🦅 Look for: Hawks, Falcons, Turkey Vultures, Owls, and Eagles can all be spotted during the Spring migration

To get there follow M-26 through Eagle Harbor several miles and turn right onto Brockway Mountain Drive.  Follow the Drive for 2.5 miles and watch for a large sign on the North side of the road.  The trail starts at the parking area on Brockway Mountain Drive.  A trail map and brochure may be found in a weatherproof box at the trailhead or you can pick one up in the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Migrating birds – some from as far away as South America – use the Keweenaw as a bridge in their flight to Canada over Lake Superior. Counters have recorded up to 15 different kinds of hawks, falcons, turkey vultures, owls and even eagles passing in numbers upwards of 20,000. Ornithologists from as far away as South Carolina and Florida make their way to Brockway Mountain for the annual “Hawk Watch”. Spring raptor migration is the busiest time of year for the Keweenaw’s aerial bird highways.

🦅 Look for: Trumpeter Swan, Sandhill Crane, ducks (Mallard, Wood Duck, Teal, Northern Pintails, etc.), migrating shorebirds, herons, and raptors.

The Sturgeon River Sloughs is a wetland area sandwiched between the Sturgeon River and Portage River, offering a pavilion and observing platform overlooking the marsh. The snowmelt in the spring often floods the area making it a perfect place for spring migrating waterfowl to stop.

A 1.75-mile hiking trail is present on the northern part of the property with an observation platform overlooking the marsh. Please see the DNR map of the area here.

🦅 Look for: Robins, Swallows, Woodcock, Bufflehead, Eastern Phoebe, Red-Winged Blackbird, Great Blue Heron, waterfowl, Gulls, and shorebirds.

Please Note: The GPS Marker for this location directs you to the forested side of the park by the Chalet. Parking is available at the Chalet and at the Boardwalk access on the other side of US-41. Please use caution if you decide to cross the highway at any point.

One of Houghton’s hidden gems, the Nara Nature Park boasts 100 acres of prime bird habitat. A mix of wetland and forest brings a diverse range of wildlife close for observation along the boardwalk trail system and nature trails. Dogs are allowed on a leash. See birds take a dip in the Portage Canal and hear them sing songs from the trees around you.

🦅 Look for: Warblers, Wrens, songbirds, waterfowl, and marsh birds.

To get there from Hancock, take US-41 North towards Calumet.  From the blinking yellow light at the top of Quincy Hill travel  about 1.5 miles to the No. 9 road and turn right.  Follow about 0.9 miles to the main parking area on the left side of the road.  A smaller west trailhead is located partway down No. 9 Road but does not access the handicap trail. Further directions are available here.

Located just outside of Hancock along US-41, our Paavola Wetlands Nature Area is home to frogs and turtles, wild irises and cattails, busy beavers, and dozens of species of songbirds and waterfowl. A 15-acre beaver pond is surrounded by sedges, grasses, rushes, sweet gale, and willow. Upland species include leatherwood, birch, towering white pine, spruce, aspen, oak, and maple.

🦅 Look for: Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wrens, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, songbirds, waterfowl

Boston Pond Nature Area is a family-friendly roadside park located directly off of highway US-41, west of the Houghton County Airport. Featuring a mid-size pavilion, easy walking trail, and viewing pier along the shore of Boston Pond, this nature area is a great space for small gatherings and easy access to nature.

Directions from Hancock:

1. Head North on US-41 towards Calumet

2. Follow US-41 for about 5 miles

3. Just before the road the airport, look for a looped drive on your left with a prominent Boston

Pond Nature Area sign.

4. Pull in here and park

Note: Please park in one of the designated spaces or along the side of the looped drive. DO NOT

DRIVE ON THE GRAVEL TRAILS! A trailhead with maps of trails and viewpoints is just beyond the

parking area. The exact location of the parking area is 47.169053, -88.518693.

🦅 Look for: Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, and the occasional Peregrine Falcon or Bald Eagle.

To get there follow M-26 north of Calumet and continue through Eagle River and Eagle Harbor.  Look for a sign and parking area on the South side of the road just past the Little Silver Bridge.

The Lake Bailey Wildlife Sanctuary is a two mile round trip that passes through several different forest communities as it rises almost 200 feet in elevation to a breathtaking overlook.  Make sure to watch your step as this is a steady uphill climb with exposed rocks and roots.

Migrating birds of prey are especially abundant in the spring.

🦅 Look for: Wood Thrush, Eastern Towhee, Northern Parula, Belted Kingfisher

How to Get There: 
Follow M-26 about 3.5 miles north of Eagle River or 4.5 miles south of Eagle Harbor. Look for the MNA sign on the east side of M-26 along Great Sand Bay marking the trailhead.

For additional information, contact the MNA office at (866) 223-2231.

The sanctuary is a favorite resting spot for the migrating waterfowl in the wetlands along the back dunes. Beavers, killdeer and song birds are also present among the varied plant life. Club mosses, holly and dwarf blueberry can be found at Redwyn’s Dunes. A one-mile trail passes interdunal ponds and leads down to the Lake Superior shoreline where feldspar pebbles are often found. In the winter, the trail can be used for cross-country skiing.