Owned by the Michigan Nature Association, the Black Creek Nature Sanctuary lies along the west coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula, northwest of Houghton. The 242-acre refuge spreads across the watersheds of Black and Hill Creek and is accessed by a trail network that takes the visitor from a parking lot on Cedar Bay Road to a pristine, rocky beach along Lake Superior.
Along the way, the 3 mile route (6 miles roundtrip) passes meadows, beaver ponds and alder swamps before entering a rich forest of pine, birch, sugar maple, cedar and balsam fir. Nearing the lakeshore, the trail runs along a lagoon where the two creeks merge before draining into the surf. The Michigan Nature Association reports that moose, wolves and black bears have been sighted in the preserve though, on this sunny, mild day, chatty red squirrels were the only mammals we encountered.
Since the clear skies are forecast to persist through the night, we plan to watch for the Aurora borealis from the summit of Brockway Mountain (1328 feet), just WSW of Copper Harbor. More on that adventure tomorrow.
