Vermilion Point Nature Preserve
All dogs must be on a leash!
And please clean up after your pooches while using the trails. Learn More
NOTE: Dogs are NOT allowed at this preserve from May 1 – August 15. The rest of the year dogs are allowed on leash only, per state law. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays during this time, the preserve closes at Midnight and reopens at 6am.
The following are prohibited at Vermilion: hunting, campfires, and motorized vehicles including ATV’s and snowmobiles.
Size
175 acres
Frontage
9,240 feet along Lake Superior.
Land Description
This preserve is defined by the majesty and moods of Lake Superior and its remote location. It contains a wide sandy beach, low shore dunes, upland forest, old cranberry bog wetlands, and a stream. Ecologically, the land is a known habitat for the federally endangered piping plover.
Trail Description
A dirt road takes you to a parking area where easy access to the beach is available. A marked trail to the beach is open from the buildings.
History
This spectacular property was protected in February 2007 thanks to a bargain sale from Evan Noyes and his Wildshore Foundation and grants from the J.A. Woollam Foundation and the North American Wetland Conservation Act Program. Historically, this property and its associated buildings were a life-saving station first built-in 1876. Years of neglect and harsh Lake Superior weather have taken a toll on the buildings. Researchers from Lake Superior State University, The Nature Conservancy, and Michigan Audubon use the property to study the piping plovers and other birds, and the wetlands. To learn more about the life saving station history of this preserve, see the book Life on a Lonely Shore pictured right. This book can be purchased via the button below:
Directions
ADDRESS: 17532 N. Vermilion Road, Paradise From Paradise, travel north on N. Whitefish Rd. 5.2 miles. Turn left at Vermilion Rd. In 0.6 miles, be sure to stay slightly to the right on Vermilion Rd. and continue on the straightest road for 6.1 miles. Then, again, stay straight for 1.3 miles until you reach the preserve.
Check out the plants and animals found at this preserve using the iNaturalist guide below. Help us document more with iNaturalist.org and eBird.org.
