Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve — Attraction in Grattan Township

These environments -- southern Michigan sphagnum bogs with their associated unique flora and fauna -- are a legacy of the recession of the last glacier and the kettle / kame and glacial outwash and ice-contact landscape left by it. The bogs are former kettle lakes that have gone through a particular ecological succession. Note nearby are more advanced successional red maple swamps, also of a related process. There are actually many in lower Michigan, such as in Barry and Kalamazoo counties, and they are distinctive and unique, often with tamarack trees (as opposed to white cedar or black spruce in more northern bogs) and with an astonishing variety of interesting plants and creatures, such as various mosses, high bush blueberry, poison sumac, buttonbush, tamarack tree cricket, etc. It is like going back in time to walk through these beautiful patches of...

This is a really nice park if you can get there. It’s kind of hidden down a long, winding dirt road, but it has nicely kept trails and clear markers. There are a few types of landscape in the park, but the forest, prairie, and bog are all interesting in their own way. The prairie has lots of wildflowers and some interesting wildlife if you’re lucky. I found a large praying mantis while I was walking around, and some interesting plants inhabit the park too. The bog area has some small pitcher plants, and you can see some small examples from the lookouts. The trails are easily walked, although you might have to watch out for roots and stones. It was dry during my visit in August, so I didn’t have to worry about waterlogged areas. I really liked this park, and I think it’d be easy to spend an hour or two here...

Yes there is a large bog but it is not accessible except for a short dock. The rest of the trails are all forest. Now the bad news. Because there is no sign on 6 Mile Road for the site I drove past it 4 times. Twice last year and gave up, 2 more times this year before seeing a lady and asking where it was. It gets worse. The trails are not marked except for colored dots here and there. No intersection signs, nothing. I know of better 'bogs' and will not be back. The picture is of the entrance to help you find this...