Places to Visit
We have found that learning about natural communities and being able to identify them is facilitated by visiting benchmark examples across the range of variability of the natural community types throughout their distribution. In this slideshow, we provide photos of some of the best remaining examples of select natural communities. Within the natural community classification, we include a section entitled “Places to Visit” where we provide examples of representative sites for each natural community type. We have tried to include sites that are easily accessible, either on public lands or on lands accessible to the public (e.g., land trust preserves). Users interested in visiting sites highlighted here are advised to contact listed land conservancies about access to their preserves, directions, and maps.
Alvar
Maxton Plains. Sault Sainte Marie State Forest Management Area and The Nature Conservancy (Maxton Plains Preserve). Drummond Island, Chippewa County
Dry Northern Forest
Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Newberry State Forest Management Unit, Luce and Chippewa Counties
Dry Sand Prairie
Indian Lake Southwest, Manistee National Forest, Newaygo County
Dry-Mesic Northern Forest
Two-Hearted Lakes, The Nature Conservancy (Two-Hearted River Forest Preserve), Luce County
Floodplain Forest
Maple River Floodplain, Maple River State Game Area, Clinton County
Floodplain Forest
Muskegon River Floodplain, Muskegon State Game Area, Newaygo County
Floodplain Forest
Big Daily Bayou, Allegan State Game Area, Allegan County
Granite Bedrock Glade
Wetmore Pond and Sugarloaf Outcrops, Gwinn State Forest Management Unit, Marquette County
Granite Cliff
Van Riper Cliffs, Van Riper State Park, Marquette County
Great Lakes Marsh
Munuscong River Mouth, Sault Sainte Marie State Forest Management Unit, Chippewa County
Interdunal Wetland
Nordhouse Dunes, Ludington State Park and Manistee National Forest, Mason County
Lakeplain Wet-Mesic Prairie
Algonac, Algonac State Park, St. Clair County
Limestone Bedrock Lakeshore
Drummond Island, Sault Sainte Marie State Forest Management Unit, Chippewa County
Limestone Bedrock Lakeshore
Drummond Island, Sault Sainte Marie State Forest Management Unit, Chippewa County
Limestone Lakeshore Cliff
Burnt Bluff (Garden Peninsula), Fayette Historic State Park, Delta County
Mesic Northern Forest
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties
Mesic Southern Forest
Crane Hills, Crane Pond State Game Area, Cass County
Muskeg
Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Newberry State Forest Management Unit, Chippewa and Luce Counties
Northern Bald
Bare Bluffs Bald, Michigan Nature Association (Grinnell Memorial Sanctuary at Bare Bluff), Keweenaw County
Northern Fen
Horseshoe Bay, Horseshoe Bay Wilderness Area, Hiawatha National Forest, Mackinac County
Oak-Pine Barrens
Allegan State Game Area, Allegan County
Open Dunes
Point Betsie, The Nature Conservancy (Zetterberg Preserve at Point Betsie), Benzie County
Patterned Fen
Black Creek, Newberry State Forest Management Unit, Chippewa County
Pine Barrens
Shupac Lake Barrens, Grayling State Forest Management Unit, Crawford County
Prairie Fen
Marsh Brook Fen, Watkins Lake State Park, Jackson County
Rich Conifer Swamp
Gogomain Swamp, Sault Sainte Marie State Forest Management Unit, Chippewa County
Sand and Gravel Beach
Nordhouse Dunes, Ludington State Park and Manistee National Forest, Mason County
Sandstone Bedrock Lakeshore
Point Abbaye, Baraga State Forest Management Unit, Baraga County
Sandstone Lakeshore Cliff
Pictured Rocks, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Alger County
Sinkhole
Rockport Karst, Rockport State Recreation Area, Presque Isle County
Volcanic Bedrock Lakeshore
Horseshoe Harbor, The Nature Conservancy (Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor), Keweenaw County
Volcanic Cliff
Escarpment Trail Cliffs, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Gogebic Ontonagon Counties
Wet-Mesic Flatwoods
Belle Isle Flatwoods, Detroit Recreation Department, Wayne County
Wooded Dune and Swale Complex
Big Knob Campground, Sault Sainte Marie State Forest Management Unit, Mackinac County
Places to Visit
Citation
Cohen, J.G., M.A. Kost, B.S. Slaughter, D.A. Albert, J.M. Lincoln, A.P. Kortenhoven, C.M. Wilton, H.D. Enander, and K.M. Korroch. 2020. Michigan Natural Community Classification [web application]. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Michigan State University Extension, Lansing, Michigan. Available https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/communities/classification. (Accessed: March 9, 2025).