For thousands of beautiful songbirds and broad-winged raptors that migrate to nesting grounds in the Upper Peninsula, our Lighthouse West Preserve at the Tip of the Peninsula is a godsend. Here, 42 acres and 640 feet of undeveloped shoreline along Lake Michigan provide a place to stop, feed and rest before crossing the big water. Lighthouse West provides an array of habitat for over 100 species of our feathered friends.

The fabulous cobble beach there features wetland vegetation that, depending on water levels, feeds wading birds and waterfowl. The cobble shore is also prime habitat for the federally endangered piping plover (Charadrius melodus), which are known to nest along the shoreline of the Leelanau State Park on Cathead Bay less than a mile to the south. Offshore, you’ll find open, shrubby land with intermittent pockets of wetland ideal for sparrows, indigo buntings, wax wings and other open-land birds. Finally, further from shore is a terraced slope with boulders deposited by the glaciers and hardwoods like beech and maple. This land is home to wood warblers, woodpeckers, chickadees, jays, cardinals and many other birds that depend on seeds, buds and nesting sites that hardwoods provide.

Also present on the property is Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri), which is listed as threatened by both the state and federal government. In addition, Lighthouse West is a great place to view the evidence of receding glaciers.

This land is part of a larger wildlife corridor we have been working to protect since we opened our doors in 1988. All told, the Leelanau Conservancy has protected 625 acres north of the village of Northport. Lighthouse West abuts 23 acres and 1,000 feet of shoreline on private land already permanently protected by a conservation easement. It is also very near the newly expanded Leelanau State Park. Both the State Park expansion and the Lighthouse West property were funded in large part by grants from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund—grants written and administered by the Leelanau Conservancy. We also depended on the generosity of many private donors to purchase Lighthouse West.

Given that protection of rare habitat and critical stopover habitat for migrating birds is our top priority, plans are in the works to create trails for birding opportunities and other public access that are compatible with protecting its natural features.

Lighthouse West Access:

A new trail is in the works. Unless otherwise specified, hikes at the Lighthouse West Preserve last about 1-2 hours and are somewhat rigorous. There is some negotiating of uneven terrain and steep bluffs in order to reach the shoreline. From Northport, head north on M-201 through the Village, taking M-201/Mill Street north out of town. M-201 becomes Co. Rd. 640/Woolsey Lake Rd. Stay on Co Rd. 640/Woolsey Lake Rd.  Stay straight as Co. Rd. 640/Woolsey Lake Rd. becomes Co. Rd. 629/Woolsey Lake Rd (Co. Rd 640 splits off to the right). Continue on Co. Rd 629/Woolsey Lake Rd for approximately 3 miles when it becomes Co. Rd. 629/Lighthouse Point Rd. Continue on Co. Rd. 629/Lighthouse Point Rd for approximately 2 miles, then go left on Cathead Bay Dr.  Parking is approximately 0.1 mile on the right-hand side.