Wow. I’m not sure how else to put it. It’s not an elaborate trail, but the minute you start it you are greeted by a friendly bridge.

Continuing on, there is a complete loop of the trail that is barrier free. The trail alternates between wood and concrete surfaces. Scattered along the trail are interpretive signs and wooden seats.

There is another loop that is a foot trail. We didn’t go on that portion as it was threatening to rain. A few joggers and their friendly (and oh so happy to be on the trail) dog did venture out that way. Perhaps that will be an adventure for another day.

If interested in checking it out, make a turn from Sharon Avenue onto Gundlach Road (towards the fire station). Keep an eye out on your left for a little parking area and a sign. You don’t have to go too far at all.

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I tried searching the internet to find out what kind of tree this is, but I came up empty. None of the pictures I saw quite matched the flowers. Anyone happen to know the name of this tree?

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They aren’t hidden. In fact, this tree is right next to the stone path that leads to the steps to go on top of the rock for the lake view.

What you see here is a tree that has a very large root growing around a rock. Amazing, isn’t it? Here’s a shot from another angle.

Not too far away from this tree is another tree that is closer to the lake. A large portion of the ground beneath it appears to have washed away.

It always amazes me how trees adapt to their surroundings. Fifty years from now I wonder how these same trees will look.

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When my son was a baby, we rented a house in Tamarack City and I vividly remember hearing the roar of the Hungarian Falls in the spring. We would sit on our front porch at night and listen to the falls and the frogs. It was pure bliss. We decided to visit the Hungarian Falls to complete our Mother’s Day outing.

Since the road to the falls is closed during the winter, we weren’t sure what to expect this time of year in terms of the road condition. The road ended up being in great condition and the only mud encountered was on the trail to the falls. Within the woods, there is still spring runoff working its way towards Torch Lake. You can even see little mini-waterfalls along the trail.

This mini-waterfall included some beautiful yellow flowers. So far, they are the only flowers scattered across the forest floor. Before too long, there will be many more.

There will also be a lot more green around. The tag alder bushes were starting to sprout their leaves, but the trees are just beginning to bud.

When I saw the Upper Hungarian Falls, I was quite surprised. We are often there in the summer and you can usually walk right down near the bottom of the falls. There must still be plenty of snow runoff occurring for the falls were still quite active.

It was an adventure getting down the steep hill to get the above picture. Since few visitors have been to the area, much of the hillside is still covered with leaves and winter debris. It was very slippery to make it to the bottom. After trying to go down standing, I finally gave up and sat on one foot and let gravity slide me down the hill.

After snapping a few pictures, we climbed back up the hill (which is much easier than going down!) and we continued our trek through the trails to view the other four waterfalls in the area. Since I have a fear of heights, I didn’t get too close to the other large waterfall, the Lower Hungarian Falls. With that one, you view it from the top unless you are very adventurous and make the trek to the bottom.

On our way back to our car, I spotted some sphagnum moss growing on a rock. I love to brush my hands across the moss. It is so very soft.

All things considered, it was a great Mother’s Day even though it threatened to rain and the sun stayed hidden all day. Even on the dreary days there are still wonderful things to see and do in the Keweenaw.

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