The Minden Bog
This is a destination for nature lovers who like it rough. About mid-way up the “thumb” of Michigan and a bit inland from Lake Huron is a very unusual area known as the Minden Bog. If you visit in an early morning mist or at dusk when the fireflies emerge, it is easy to imagine the ghosts of lost adventurers wandering across the wind-swept heath. This is a gigantic wetland of around 5,000 acres. At one time the Minden Bog may have covered 30 square miles and is still so large that it shows up as a dark area on satellite photographs of Michigan.
The Minden Bog is a raised bog which gives it a dome shape with the top being about 200 feet above Lake Huron. This feature is not very evident when you are there but that doesn't diminish the experience. About a third of this peatland is within the Minden State Game Area and this is also the headlands of the Cass and Black Rivers.
This is a wonderful hike, but it is remote and there are no facilities of any kind. There are paths created by animals, a wide variety of wildflowers and shrubs, there is ample evidence of a beaver population. After hiking even a short way into the bog it is easy to lose your sense of direction. When you get far enough in, every direction looks the same. There are no buildings, few trees and fewer landmarks. It is not recommended that you enter this area alone. There are holes in the ground, ditches, water and no facilities.
Directions: The Minden Bog is southwest of Minden City and west of Palms. From route 25 between Port Sanilac and Forestville, take the road to Palms. Pass through Palms heading west and after a mile or so the paved road will curve to the north. Continue west on the dirt road for a couple of miles and you will reach a dead end. You can park there. A small path leads west to a foot bridge across a canal and into the bog. The path going west runs along the south edge of a deep irrigation ditch. In just a couple of hundred yards you will enter a different world.