Mackinac Wilderness

Designated area within the Hiawatha National Forest in Mackinac County, Michigan

Mackinac Wilderness

IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)

Location| Mackinac County, Michigan, USA
Nearest city| Moran, Michigan
Coordinates| 46°03′52″N 84°50′28″W﻿ / ﻿46.06444°N 84.84111°W﻿ / 46.06444; -84.84111
Area| 12,230 acres (49.5 km2)
Governing body| U.S. Forest Service & Ojibwa tribe of Native Americans

The Mackinac Wilderness is a 12,230-acre (49.5 km2) unit within the Hiawatha National Forest. It is located in Mackinac County, Michigan. The wilderness is accessible from M-123, which borders the unit. The nearest town is Moran, Michigan.

## Description

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Like the rest of the Hiawatha Forest, the Mackinac Wilderness was logged starting about 1880 and ending about 1910. The typical method of logging was to clear-cut all marketable timber and leave the discarded slashings on the forest floor. A severe forest fire was almost inevitable, followed by severe erosion and the creation of a second-growth forest that differed from the previous old-growth forest in many ways.

Today, the Mackinac Wilderness is a roadless unit within the managed Hiawatha Forest. Much of the wilderness consists of wetlands alongside the Carp River, a natural trout stream listed as a National Wild and Scenic River, and the unit's wilderness designation helps protect part of the river's drainage. The wilderness is also a template of natural succession that contrasts with most of the Hiawatha National Forest, which continues to be managed for harvestable pulpwood.

The unit's terrain is dominated by postglacial moraines and sand dunes left behind by the Wisconsin glaciation and modified by the stormy climate that accompanied the glacial meltoff. Many of the sandy ridges and mounds are separated by creeks and ribbon-shaped wetlands, and some of the highlands are laced together by beaver dams. Beaver ponds are key features of the wilderness.

Two tree families found in large numbers within the Mackinac Wilderness are aspen and birch, both typical of second-growth forests in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In wet areas near the Carp River, the Northern whitecedar is found, although this tree is severely impacted by browsing by whitetail deer.

Birds such as the great blue heron, the osprey, and the sandhill crane nest in the wilderness.

The Mackinac Wilderness had no footpaths as of 2006, and public visitation to the wilderness was centered on the roadside strip adjacent to M-123, and on the Carp River and its banks. As of 2006, the Mackinac Wilderness was managed jointly by the U.S. Forest Service and the Ojibwa tribe of Native Americans.

Like Mackinac Island, the Mackinac Wilderness is pronounced Mack-in-aw, and is often misspelled accordingly. Members of the Ojibwa nation living in the eastern Upper Peninsula often call themselves Chippewa.

## External links

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* United States Forest Service

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Protected areas of Michigan

See also: Important Bird Areas and State game and wildlife areas

National|

| Parks|

* Isle Royale
* Keweenaw (Historical)
* River Raisin (Battlefield)

|

Lakeshores|

* Pictured Rocks
* Sleeping Bear Dunes

Landmarks|

* Au Sable State Forest
* Dukes Research Natural Area
* Grand Mere State Park
* Haven Hill State Natural Area
* Newton Woods
* Porcupine Mountains
* Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand
* Strangmoor Bog
* Tobico Marsh
* Toumey Woods
* Warren Woods State Park
* Waterloo State Recreation Area

Forests|

* Hiawatha
* Huron–Manistee
* Ottawa

Wildlife Refuges|

* Detroit River
* Harbor Island
* Huron
* Kirtlands Warbler Wildlife Management Area
* Michigan Islands
* Michigan Wetland Management District
* Seney
* Shiawassee

Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Au Sable
* Bear Creek
* Black
* Carp
* Indian
* Manistee
* Ontonagon
* Paint
* Pere Marquette
* Pine
* Presque Isle
* Sturgeon (Delta County)
* Sturgeon (Houghton County)
* Tahquamenon
* Whitefish
* Yellow Dog

Other Protected Areas|

* Father Marquette National Memorial
* Grand Island National Recreation Area
* Saint Helena Island National Scenic Area
* Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

State|

| Parks|

* Albert E. Sleeper
* Algonac
* Aloha
* Baraga
* Bay City
* Belle Isle
* Bewabic
* Brimley
* Burt Lake
* Cambridge Junction
* Cheboygan
* Clear Lake
* Coldwater Lake
* Craig Lake
* Dodge No.4
* Duck Lake
* Fayette
* Fisherman's Island
* Fort Michilimackinac
* Fort Wilkins
* Fred Meijer White Pine Trail
* Gete Mino Mshkiigan
* Grand Haven
* Grand Mere
* Harrisville
* Hart–Montague Trail
* Hartwick Pines
* W.J. Hayes
* P.H. Hoeft
* P.J. Hoffmaster
* Holland
* Indian Lake
* Interlochen
* Kal-Haven Trail
* Lake Gogebic
* Lakelands Trail
* Lakeport
* Laughing Whitefish Falls
* Leelanau
* Ludington
* Mackinac Island
* Maybury
* F.J. McLain
* Charles Mears
* Meridian-Baseline
* Mill Creek
* Wm. Mitchell
* Muskallonge Lake
* Muskegon
* Negwegon
* Newaygo
* North Higgins Lake
* Onaway
* Orchard Beach
* Old Mission
* Otsego Lake
* Palms Book
* Petoskey
* Porcupine Mountains
* Port Crescent
* Sanilac Petroglyphs
* Saugatuck Dunes
* Seven Lakes
* Silver Lake
* Sleepy Hollow
* South Higgins Lake
* Wm. C. Sterling
* Straits
* Sturgeon Point
* Tahquamenon Falls
* Tawas Point
* Thompson's Harbor
* Traverse City
* Twin Lakes
* Van Buren
* Van Buren Trail
* Van Riper
* Warren Dunes
* Warren Woods
* Watkins Lake and County Preserve
* J.W. Wells
* Wilderness
* William G. Milliken
* Wilson
* Young

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Recreation Areas|

* Bald Mountain
* Bass River
* Brighton
* Fort Custer
* Highland
* Holly
* Ionia
* Island Lake
* Lake Hudson
* Lime Island
* Menominee River
* Metamora-Hadley
* Ortonville
* Pinckney
* Pontiac Lake
* Proud Lake
* Rifle River
* Rockport
* Tippy Dam
* Waterloo
* W.C. Wetzel
* Yankee Springs

Forests|

* Au Sable
* Copper Country
* Escanaba River
* Lake Superior
* Mackinaw
* Pere Marquette

Underwater Preserves|

* Alger
* De Tour Passage
* Grand Traverse Bay
* Keweenaw
* Manitou Passage
* Marquette
* Sanilac Shores
* Southwest Michigan
* Straits of Mackinac
* Thumb Area
* Whitefish Point

Other|

* Agate Falls Scenic Site
* Bond Falls Scenic Site
* Douglass Houghton Falls Scenic Site
* Michigan Islands Wilderness Area
* Ocqueoc Falls
* Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center
* Wagner Falls Scenic Site

* Category
* Commons
* Detroit
* Grand Rapids
* Michigan Department of Natural Resources

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