The Seney National Wildlife Refuge

The middle of Schoolcraft County belongs to the wildlife. The Seney National Wildlife Refuge spreads across more than 95,000 acres of marsh, swamp, bog, and forest. It sits between the little towns of Seney and Germfask. This is one of the largest wildlife refuges east of the Mississippi, and one of the great quiet places in Michigan.

It’s also a recovery story. A century ago this land had been logged over, burned, ditched, and drained. Then farming failed in the poor soils, and the land was abandoned. The refuge was established in 1935 to bring it back for migratory birds. Civilian Conservation Corps crews built the chain of pools that still anchor it today. The comeback worked beyond anyone’s hopes. Trumpeter swans, reintroduced here in the 1990s, now glide across the pools by the dozens. They share the water with common loons, bald eagles, ospreys, and sandhill cranes. That’s more than two hundred bird species in all. Add otters, beavers, bears, and the occasional moose or wolf. The wildest western corner is the Seney Wilderness. It protects the Strangmoor Bog, a rare landform recognized as a National Natural Landmark.

The easiest way in is the Marshland Wildlife Drive. It’s a slow one-way auto loop past pools and observation decks. The drive runs mid-May through late October, along with the visitor center south of Germfask. Plan a visit at fws.gov/refuge/seney.