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.
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