Black River Scenic Byway
Black River Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway in Michigan. Within Michigan it covers roughly 11 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Black River Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Michigan's Black River Scenic Byway follows County Road 513 for 11 miles through the Ottawa National Forest, from just northwest of Bessemer to Lake Superior. Part of the route traces a wagon road first surveyed in 1848 and built by the state in 1904 to connect Bessemer with the waterfront; the county paved it around 1949 after decades as a dirt and gravel track. Along the way, a chain of named waterfalls, including Rainbow Falls near the byway's northern end, drops through basalt gorges cut by the Black River as it races toward Lake Superior. The road was dedicated a National Forest Scenic Byway on September 19, 1992, and ends at the Black River Harbor Recreation Area, where a suspension footbridge crosses the river's mouth to a sand beach on the lake. Hiking trails, a rustic campground, and access to Copper Peak, one of the largest ski jumps in the world, round out a short drive built almost entirely around water.
- Black River Harbor
- Rainbow Falls
- Ottawa National Forest
- 11 miles
- Copper Peak ski jump
- County Road 513
- Lake Superior
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What is a National Forest Scenic Byway?
National Forest Scenic Byways are routes designated by the U.S. Forest Service that thread through the mountains, canyons and old growth of America's national forests and grasslands.
Where to Stay along Black River Scenic Byway
2 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Black River Scenic Byway.
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