Railroad Point Natural Area

Railroad Point Natural Area includes 209 acres that extends from the shores of Michigan’s ninth largest lake south to the Betsie River, a state-designated natural and wild-scenic river.

When combined with the adjoining, state-owned Crystal Lake Outlet property, the preserves protect 4,300 feet of lake frontage or more than half of Crystal Lake’s publicly-owned shoreline. Inland Railroad Point features upland forests, wetlands, steep-sided bluffs and portions of Outlet Creek, the warm-water stream that connects the lake to the Betsie River. Such a diverse habitat supports an equally wide range of wildlife, from whitetail deer, bobcats, black bears, otters, and coyotes to birds such as wild turkeys, great blue herons, wood ducks, and the red-shouldered hawk, a threatened species in Michigan.