Wilderness Lakes Reserve

Directions

The Wilderness Lakes Reserve is located in L’Anse and Spurr Townships in Baraga County, Michigan about an hour west of Marquette. Please note, there is no official parking or entrance at this time, however visitors may enter on the North Country Trail crossing through Craig Lake State Park, which is owned and managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Parking does require a Michigan Recreation Passport. Park at the Craig Lake parking lot (approximate coordinates: 46.599465, -88.189790) and follow the trail to the south end of the lake where it intersects with the North Country Trail (approximate coordinates: 46.599600, -88.186200). Take the North Country Trail west for approximately 1.7 miles until it intersects with the Reserve. The North Country Trail crosses the reserve for a half mile through the forest before continuing on private land. The North Country Trail is currently the only established trail on the property, since this is a recently established Reserve with limited visitor infrastructure.

Download an Access Map.

Highlights

Learn more about our efforts to expand Wilderness Lakes!

The 11,025-acre Wilderness Lakes Reserve lies adjacent to the neighboring Craig Lake State Park, creating a protected area of over 19,000 acres in one of Michigan’s most iconic landscapes. Together, these properties protect critical wildlife corridors, a priority as part of our forest conservation vision for the Michigamme Highlands. In addition to spectacular forests—including eastern white pine, northern white cedar, sugar maple and yellow birch—the reserve is interspersed with a rich and varied landscape of lakes and wetlands.

• Dozens of glacial lakes, the largest of which—Loon Lake—is one mile long and 35 feet deep.
• Over a thousand acres of wetlands that provide habitat for several rare plants such as the Laurentian bladder fern and bog gentian.
• Habitat for rare and threatened animal species including northern goshawk, eastern gray wolf, moose, bobcat and loon.
• High-quality white cedar seepage swamp, a conservation priority habitat for a high number of plant species.
• The headwaters of the Peshekee and Sturgeon Rivers, which flow into two Great Lakes and play an important role in water quality for the region.
• Crossed by the North Country Trail, the longest U.S. National Scenic Trail, which runs 4,600 miles from North Dakota to New York.

Special note: The Nature Conservancy allows hunting for white-tail deer on this preserve to reduce an unnaturally high deer population in the area and reduce threats too many deer pose to the habitat. All hunters are required to receive a permit from TNC as well as a Michigan deer hunting license. Additionally, hunters must report any deer taken from the preserve. 

PERMITTED ACTIVITIES

• Foot access for hiking, snowshoeing, bird watching, etc.
• Educational studies, photography, journaling 
• Hunting (with TNC-issued permit and Michigan hunting license) 

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

• No motorized and non-motorized vehicles, including bicycles
• No pets
  
• No building of new trails
• No geocaching (see list of TNC-approved geocache sites) 
• No removal of trees, plants or animals (alive or dead)
• No removal of rocks, water or other non-organic materials
• No camping, bonfires, fireworks or other fires
• No littering