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Visit to Crosswinds Marsh Wetlands Interpretive Preserve (Sumpter Township, Michigan)

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During the past two years, I have visited Crosswinds Marsh, a beautiful nature preserve located south of Detroit Metro Airport in Sumpter Township (Wayne County, Michigan). This is a fantastic jewel in Southeastern Michigan and one that I will visit over and over. Here is a background on the park from the Sumpter Township website (http://www.sumptertwp.com/Crosswinds_Marsh.html): "Crosswinds Marsh is one of the largest man-made wetlands in the country. It was built to replace the wetlands that were going to be paved over to expand Wayne County's Detroit Metro Airport. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality required the airport to move away any threatened or endangered plants and animals and create one-and-a-half acres of new wetlands for every one-acre impacted by the construction." I love this park and I will make sure that I am a regular visitor. I visited twice - on Saturday July 16, 2011 and on an unseasonably warm winter day on Saturday February 4, 2012. They have well laid out walking trails including many that cross the marsh. Waterfowl are abundant, including swans and geese. There are also eagles that are spotted down at Crosswinds Marsh. Both times I visited the Marsh, I walked on the Bluegill and Bald Eagle trails. These are well marked and very pleasant way to exercise and take in the beauty of nature in Southeastern Michigan. Next time I go, I will take in the Blue Heron Trail that circles to the north of the Marsh and some of the other smaller trails. While the trails are well marked - there are few maps once you are out on the trails. Even places just to be sure you know where you are. So it is definitely a good idea of print out one of the maps before you visit. Speaking of being prepared - there are not many amenities there - the facilities constitute a 'porta-john' and not much else. Also, there is not much around the immediate area - so it is good to be prepared. Even without the amenities - plan on spending at least two hours here walking through the beautiful park. Here are some photos from Crosswinds Marsh from my two visits there: Barn Swallows on the boardwalk