Grass River Natural Area — Attraction in Helena Township

Been coming here for years. Came here today to leave my car to go out my kayak in at Bellaire and kayak down Grass River and walk back to the parking lot. Not a single sign was posted about the old dock.and walkway being taken down which is B's to begin with. Thankfully, we found the new kayak dock. Then, we had to walk around the other way because again no sign was posted about construction being done. It was rather a pain. You need to post signs. You need to make notices or something when you take a dock and walkway out that has been there for many, many years. If I didn't know the area, I could've gotten seriously hurt and or lost as well. You need to do...

Sept. 2023. Scouting out this area for future pix. James the Naturalist gave me a printout of the Wildflower Bloom times in the area. From that I plan to come back in May and June and possibly July for the Wild Orchids and others. This is a good Bog. Wear good boots if you have them as the boardwalks can be very slippery. Part 2. May 13, 2024. I was a bit early for the Showy Lady Slippers and Trailing Arbutus but found some nice Fringed Polygala and American Goldthread as well as some White Trillium and fairly frequent Jack in the Pulpit. Sean and James give tours to school kid also so that the kids might discover Nature rather than...

Great stop to hike trails along the Grass River that connects Clam Lake to Lake Bellaire (called Grass Lake in the 50s). Some trails are covered with wood making it easy to hike in the wetland sections. You can hike right up to the river itself and occasionally spot a bald eagle that is in the area. Along the trail there are labels explaining the various plants/trees. There are a couple of buildings, one fairly new that is great for kids and adults a like to study the surrounding environment and Northern Lower Michigan's nature. The trail distances are clearly marked, level, and are easy...