Great Marsh Observation Deck

Great Marsh Observation Deck is a named overlook over the Great Marsh, the largest interdunal wetland in the Lake Michigan watershed. For the quickest visit, use the north lot and its paved, wheelchair-accessible path to the view. The lot is very small: the park lists one accessible space and one standard space. For a longer outing, the separate south lot starts the easy 1.3-mile Great Marsh Trail, a lollipop route with a spur to the deck that takes about an hour. The south-lot trail itself is not wheelchair-accessible. A park pass is required, and the trail facilities have no restroom or potable water.

The eastern marsh became a cranberry farm in the late 1800s. Parts were drained for housing and agriculture in the early 1900s; by the 1930s, a golf course and woody growth had replaced areas of wet prairie and tamarack swamp. Restoration of this section began in 1998. Work across the broader marsh has improved about 1,100 acres and installed more than 734,000 native plants. Restored water flow also helps filter runoff before it reaches Lake Michigan.

The marsh is habitat for breeding and migratory birds. Watch for coots, mallards, wood ducks, kingfishers, tree swallows, rusty blackbirds and green herons; great blue herons and sandhill cranes also use the wetland. The broader marsh has records of 36 warbler species. Take binoculars, then use the boardwalk rails as leading lines toward the platform; from the deck, include the reeds and open wetland when framing birds.