Benzie County, located approximately 20 miles west of Traverse City, is blessed with many interesting natural areas. This is Michigan�s smallest county, but it contains more than 17,000 acres of lakes & streams and 25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.
Aral Dunes (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore)� West end of Esch Road. Good examples of beach dune formations, dune blowouts & dune succession. Look here also for the remains of Aral, an abandoned lumbering town, the mouth of Otter Creek and shorebirds such as the federally-endangered Piping Plover.
Artesian Wells� Good examples can be seen in Honor�s Village Park (right along US 31), the Betsie River at River Road (this one sprays many feet out into the river), Frankfort�s Mineral Springs Park (under a pavilion)
Buck Hills� On M-115 between Copemish & Benzonia. A giant glacial moraine that is now used by Crystal Mountain Resort for downhill skiing.
Crystal Lake , Herring Lakes & Platte Lakes� These lakes are classified as �glacial lake embayments� which means they were once bays of Lake Michigan formed by lobes of the last glacier. Offshore currents in Lake Michigan later deposited sand bars across the mouths of these bays separating them from the Great Lake and forming these five inland lakes we see today.
Grass Lake Flooding (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)� Public access off of Reynolds Road. Great place to see wetland species such as the Great Blue Heron and the state-threatened Osprey.
Lost Lake Pathway (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)� Begins at Lake Dubonnet State Forest Campground at the end of Wildwood Road north from US 31. This area is actually in Grand Traverse County, very close to the Benzie County line. Excellent examples of glacial kettle lakes and acidic peat bogs can be found along the pathway.
Old Indian Trail (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore)� On M-22 just north of Sutter Road. This trail follows the crests of tree-covered ancient beach dunes that mark the former location of Lake Michigan�s shoreline in early post-glacial times when the water level was much higher than today. Hemlock-hardwood forest is also found along portions of this trail. At the end of the trail is an excellent view of the untamed dunes of the Platte Bay coastline. Good examples of dune succession, beach dune formations and blowouts can be found here.
Platte River Hatchery (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)� East of Honor on US-31. This hatchery is best known as the birthplace of the Great Lakes salmon program. Eggs are reared here for Michigan�s Coho and King Salmon Programs. A small visitors center & the hatchery are open to the public.
Platte Rivermouth (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore)� End of Lake Michigan Road in Lake Township. One of the few nesting sites (May-July) of the federally-endangered Piping Plover on the Great Lakes. Follow the beach north to find invertebrate fossils like Petoskey Stones and catch a great view of the perched dunes on Empire Bluff, Sleeping Bear Point and South Manitou Island.
Point Betsie (The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse)� End of Point Betsie Road. The beach to the south of the lighthouse is an excellent place to find and study a wide variety of rocks and fossils, including the well known Petoskey Stone. This is also an excellent site for weather watching and star gazing. The infamous Green Flash can be sighted here as well if the correct atmospheric conditions are present and your timing is good.
Point Betsie Dunes Preserve (Michigan Nature Conservancy)� End of Point Betsie Road. Sand dune formations and many unique dune organisms including the federally threatened Pitcher�s Thistle. An ideal spot to study dune succession. Examples of interdunal wetlands and pockets of Balsam Fir forest are found here too.
Railroad Point Natural Preserve (Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy Preserve & Benzie County Park)� Mollineaux Road on Crystal Lake�s south shore. This is one of Crystal Lake�s last undeveloped parcels of land that was only recently acquired. Developments for visitors have not been constructed yet. Next to this preserve is the only outlet for Crystal Lake and the site of the �Tragedy of Crystal Lake� where �a poorly-concieved attempt to build a canal to provide a waterway between Crystal Lake and the Betsie River� took place in 1873. The result of the ill-fated scheme is a smaller Crystal Lake that exposed flat lake bottom on which the town of Beulah & a plethora of cottages are built.
Trapp Farm Preserve (Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy Preserve)� Narrow Gauge Road, Beulah. A former celery & onion farm. Trails and boardwalks wind through a beautiful Cedar Swamp and other habitats. The relatively flat topography is evidence of a glacial lake plain formed here by ponding meltwater from a retreating glacier that once covered the area.
Upper Herring Natural Preserve (Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy Preserve)� M-22, approximately 5 miles south of Frankfort. Boardwalks give one a good look at the unique marl wetlands found here. Pits, now homes for many waterfowl, can also be seen where marl was once mined to be used as fertilizer on farm fields. Excellent displays of wild iris can be seen blooming here in late spring.
