Located in Whitefish Township along the shores of Lake Superior, the community sits at an elevation of 604 feet (184 m) above sea level.

Located further upstream along the Tahquamenon River to the west are the communities of Snug Harbor, Whitehouse Landing, and Timberlost.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources maintains a public boat launch at the mouth of the Tahquamenon River.

[3] Section 69 of the Newberry Unit of the Lake Superior State Forest is also located within the vicinity.

The Emerson Trail is a 1.0 mile (1.6 km) extension that connects M-123 to the shores of Lake Superior.

[13] After the sawmill closed, Emerson continued to sustain as a commercial fishing community, but the population dwindled.

The only remaining trace of the former community is the eroding concrete foundation of the Chesbrough Lumber Company sawmill on an unnamed island just south of the mouth of the Tahquamenon River.

In 1980, the state of Michigan erected a historic marker along the east roadside of M-123 just south of the mouth of the Tahquamenon River.

[16] This historic marker is located at the beginning of the Emerson Trail, which is the former roadway leading to the shores of Lake Superior where the center of the community once stood.

Just one mile south of the mouth of the Tahquamenon River (immortalized in Longfellow's poem "Hiawatha"), this settlement overlooks picturesque Whitefish Bay.

Milling and lumbering operations ceased in 1912, at which time commercial fishing became the economic bulwark of the community.The next nearest Michigan State Historic Site is the Whitefish Township historic marker about 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the north next to the Whitefish Township Community Center.

[18] Although the community is listed as a populated place by the Geographic Names Information System, it can be considered a ghost town with no remaining structures or residents.