2010 11 08 Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, it was a wonderful day to explore these rolling dunes just north of Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. The tract of land stretches up to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River where it empties into Lake Michigan.
This is what you get at Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, 171 acres, 3,650 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline, open dunes, interdunal wetlands, natural jack pine forest, hardwood-pine dune forest, Great Lakes marsh, 4,452 feet on an oxbow lake, the south pier of the Kalamazoo River mouth, and 1,650 feet of Kalamazoo River shoreline.
The temperature was in the 60's, warm for November in Michigan. We didn't have a map of this place, so we wandered in the direction of our whims. There are well marked trails through the dunes and they take you over to the lagoon. We spent 3 hours wandering here. There is much history with this piece of land...like most places.
Remnants of the old Pier
3 comments:
Yes, it was wonderful, just the perfect temperature. Would not want to be there on a hot summer day. Great place because you didn't know what was over the next hill. A map would have been nice. Your photo of Persian Speedwell is excellent, like all the others. Thanks for posting. M
amazing there are still flowers blooming.
Your photos are great! Would you be willing to share these images of the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area with the Land Conservancy of West Michigan? We are the nonprofit land trust who has been working with the City of Saugatuck to protect this land, and I'd love to use these photos in our newsletter, website, etc. Let's talk details--my email is lcwm[at]naturenearby.org
Thanks,
Michelle Harris
Communications Coordinator
Land Conservancy of West Michigan
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