Four primary rivers drain the western half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and empty into Lake Michigan; from north to south, they are the Manistee, the Muskegon, the Grand and the Kalamazoo Rivers. The latter rises near North Adams in southern Michigan, flows westward through Battle Creek and Kalamazoo and then angles northwestward before entering Lake Michigan at Saugatuck.
This morning, we took a 3-mile loop hike through Tallmadge Woods Nature Preserve, which is tucked within the final bend of the Kalamazoo River before it enters the Lake. Winding across the forested dunes, the trail leads to the Crow Nest Overlook (photo), which affords a broad view of the River's blind channel and of the Saugatuck Harbor Nature Preserve beyond.
While the Kalamazoo's passage through Saugatuck and Douglas is lined with homes, docks and marinas, this final stretch reflects the natural landscape that characterized its path long before the trappings of modern human culture invaded its floodplain.
