While in Mountain I stopped for a quick lunch and sized up my route. Weather is still great and it’s only just past mid-day. Next stop is at Chute Pond County Park for…you guessed it…another waterfall. This one is super easy to reach via the park’s flat walking trail. Start off at the dam and walk across.
If you are into “fake” waterfalls (no hate), the Chute Pond Spillway is a good one to see. The water is really dumping out and while standing atop the dam you can feel it thumping in your chest.
Here’s another view from downstream at one of the picnic sites that was thankfully empty today. You can see how wide the Oconto River is here, quite the contrast to the narrow sections found downstream.
Back on the walking trail you can also get great views of Chute Pond on the right-hand side. The trail itself is very flat, well-maintained, and accessible to just about everyone.
Another view of the trail further down. Views of the pond/lake give way to more densely wooded areas. Fallen pine needles under foot make for a soft and quiet trail.
About 3/5ths the way up the trail there is a signpost pointing towards Slippery Rock. Going in the other direction leads to a road and a residential area so it’s pretty hard to pick the wrong way.
After a bit more walking you reach Slippery Rock and the waterfall. Here’s what it looks like from the very top going down. You can see how the water has carved a “vee” shape as it slides down. Online photos show hordes of kids sliding down here in the summer (thankfully not today, it’s Sunday and all the campers have gone home).
I creeped a few steps further down the large smooth rock for another angle. There is a thick bed of algae under the water which would act like a Slip ‘n’ Slide. I’m not testing it out today.
Following the trail to the bottom offers a more direct view of the falls. A collection of large stones sit at the finish and appear avoidable if you do choose to slide. This angle gives the best perspective of how steep the rock is.
Here’s another wider view from the bottom. I would estimate and overall drop around 10-15 feet. This small branch of the Oconto River which escapes Chute Pond now rejoins the larger section we saw from the spillway. And with that it’s time to head back and see what else I can find with the last few hours of daylight before hitting camp.
Video
Here’s a video of the park’s hiking trail, the spillway, and of course the falls at the end.
Hiking Data
This is a very easy and short walk, all things considered. The trail is perfectly well groomed by the county park service and almost dead flat. Aside from climbing down to the bottom of the falls, this trail is accessible for just about everyone.
Again as you can see from the stats it is a very flat trail. One mile round trip, a nice easy walk to stretch your legs and enjoy a nice local park.
