19 Presque Isle Park 

wildlife viewing  |  directions and facility information

Photo: City of Marquette, Michigan

This small peninsula that juts out into Lake Superior offers scenic vistas and good wildlife viewing just minutes from downtown Marquette. The park’s jagged shoreline is more than two miles in length and contains some of the oldest exposed rock formations in North America. Most of the park is undeveloped woodland including white birch, maple, and ironwood stands accented with areas of virgin white pine and huge hemlock trees. Easy-to-moderate hiking and skiing is offered on a loop trail that encircles the peninsula plus an extensive network of interior trails. One of the trails leads to a bog surrounded by shrub habitat. Only fifteen acres in this 323-acre park have been developed, and this area contains an indoor/outdoor pavilion, band shell, gazebo, picnic areas, pool and playgrounds, and a harbor of refuge with a modern, 97-slip marina. These man-made facilities are concentrated near the park’s entrance, a narrow area of land connecting the park to the mainland. Camping is not permitted, but there are campgrounds within two miles of the park.

Wildlife Viewing

Lombardy poplars line the shore.
Photo: City of Marquette, Michigan

The diversity of forest and bog habitats are home to over 100 native plant species which in turn provide habitat to many resident and migratory bird species. Muskrats, beavers, turtles, and waterfowl such as mergansers, mallards, Canada geese and loons are commonly seen along the Lake Superior shoreline. Take the Bog Walk Trail for an up-close look at a 10,000-year-old bog and the specially adapted plants that inhabit this unique type of wetland.