Houghton Falls Nature Preserve 3.9

A scenic property replete with hiking trails, boreal forest, sandstone cliffs, waterfalls and gorge known as the Echo Dells, Houghton Falls has been a destination for generations of visitors who enjoy sitting on the warm, brownstone ledges or hiking through the pines and hemlocks for views of Chequamegon Bay and the Apostle Islands.
The Preserve’s intermittent falls drop into a beautiful little cove with clear water and a sandy bottom—a great place for wading or simply splashing around on a warm summer day. The sandstone walls of the cove’s ravine carry a message from Washburn surf legend Tom Blake, “Nature = God.” The Conservancy partnered with the Town of Bayview and the Trust for Public Land to acquire the property with the help of a Coastal Estuarine Land Conservation Program grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund of the Wisconsin DNR. The property is now owned and managed by the Town of Bayview, while the Conservancy holds a conservation easement on the land to ensure permanent protection.

Houghton Falls is on the shore of Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior about two miles north of Washburn.