Cherry Island – A Walk Full Of Wildlife.

About 17 miles south of Detroit, near the mouth of the Detroit River as it flows into Lake Eire, is a 1607-acre recreation area called Lake Erie Metropark (LEM). It is part of the group of parks known as Huron-Clinton Metroparks (HCM). These nearly 25,000 combined acres of 13 individual properties make up one of our nation’s premier regional park systems.

Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority, now HCM, was established in 1939, providing areas for recreation, relaxation, exercise, wildlife observation, and education to over seven million visitors annually. The 13 parks are arranged along the Huron River and Clinton River forming a partial ring around the Detroit Metropolitan area.

Lake Erie Metropark

This gem of a park is also part of The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) and stretches for three miles along the shoreline of the Detroit River and Lake Erie. It is maintained in a joint effort by both the HCM and the DRIWR, along with staff from the Metroparks Natural Resources Department, and its hundreds of volunteers.

The Lake Erie Metropark shoreline provides a panoramic view of the lake, several inhabited and uninhabited small islands that dot the waters of the Detroit River, and Canada’s coastal shoreline as it borders the river on its journey toward the southwest corner of the shallowest, and the warmest, of the five Great Lakes.

The park includes an 18-hole golf course, a wave pool, a Marshlands Museum, miles of nature trails, a playground, shoreline fishing areas, a marina for larger boats on the south end with a 12-ramp boat launch for smaller boats and canoes/kayaks on the north end, plenty of picnic areas, basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, and more.

On the other end of the park.

An abundance of wildlife and waterfowl inhabit the woods, marshes, and lagoons of this cherished outdoor recreational area. Whether you choose to just drive through the park, or venture off on one of the nature trails, you are bound to come across a few of the many species of wildlife that inhabit the park. The variety of wildlife is numerous and extensive.

Here is a partial list of the wildlife you can expect to see:

• White-Tailed Deer
• Great Blue Heron
• A slew of migratory birds
• Turtles
• Rabbits
• Snakes
• Owls
• Coyote
• Ducks
• Bald Eagles
• Gulls
• Turkeys
• Bats
• Hawks
• Osprey
• Sandhill Cranes
• Turkey Vultures
• Yellow Warblers
• Egrets

You probably noticed birds dominate the list, that’s because Lake Erie Metropark is a safe haven for our feathered friends, and in fact, is a designated ‘Audubon Society Important Bird Area’, an area that provides essential habitat for one or more species of birds in breeding, wintering, or migration.

You can observe wildlife throughout the park without ever leaving your car, but if you prefer an up close and personal experience, it’s best to make use of one of the dedicated trails in the park. There is a three-mile stretch of paved pathway for bicyclists, hikers, and runners that meanders through the park as well as two shorter ‘nature trails’ for hikers only.

The Trapper’s Run trail is one mile long while The Cherry Island trail is a quarter mile longer. I’m going to focus on the Cherry Island path because it’s my favorite and has incredible views of the river islands and Lake Erie itself. This trail alternates between compacted gravel with sections of boardwalk and asphalt. No bikes, runners, or pets are allowed.

Cherry Island

The Cherry Island trail is a ‘walk full of wildlife’. You will observe a variety of species on your stroll along this relatively easy, well-maintained, scenic pathway. I had several up close and personal encounters with deer this summer, getting within 10 feet of the animals. Each time I was able to take more than a dozen photos as they seemed to pose for me.

These deer are accessible as long as you are quiet and approach at a leisurely pace, as I do, with my eyes down, walking slowly, with intermittent steps. I watched this deer chomp on berries for a full five minutes until a family with noisy children came down the path and spooked her, causing her to run deeper into the woods.

Cherry Island trail traverses a beautiful marsh and the Lake Erie/Detroit River shoreline, it is adjacent to the largest bed of Nelumbo Lutea plants (American Lotus) in Michigan. There are two large Lotus Beds in the park. As you walk along the boardwalk between the marsh and a lagoon you’ll enjoy the picturesque view of the surrounding foliage and wildlife.

There are two locations where you can park your vehicle, both are within 30–40 feet of access to the trail, one at the Marshlands Museum and the other located at the Detroit River Hawk Watch site near the boat launch. The ‘Hawk Watch’ area is a standardized monitoring program conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that counts local and migrating raptors.

The Hawk Watch volunteers systematically count the hundreds of thousands of raptors that live or visit the area every year. You can observe broad-winged hawks, turkey vultures, sharp-shinned hawks, and both bald and golden eagles. In fact, I saw a bald eagle there three days ago. You’re almost guaranteed to see an eagle, vulture, osprey, or hawk.

I prefer accessing the trail near the boat launch and starting on the long boardwalk that divides two marshes. As you walk along you’ll spot wildlife everywhere. I took this image of a Great Blue Heron in the marsh to the left of me (top), then 150 feet later I saw a congregation of Egrets in the marsh to the right, a rare photo, as they are usually alone (bottom image).

At the end of the boardwalk the trail takes a 90-degree turn left and heads into the woods and dense hawthorn thickets. You’ll see and hear plenty of birds, with an occasional view of deer feeding on the berries near the trail. The pathway is paved in this section and is temporarily part of the bicycle and running trail, even though you rarely encounter either one.

Eventually, you take another 90-degree turn to the left and head toward the lagoon that supports the largest bed of Nelumbo Lutea plants in Michigan. Depending on the season, this area looks a little different each time I visit. Back on a dirt pathway, the trail divides the surrounding waters into a marsh on the left with the lagoon full of Nelumbo Lutea on the right.

At this point you can also see Lake Erie off in the distance. You’ll probably see plenty of ducks and a few egrets in the marsh, while to the right you’ll observe the giant lotus leaves and flowers in the lagoon. These aquatic plants can reach 2.6 to 4.9 ft in height, flowering in late spring and sometimes continuing into the summer months.

One hundred feet further down the trail the scene opens up to a panoramic view of Lake Erie with a few Detroit River islands in the foreground. This is one of my favorite views of the uninhabited islands. There are benches in the area if you want to relax and spend a little time enjoying the view. A few minutes later the trail, once again, takes a 90-degree turn to the left.

From here you will head north, walking along the Detroit River shoreline. You’ll sporadically view magnificent views of the waterway through the swath of old-growth trees that line the river, this is also a good area to spot hawks. You’ll find a few open areas with benches where you can relax and observe the many boats and seagulls in the area.

I love this section of the trail that runs along the river. It’s very scenic and saturated with birds singing in the trees, it’s nature at its best. It contains my favorite spot to sit and take in the view. There’s a boardwalk section that goes over the water between a marsh and the river, it supports a 50-foot bench that parallels the river with magnificent views of the river and lake.

I usually sit here for at least a half hour, cognizant of the possibility of a severe sunburn from the reflected sunlight off the water, sunscreen is a must here. You’ll see scores of ducks, geese, gulls, and great blue herons. I almost always see an osprey or two, and most of the time they grab a fish right in front of me, sometimes flying overhead with their catch.

From the bench you will see many fishing boats as they fish the Detroit River or head toward Lake Erie; in addition to an occasional kayaker or two. If you have binoculars you may even be able to see a passing freighter off in the distance. The point is, if you visit this trail and spend some time on this bench, you’ll probably see more than you had anticipated.

Once I’ve taken all the photos I want from the big bench it’s time to head back into the woods for the final stretch of the trail. Here you’ll usually find painted turtles basking in the sun. They climb onto fallen trees that are partially submerged in the river just a few feet from the shoreline. Turtles scare easily, so make sure you approach the water slowly.

Occasionally you might only see one or two turtles, but most of the time you’ll see a dozen turtles scattered amongst the water-logged trees and branches. There are a few openings where you can get up close to the turtles, literally 10–15 feet. I’ve seen as many as 18 turtles in one area on a hot summer day.

This is also the area where you may spot a few rabbits. Remember to keep an eye on the sky as you approach the parking lot near the Hawk Watch area, where you’ve parked your car. You are likely to spot an osprey or eagle in the open sky above you, it’s happened to me several times. There’s a reason the Hawk Watch group chose this location to count raptors.

I hope you get a chance to hike this trail someday. There’s a lot of wildlife and beautiful foliage packed into this 1.25-mile trail. I can’t imagine another short trail that would have more to see. But don’t tell anyone about it, let’s just keep this place to ourselves… it’ll be our little secret.

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On Reflection

I feel fortunate to live so close to such a unique nature trail, it allows me to visit several times a month. I spent half my life living in Colorado and I can honestly say, even with all the wonderful places I visited in the mountains, I never found an area that was so packed with such a diverse group of fauna in such a small region. It truly is remarkable.

I want to thank the Huron-Clinton Metroparks group for the great job they do in maintaining this park, it truly is a special place and a great asset to the Detroit Metropolitan area.

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Thanks for reading my article.

Info Sources: In addition to my personal experience, most ‘researched’ information was gathered from the websites noted below and various Google searches.

• You can purchase a discounted annual pass that allows entrance to all 13 Huron-Clinton Metroparks here.
• Check out the official website of the Lake Erie Metropark to plan your first visit
• For more info about Lake Erie Metropark visit it’s Wikipedia page.
• *Public Domain WikiMedia image used with permission via Creative Commons License BY-SA 3.0 Deed and/or BY-SA 4.0 Deed