This was not exactly what I expected to see when we drove up. It is well constructed, very safe and the children really enjoyed themselves. It taught them a new respect for the power of water.
A little off the beaten path, don't miss the sign! Pulling up along a dirt road you will find ample parking and the entrance to a small park with a lovely view of Blue Bell beach and C S Mott Lake. In this park you will find plaques elaborating on local history, benches and restrooms for your convenience. Where the wooded trails begin is where you will find the stepping stone waterfalls, the beginning of Flint river. A quirky pit stop that allows us to appreciate the world of architecture! When in Flint, this is a must see :)
Glad I decided to go check it out. Definitely grab a loaf of bread or bag of popcorm, something to feed the carp. They are HUGE and I'm pretty sure they'd eat anything. Great area to have a picnic or just relax and read a book. If you just want to stop and see the sights, you could be be in and out in a few minutes or you could plan the whole day there. Stuck around to see the falls lit up too. Very beautiful and peaceful. Apparently there is also a river boat ride that you can catch there, you may want to look into it.
Really like going over to Stepping Stone Falls, it's really quite a gem, too bad Flint doesn't keep it safe and up. It must have cost a fortune to build back in the day and I realize cost is a concern went Flint is in the red, but I would hope when they get straightened around they bring this gem back. Love watching the ducks, and feeding the fish bread crumbs, and just walking the trails.
To get the full effect of Stepping Stone Falls it is best to see it at dusk or night. The wonderful colors of the lights and the falls.Come and see for yourself.
During our drive thru this area, we entered the address listed on this site (5161 Branch Rd, 48506) into our GPS and ended up in an area that was depressed to say the least.....actually, it was a frightening place to be. The address listed is in the ghetto - ramshackle, boarded up homes.....we did notice a river/stream running parallel but was waaaayyyy too apprehensive to leave our car and try to find the falls. I'm sure they are spectacular, but if you plan on visiting, try to do a little more research first. We brought a loaf of bread to feed the fish, as was recommended in another review, but it became stuffing last week!
For what this is.... it is really fantastic! I LOVED the falls.... they were awesome and really fun to look at. I was honestly shocked. Our directions led us a pretty shady way, I was really worried for a few minutes as we drove there, thinking we wasted our time, we drove all the way from Lansing to see this madness.... no... it was great! Additionally, there are HUGE and I mean MASSIVE carp that hang out at the top and bottom of the falls. I think you could feed them.... they acted like other people had been doing that. They were super neat to see but I was TERRIFIED of them, they were river monster big. Really. Parking was free, not sure if there is ever a charge. There is a building in the park area that has a men's and women's bathroom. They weren't the nicest bathrooms in the world but they were what you could expect at a park. There were doors on the stalls and running water and actually nice toilet paper (just saying). There are picnic tables and benches in the park area. Lots of seagulls and geese around as well as herons and egrets? (blue and white large/tall birds) We brought someone in a wheelchair... you can go up to the falls but can't go down to the bottom of them (or, if you can, we didn't see a way)Overall... I would return to this place. It isn't really a "spend the whole day there" situation. I would plan for about 30 minutes to an hour viewing the falls area. We did a picnic before and ended up staying about an hour and a half.
Beautiful fountains and night lighting. Peaceful, occupied by couples. I went with my sisters and nieces. We had a great time. It's very dark out. Bring a flashlight until you reach the falls. I was with a group of 5 and we were running scared literally, but the falls are a beauty and a fun place to be at night.
I think this is something you should check out if you just happen to be in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it. What I found most interesting was that the waterfall is this 1970's "futuristic" Logan's Run type structure in the middle of an otherwise natural setting. The park maintenance is a little lacking but not in total disrepair. I didn't use the restrooms but I did hear a funny conversation about them between a father and his 5-ish year old daughter as they walked toward the building:Girl: Where are we going, daddy?Dad: I have to use the bathroom.Girl: But, daddy, the bathrooms are nasty!Dad: It's OK, I don't have to sit down.Girl: Why don't you have to sit down, daddy?I didn't catch the rest of the conversation but I silently wished him the best of luck on explaining that one.Don't rely on your GPS to get you right to the park since the address given is incorrect. But, once you are in the general area, there are plenty of signs pointing you in the right direction.
First of all the address in this site is totally misleading, the falls are located just in the opposite side of the crossroad, so follow the signs, not the GPS. Secondly, I`ve seen way more beautiful falls in my life than this falls. Those falls are human made so this is probably the reason why I personally don`t find them attractive, but I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder