Natural Areas
Welcome to our world of wonder! We hope you’ll find the time to visit all of our Natural Areas and Preserves. Each is different and magical in its own way. Some areas are more fragile than others – thus, a variety of names and visitation policies. We’ve labeled and color-coded the different areas in this guide to help you plan your outings. A “Natural Area” is open to the public during daylight hours. You’ll find an information kiosk with a map, benches along the way in some cases and clearly marked trails. Our “Preserves” are slightly more restricted and are best seen on a guided tour.
Download a map of all of our Natural Areas and Preserves
Open to the Public
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Cedar River Natural Area
A paddle through the Cedar River Preserve is the perfect place to view stunning yellow pond lilies, see a mink slip into the water or watch an osprey dive for its dinner. The wetlands here provide not only a home for a vast array of wildlife, they also filter water entering Lake Leelanau and are [...]
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Chippewa Run Natural Area in Empire
4 Separate Ecosystems, a Birder’s Paradise and a Scenic Buffer That Protects Empire’s Small-Town Character On a spring morning, you might hear 20 bird species singing, from the melodious meadow lark to the raucous red-winged blackbird, in this diverse, 110-acre Natural Area. Deer and turkey winter in in the old apple orchard; the sand pit [...]
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DeYoung Natural Area on Cedar Lake
The Leelanau Conservancy purchased this historic farmstead with nearly a mile of frontage on Cedar Lake in May, 2006. The 145-acre Louis DeYoung farm is just minutes from Traverse City, with frontage on both sides of Cherry Bend Road. The TART trail runs through a portion of the land on the lake side. Plans for [...]
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Finton Natural Area near Northport
Take a Magical Walk Through A Place of Purity Along with its majestic hardwoods, Finton also contains a touch of cedar swamp. Among the cedars are hemlocks whose acidic roots inhibit growth of other plants. These roots and those of other trees are relatively exposed. Historical high water levels caused the soil to bog up [...]
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Houdek Dunes Natural Area–North of Leland
330 Acres–Open to the Public–Preserved in 1998 Looking for a Geology Lesson? It’s Here in Our Largest and Most Diverse Natural Area Houdek Dunes’ signature is its stands of bright, healthy white birches – many over a century old. Their advanced age is highly unusual for this transition species. Woodland pockets created by dips in [...]
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Jeff Lamont Preserve–Tip of the Peninsula
Open to the Public–40 Acres Preserved in 2008 Family Creates Preserve to Remember a Beloved Son Fall, 2007–Late last summer, Leelanau Conservancy staffer Gayle Egeler received a very sad phone call, but one that ultimately left her and her fellow co-workers inspired. Longtime Conservancy member Bridget Lamont had called to say that her nearly 21-year-old [...]
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Kehl Lake Natural Area–North of Northport
227 Acres–Open to the Public–Preserved in 1990 A Wealth of Nature Protecting Nearly Three-Quarters of Kehl Lake’s Shoreline A tip-of-the-peninsula jewel, Kehl Lake Natural Area combines the best of Leelanau, with everything from shoreline to towering mixed forest to important wetland habitat. Near the lakeshore, a majestic white pine and red maple forest covers the [...]
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Leland Village Green
Preserved in 1990 A Community Gathering Place An important element to the small town feel of Leland, The Village Green provides a lovely oasis at the end of the shopping district. Here, visitors and residents read their mail, wander through the beautiful perennial gardens, or simply take a moment to relax in this picturesque little [...]
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Lighthouse West Natural Area–Tip of the Peninsula
640 Feet of Lake Michigan Shoreline at the Tip of the Peninsula 45 Acres–Open to the Public–Preserved in 2004 For thousands of beautiful songbirds and broad-winged raptors that migrate to nesting grounds in the Upper Peninsula, our Lighthouse West Preserve at the Tip of the Peninsula is a godsend. Here, 42 acres and 640 feet [...]
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Narrows Natural Area on Lake Leelanau
Narrows Natural Area–66 Acres–Open to the Public–Preserved in 2001 The Lake Leelanau Narrows: A Wetland Complex Extraordinaire Located in the heart of Lake Leelanau Village, the Narrows is an integral part of the town’s character. When an 80-slip marina was proposed here, the community rallied to preserve these precious wetlands. In 2001 Lake Leelanau riparians [...]
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Teichner Preserve on Lime Lake
Open to the Public–41 Acres Preserved in 1996 The Teichner Preserve: Given in Honor and Love, This Fragile, Forested Wetland Is a Gift to All Who Cherish Nature’s Intricate Web In 1996 Martha Teichner gifted 20 acres of this land, located near Lime Lake, in honor of her parents, Hans and Miriam. Her gift has [...]
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Whaleback Natural Area–Leland
40 Acres–Open to the Public–Preserved in 1996 An Ice Age Legacy The dictionary defines a moraine as an accumulation of earth and stones carried and finally deposited by a glacier. This 10,000-year old geologic wonder has all the attributes that made its preservation a must – spectacular views from its towering bluffs above Lake Michigan, [...]
Transfer & Assist Projects Open to the Public
Places The Conservancy Has Helped to Protect
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Crystal River Natural Area
For generations, thousands of people have enjoyed a paddle down the beautiful Crystal River near Glen Arbor. The shallow river is gentle and slow, and its meandering path takes canoeists and kayakers around one beautiful bend after another. Ideal for families with small children, the river can be traversed in just 2 or 3 hours, [...]
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Hall Beach–Leland
Hall Beach (Also Known as “Van’s Beach”): Crashing Waves, Blue Sky, Sugar Sand Open to the Public–Preserved in 1996 Hall Beach protects both Leland’s community character and its scenic view of Lake Michigan. The beach is Leland’s first public beach onLake Michigan since the harbor was constructed in 1970. It lies at the base of [...]
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Nedows Bay on N. Lake Leelanau in Leland
Open to the Public–Preserved in 1999 Preserving a Popular Waterfront Park Dig your toes into the sand at this calm, family-friendly beach on beautiful Lake Leelanau. Enlarging a Popular Waterfront Park. In 1998, the Leelanau Conservancy assisted Leland Township in a project which doubled the size of Bartholomew Park (a.k.a. Nedow’s Bay), a popular park [...]
Best Seen on a Guided Hike
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Belanger Creek Preserve–Near Suttons Bay
Best Seen on a Guided Hike–68 Acres Preserved in 1992 An Ecological Powerhouse With 2, 800 Feet of Stream Corridor: Habitat Extraordinaire Bubbling springs emerge to join Belanger Creek along its course through this 68-acre natural area. 5600 acres of surrounding land drain into Belanger Creek and its headwaters in Bass Lake. Brown and brook [...]
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Frazier-Freeland Preserve–Omena
Best seen on a guided hike–The 14-acre Frazier-Freeland Preserve is a dense thicket, where deer and other critters roam, rich with food and shelter for wildlife. This preserve protects the wetlands and water of Weaver Creek, an important stream that flows into Grand Traverse Bay near Omena. Wildlife and numerous bird species make their homes [...]
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Mebert Creek & Greeno Preserve on S. Lake Leelanau
Best Seen on a Guided Hike–174 Acres Preserved in 1993 A Lush Mosaic of Ecology This rich swamp forest shelters rare and reclusive animals and plants and is key to protecting the health of Lake Leelanau. Along the shores of Lake Leelanau lies a tapestry of wetland habitats where Mebert Creek discharges into Lake Leelanau. [...]
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Swanson Preserve–Near Sugarloaf
Best Seen on a Guided Hike–90 Acres Preserved in 2010 Iconic Sonny Swanson Farm Forever Preserved: 90 Acres, 2,000 Feet of Shoreline on Little Traverse Lake For more than a half century, Sonny Swanson’s pale yellow farm stand along M-22 near Sugarloaf was a must stop for cottagers and locals alike. Here, they found an [...]
Critical Areas--Off Limits
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Gull Island Preserve
Critical Area, No Public Access–Preserved in 1995 Gull Island, sitting just off the coast in Northport Bay, is home to thousands of herring gulls which nest on the island from April to June. Herring gulls are scavengers that remove dead fish from shorelines and cull weak fish from the population. Don’t confuse them with the [...]
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Soper Preserve
A Fragile Wetland Host for Lady Slippers and More Critical Area—off limits—Preserved in 1991 Edna Soper donated 42 acres in 1991 in honor of her late husband, James C. Soper, to ensure the survival of the lady slippers that can be prolific here. In 1995, observers counted at least 1,000 showy lady slippers at Soper [...]
