| Acquired: |
1998 through a donation by Lawrence and Sylvia Wong |
| Location: |
City of Three Rivers, St. Joseph County |
| Size: |
38 acres |
| Accessibility: |
Open to the public |
| Trails: |
3/4 mile of easy mowed and blazed trails Click here for trail guide. |
 Due to its accessibility and scenic views, Hidden Marsh Sanctuary is SWMLC’s most visited preserve. Easy walking trails lead visitors to overlooks of Hoffman Pond, where if one looks carefully, you can spot a beaver’s lodge. The trail continues down to the banks of the Portage River where numerous small stumps show the evidence of the beavers at work.
Loop trails lead through woodlands with canopies of maple, oak and ash and an understory of flowering dogwood, witch hazel, and young hickory and sassafras, back to the parking lot. Numbered signposts along the trail refer to a trail guide, providing natural and historical insights into the preserve. (Trail guides are available from the SWMLC office upon request).
The wetlands in Hidden Marsh Sanctuary offer homes to ducks, herons, turtles, frogs, beavers, muskrats, and many other animals. Foxes, coyotes, rabbits and groundhogs make their home in the upland areas of the preserve while grosbeaks, woodpeckers, and orioles nest in the trees above.
Directions: From US-131 turn east on Hoffman Road at Three Rivers. Turn north onto Portage Road (Buckhorn Road). The parking lot at the sanctuary is located just north of 1501 Portage Road (also 57357 Buckhorn) on the east side of the road about 1 mile north of Hoffman Rd. |
