maple: glowing yellow
  • Striped maple: almost colorless

Read on for lots more!

Bob took this shot of fall color at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula back in October of 2011. See more in his Explore gallery and for sure view & purchase his work on his website!

More fall color on Michigan in Pictures!

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Absolutely Michigan: Capitol Color

Posted on by farlane

Michigan State Capitol by David Marvin

Michigan State Capitol by David Marvin

Most of the photos on Michigan in Pictures come from the Absolute Michigan group on the photo-sharing website Flickr. The group has nearly 300,000 photos in it, and this morning it is positively on FIRE with photos of fall color from all over the state.

David’s photo of the Capitol was the first I saw this morning & is absolutely perfect for this post. See more in his Michigan State Capitol gallery & have a wonderful week!

PS: You can also share photos in the Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook or @michpics on Twitter!

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