10,000 wild acres on Saginaw's doorstep: the Shiawassee refuge

Five miles south of downtown Saginaw, four rivers — the Tittabawassee, Shiawassee, Flint, and Cass — braid together into one of the largest freshwater wetland complexes in the Great Lakes region. The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge has protected about 10,000 acres of it since 1953, and people around here only half-jokingly call it “Michigan’s Everglades” — without the alligators.

During spring and fall migration, the refuge fills with tens of thousands of ducks, geese, and swans, plus bald eagles, herons, and white pelicans that have started showing up in recent years. You can drive the 6.5-mile Wildlife Drive auto tour in summer, hike or bike the trails year-round, and hunt or fish in season. For anyone living in Saginaw or the townships west of the river, it’s a serious piece of wild country fifteen minutes from the driveway — the kind of backyard amenity most metro areas would love to claim.