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McMahon Lake Preserve

McMahon Lake and the surrounding wetlands are ideal habitat for moose.
McMahon Lake and its surrounding wetlands
© E. A. Maynard

Why You Should Visit
This area was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway’s story “Big Two-Hearted River”, a tale of a man trying to find inner peace in the wilderness after he gets back from World War I.  Hemingway himself, spent many summers in northern Michigan and wrote this story based on his own memories of the area.

The 3,124 acre McMahon Lake Preserve, located in Luce County, lies within the watershed of the Two-Hearted River, a state-designated Natural River. This area has largely avoided logging and development due to its remote location and swampy nature. As a result, traveling through the preserve is like travelling back through time. Local residents include the pine marten, moose, otter, pileated woodpecker, sandhill crane, northern harrier, bear, wolf, loon, coyote, ruffed grouse, gray jay, sedge wren and northern Parula warbler. Many of these creatures thrive in vast expanses of unfragmented habitat, such as McMahon Lake and the surrounding environs.

Location
Luce County in the Upper Peninsula

Hours
Open year-round, dawn to dusk

Conditions
Early May and late July through October are the best times to visit this preserve to take advantage of Upper Michigan’s beauty while avoiding biting insects. Come prepared with head netting and insect repellant , since the black flies and mosquitoes are abundant. We also strongly recommend wearing ankle-high boots because portions of the strangmoor are very wet.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see "Preserve Visitation Guidelines"

Directions
From Newberry, Michigan:

  • Take M-123 north 4.5 miles to H37 (a.k.a. County Road 407)
  • Turn left (west) onto County Rd 407 and travel 15 miles to Pine Stump Junction and the intersection of County Roads 407 and 412 (gravel)
  • Turn right (east) on 412; continue east on County Road 420 at the intersection of County Roads 412 and 420; the total distance on 412/420 from 407 to the Preserve sign on the right (south) side of the road is about 2.1 miles.
  • Park on the shoulder or in the small turnout on the left (north) side of the road that is about 0.1 miles east of the sign. The preserve surrounds both sides of the road. (Note: County Road 420 is very narrow and can be impassable for standard vehicles in spring or after heavy rains.)

What to See: Plants
The site includes one of the state’s largest and finest examples of a unique type of wetland called a patterned fen, or strangmoor. A strangmoor consists of a series of shallow troughs and ridges left by receding glaciers. There is also dry coniferous forest, northern hardwoods, and rich and dry coniferous swamp.

What to See: Animals

  • Black-backed Woodpecker: These year-round residents are one of only two woodpecker species with three toes. Their call note sounds like ‘churt’ or ‘kyik’ while the rattle call is probably the most distinctive, consisting of three parts: Scream, Rattle, and Snarl, used as a communication aid in establishing territories.
  • Black Bear: As opportunistic feeders, Michigan's only bear species take advantage of many seasonally available foods. In the spring, they enjoy new green vegetation after leaving their dens. Summer foods include insects and wild berries. Nuts and acorns are the best fall foods when preparing for their winter's sleep. Adult males weigh between 150-400 pounds and measure about three feet high when on all four feet and about five feet when standing upright.
  • Moose: Although once common on both Michigan Peninsula's, moose were extirpated in the Lower Peninsula by 1900. By 1931 moose were reported in only 6 counties of the Upper Peninsula. Historically, more moose have been found in Chippewa and Luce counties. The potential exists that moose moved from Canada, across the St. Marys River and Whitefish Point, into these counties.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The variety of wildlife at this preserve is truly astounding. Many of these creatures thrive in vast expanses of unfragmented habitat, such as McMahon Lake and the surrounding environs. The Conservancy purchased the first 960-acre southern portion of the preserve in 1989.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
In 1993, an anonymous donor contributed the funds for this purchase in memory of former Conservancy board member and Matthaei Botanical Garden director, William S. Benninghoff. This portion of the preserve was dedicated to Dr. Benninghoff, who was instrumental in helping the Chapter identify and protect some of the most critical natural habitat in the state. Other significant gifts helping to make up this site included a 360-acre donation from The Escanaba Paper Company, and a 760-acre donation from William Malpass.

Sources of information include MNFI and MDNR.