Policies & information

Operating schedule

Posted schedules at the park and on this website match our operating calendar. Peak hours are 12 PM–8:30 PM (or sunset): daily through Labor Day, then Friday–Sunday through season end (second Sunday of October). Monday–Thursday May 1–15 are on-call (book online with a 1-hour arrival window; text PICKUP UPPER or PICKUP LOWER when your hike is done). Monday–Thursday after Labor Day through season end: online booking required; text PICKUP UPPER or PICKUP LOWER to (906) 936-7567 for pickup. Questions or booking help: (906) 291-3422. In-season shuttle runs Memorial Day weekend through the second Sunday of October. Online reservations open March 1 — book and pay online; no phone call to hold your seat. Soft weekends from May 1; main season from the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Off-season trips may be arranged by request.

Book online between Upper Falls, Lower Falls, and Rivermouth Campground. NCT and off-park legs book on their pages with instant fare estimates.

Midday off-park windows and other exceptions by phone: North Country Trail and custom destinations when online windows do not apply. On-call destinations: North Country Trail at County Road 500. Call (906) 291-3422.

Pickup times & Hike & Ride schedule · Rates & posted park info

Reservations & timing

Online in-park reservations are valid any shuttle that day in your booked direction — Upper Falls, Lower Falls, Rivermouth, and campground stops. Book the same day, or ahead through the end of next season (the second Sunday of October). Posted lot hours start at 12 PM (noon); boarding is first come, first served. On-call weekdays (Monday–Thursday May 1–15, and Monday–Thursday after Labor Day) use a 1-hour arrival window instead. Lot signage shows typical departure times for reference. Dates before March 1 or after that year's season end are a request, not online checkout.

Rates

One-way between Upper Falls, Lower Falls, and Rivermouth Campground: $25 first person, $7 each additional person, $5 per non-service animal when pet transport is permitted (service animals at no charge). Same-day Upper ↔ Lower round trip: $40 first person, +$12 each additional, +$8 per pet (whole trip). Questions: call (906) 291-3422. North Country Trail fares and booking: North Country Trail shuttle. Off-park trips (Eastern UP custom addresses, Shipwreck Museum, hotels, Wagner Falls, Laughing Whitefish Falls): instant quote on the off-park page, or call (906) 291-3422 with questions. Park to off-park trips need 24 hours’ notice. All-off-park trips need 48 hours. Same-day off-park adds a $40 premium. In-park shuttles between Upper Falls, Lower Falls, and Rivermouth Campground remain our daily priority. North Country Trail and other off-park trips fit around falls service. Park to off-park and all-off-park trips: morning starts are route-limited so the van is back at the falls by 12 PM Eastern, or from 7 PM Eastern. Midday windows require a phone call.

Recreation Passport

A valid Recreation Passport is required on all vehicles entering Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Passports may be purchased upon arrival.

Passengers riding our licensed shuttle do not need a separate passport for that shuttle leg. If you drive your own vehicle into the park, you need a passport or day pass at the entrance.

Michigan DNR Recreation Passport

Weather & cancellations

Shuttle service may be delayed or cancelled due to weather or park conditions. The Michigan DNR is not responsible for weather-related delays or cancellations.

Shuttle services (2026)

We are not currently offering car spotting. Shuttles between Upper Falls, Lower Falls, and Rivermouth Campground are our daily priority. Call us if you have questions about a future season.

Shuttle map

When a driver is on duty during park hours and their phone has GPS and signal, we show the van’s approximate location. Coverage in the park is spotty — if the map is empty, use posted lot times, text TRACK or HOURS to (906) 936-7567, or open the schedule. We do not track your personal device.

Open the shuttle map during your visit or scan the QR on lot signage. Location appears only inside Tahquamenon Falls State Park when a driver phone is sharing GPS. If the map is empty, call (906) 291-3422.

Sustainability impact estimates

The home and book pages show people served (sum of party sizes on completed shuttle fares), estimated private vehicle trips avoided, car miles removed between Upper and Lower Falls, passenger miles saved, and greenhouse gases avoided (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and CO₂e in kilograms) based on completed shuttle fares recorded in our payment system since January 2025.

• Afternoon and evening (12 PM+): completed fares are grouped by posted Upper/Lower pickup departure times on our lot signage timetable (40-minute cycle). The first paying group on each departure is net-neutral; each additional group on that same shuttle counts as one avoided private car.
• Morning (before 12 PM): fares at the same pickup use rolling 5-minute windows (each transaction within 5 minutes of the previous on the same day). Same first-group-neutral rule applies.
• Car miles removed sums avoided private-vehicle distance on the Upper–Lower corridor (one car-mile per avoided trip × typical stop-pair distance). Passenger miles saved multiplies that distance by passengers beyond the first paying group on each shuttle load.
• When a booking is linked to the fare, we use your party size and stops; other sales use the standard tiered fare to estimate party size and a typical Upper–Lower distance.
• Emission factors follow EPA passenger-car averages per passenger-mile; CO₂e combines CO₂, methane, and nitrous oxide using standard warming potentials.
• These are planning estimates for guests and DNR stewardship messaging — not a formal emissions inventory and not shuttle bus tailpipe emissions.

Text messages (SMS)

Hunter Transportation LLC collects your mobile phone number when you submit a shuttle reservation at huntertransportation.net/book. We use your number only for transactional messages about that reservation, including confirmation details, payment status, one-time cancellation verification codes, cancellation/refund results, and — when applicable — morning-route schedule updates. SMS consent is optional and is not a condition of booking — you may reserve by phone without providing a mobile number, and cancellation verification falls back to the booking email when SMS is unavailable. We do not share, sell, or provide your mobile phone number or messaging consent data to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. Information sharing to subcontractors in support services, such as customer service, is permitted. All other use case categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties. Message frequency varies with booking and cancellation activity. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel text messages from us. Reply HELP for help. For support, call (906) 291-3422 or email info@huntertransportation.net.

Full privacy policy →

Terms of use

By checking the SMS consent box on the booking form and providing a mobile phone number, you consent to receive transactional SMS from Hunter Transportation LLC about your booking, including confirmations, payment status, one-time cancellation verification codes, cancellation/refund results, and — when applicable — morning-route schedule updates. Messages are sent from (906) 936-7567 and frequency varies. You are not required to consent to SMS as a condition of purchasing shuttle service; you may contact us by phone, and verification may use your booking email when SMS is unavailable. Service is subject to our posted operating schedule and park rules. Fares, cancellations, and payment methods are on this website. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle mobile numbers.

Full terms of use →

Payments

Three ways to pay. When you book: at checkout, pay online with Visa/MasterCard (+$2 processing fee). Venmo, Apple Pay, or Google Pay appear when shown on your device (Venmo fee included so we net the posted fare; Apple/Google use the same +$2 card fee). After you book: use your HT confirmation code at huntertransportation.net/pay (or the link in your confirmation email) for the same online options before you reach the park. At the shuttle: cash, Visa, or MasterCard when you board — no online processing fee. Save your confirmation page or email — your HT code works offline where cell service is limited. We text payment updates when you opt in at booking.

Early season and off-season: some dates are reserve-online / call-to-confirm or request-only — card checkout may open later for those bookings. See FAQ: online vs on-call and the booking calendar for the mode on your date. During contracted online days, you can pay at book, later with your HT code, or at the shuttle as described above.

You may change your reservation date or time at no charge from Manage reservation. An all-day reservation can change through the end of the booked day (Eastern), including the same day. A reservation with a pickup hour can change until that hour starts. If you already paid online, that payment stays the same — we do not charge again for a schedule change. Party size and From/To can change in that same window for in-park trips and published North Country Trail or off-park fares. If you already paid and the fare goes up, you pay the difference online. If it goes down, we refund the difference to the original payment. If that refund does not go through, call (906) 291-3422. Custom addresses and morning-route fares stay on that phone line. Date changes are not finished by text.

Guest cancellations & refunds

You may securely cancel from Manage reservation or by texting CHANGE to (906) 936-7567. Cancellation is free — there is no fee — until a booked pickup hour starts, or through the end of the booked day for an all-day reservation. Weather and other plans can change up to that time. We send a one-time verification code to the mobile number on the reservation, with email fallback when text messaging is unavailable. On the page, enter that code. In the text thread, reply with your HT code, a reason, and that code. The HT code alone does not cancel the reservation. We also ask why you are cancelling (helps us improve the service). Unpaid and pay-at-shuttle reservations are cancelled without a charge. Eligible paid online reservations receive a full refund.

Refunds usually appear within 4–14 business days, depending on your bank. After the pickup hour has started, or after an all-day booked date has ended, and for a partial cancellation refund, service disputes, weather closures we initiate, or if the online process does not work, call or text (906) 291-3422 or email info@huntertransportation.net. Manager review may be required.

Pets & service animals

Pets are not allowed in park buildings. Service animals, as defined by federal law, ride free. Other animals may ride the shuttle when we can take them, for $5 each, subject to park rules.

Infants

Infants 24 months or less ride free with a paying adult when secured in a guest-provided child restraint that meets Michigan law. Infants still count toward shuttle capacity. Hunter Transportation does not provide car seats.

Enter total party size and infant count when booking online. See rates.

Shuttle & facilities

Smoking is not allowed in state park buildings or on our shuttle.

Non-discrimination

Hunter Transportation does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, marital status, or disability unrelated to job requirements. No one is denied access to shuttle service on these grounds.