Norwich Bluff rises suddenly from the north bank of West Branch Ontonagon River and is crisscrossed by numerous tiny creeks flowing down to the wide river below. Some of these creeks have found low spots in the bluff to follow with only a few small tumbles before they reach the Ontonagon. Others, like Gleason Creek, have hundreds of feet to drop.
Gleason Falls is one of the more pronounced drops along Gleason Creek. The tiny creek has to drop 400 feet in less than a mile, most of it over tumbles of boulders that cover the small water flow. Gleason Falls is not hidden at all, a sharp ten foot drop along a narrow crack into a small pool underneath. Even though the creek is small and the waterfall narrow, towering rock walls surrounding the falls and the sharp plunge still make a very scenic area.
Directions
Drive south on Norwich Road from M-64, just outside of Ontonagon, for 12.5 miles. Turn left onto Victoria Road, an unmarked road leading up onto Norwich Bluff. If you drive over West Branch Ontonagon River, a wide brown river, than you've overshot the road by about 2 miles. Once on Victoria Road drive 3 miles eastwards on the unimproved road and park near the logging trail on the right side of the road, which is about .2 miles beyond Gleason Creek.
Follow the logging roads south, roughly parallel to the creek. The roads wind around quite a bit, so just choose the forks that make sense. If things get confusing just head to the creek and follow it downstream (though it can be a bit swampy in sections). Gleason Falls is located about .7 miles south of Victoria Road within a deep canyon that is best reached by bypassing the waterfall and doubling back.
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