Wells State Park

This deceptively large park has much to interest naturalists, but you'd never know it from a quick look at the close-spaced modern campground or the popular developed swimming beach. Impressive stands of old-growth hemlock and hardwoods are part of the 350 acres donated for this early (1924) state park by the children of J. W. Wells. A onetime mayor of Menominee, he was one of the biggest lumber operators in the vast Menominee River basin.
Today the park comprises 678 acres and stretches three and a half miles north along Green Bay. It includes a new harbor near the mouth of the Cedar River. People fish from the harbor's river wall. The $7 million harbor, finished in June 2005, has 122 slips, fuel dock, boat launch, picnic area, showers, and more.

An outstanding, six-mile system of foot trails makes the park's many interesting ecosystems easily accessible. The trails can be used for cross-country skiing, but they are no longer groomed. The park is ornamented by handsome stone and log structures from Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps make-work projects. CCC projects include a small rentable picnic shelter at the south end of the developed swimming beach and playground, trailside shelters, and rustic rental cabins by the beach in the less developed north part of the park. (These cabins are being replaced with a style that approximates the originals.) See "lodgings" for cabin info, and consult "camping."

Shoreline wetlands lie between the low parallel sand ridges formed by old lakeshores. The many kinds of summer wildflowers in those wet meadows and dry ridges attract unusual numbers and varieties of butterflies, including migrating monarchs, and songbirds. The tall aurelia sarsaparilla is thick with monarch butterflies from August into September. Behind this are thick stands of cedar and spruce. (For more on monarch butterflies, see "Peninsula Point," part of the "Stonington Peninsula" section in this region of our web site. Especially large numbers of migrating monarch butterflies stop at Peninsula Point, almost surrounded by Lake Michigan, in spring and again in August and September.)

Wells State Park's shoreline, wetlands and meadows make for excellent birding, because of the grand variety of birds in a small area. Shorebirds and songbirds like the meadows. Birds that eat the insects found in the canopied needleleaf forest range from the big pileated woodpecker and its smaller blackbacked cousin to the tiny golden-crowned kinglet, constantly maneuvering among twigs looking for food. Birders come from afar hoping to see Blackburnian warblers in the old-growth ridge near the cabins.

A nice bonus for hikers is the fact that the northernmost trail, the Cedar River Trail, goes 1.7 miles from the campgrounds to the park's northern boundary at the hamlet of Cedar River, not far from the good food at Butch & Sue's.

Except for the developed swimming area, the beach is mixed with chunky limestone rocks, too sharp for swimming but good for beachcombers looking for fossils. These fossils were formed 400 to 500 million years ago, when warm seas covered the center of North America. For a nearly solitary beach experience, just hike a quarter-mile south of the day-use area or north past the campground.
From June through August nature programs (on constellations, building bat boxes, night walks, wetlands, and more) are held, currently Tuesday through Saturday. Call to confirm schedule.

Starting in 2005, Wells State Park became one of Michigan's first state parks to implement a "green initiatives" with reduced mowing, environmentally-friendly cleaning products, in-house recycling, and bio-diesel fuel. Manager Chris Cope has been the State Parks and Recreation Green Initiative committee member in charge of bio-diesel applications for state parks, recreation, and harbors. As the daughter of a Ford Motor executive, she has long had an interest in automotive fuels. Odors, emissions, and headaches are significantly reduced by using fuel with just 20% vegetable oils - soy, canola, peanut, even recycled McDonald's french fry oil!

On M-35, 1 mile south of Cedar River, 30 miles south of Escanaba, and 23 miles north of Menominee. In Central Time Zone. The park is open year-round. A small parking area by office is plowed. Campground closed in winter. State park sticker required: 2007 rates $24/year Michigan residents, $29 nonresidents, $6/day residents, $8 nonresidents. Wheelchair-accessible: day-use facilities, 5 cabins, moderm lodge/ Dogs permitted on 6-foot leash. PHONE GOES HERE. http://mi.gov.dnr see "Recreation and Camping"

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