On the eastern side of the Upper Peninsula is the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is open and free to the public from mid-May to the end of October.
Exploring the 7-mile Marshland Wildlife Drive is one of the most popular activities in the area. There are also a few hiking trails through the refuge. We drove the one-way gravel Marshland Drive and the Fishing Loop which connects to it.
Keep in mind that if it hasn’t rained in a while, the road will kick up a lot of dust as you drive. The roads loop around several pools within the refuge, which are all alphabetically named. These pools hold almost 5,000 acres of open water. Three observation decks dot the wildlife drive as well.
Marshland Drive
Like many other wildlife refuges, visitors can expect exquisite landscapes, birds, insects, and small mammals. At our first pull off, there were a couple of beautiful butterflies. While trying to photograph a monarch, it took off into the air and started to circle me. After watching those fluttering wings for several minutes, I lifted my arm and flattened my palm. The monarch quickly landed on my fingertips and stayed for a while. I felt so connected to nature in that moment.
Farther down the drive, we spied a brown blur making its way down the edge of the road on my side of the car. It was a curious chipmunk! I stopped the car and watched as he made his way closer and closer to us.
Shortly thereafter, a single turtle pretended to be a rock in the road. After a few photos, we made sure to move it safely to the other side of the road. If you are ever in the same situation, gently move the turtle in the same direction it was headed. Move it as short a distance as possible and in a direct line. Turtles have small territories, so resist the temptation to move them to a “better place.”
In the pools we spotted trumpeter swans, Canadian geese, mallards, and other ducks.
Many of the pools had dozens of water lilies and lily pads. Watching the serene landscape was the perfect way to end our tour.
In you are in the eastern or middle portions of the Upper Peninsula, consider visiting Seney Wildlife Refuge. Check out other wildlife refuges I’ve visited in the United States.
I don’t know how I missed this one. Another trip for next year. The butterfly calls me. I haven’t seen a Monarch in a long while, so glad they are still coming up from Mexico.