Location Details

The Lost Lake Nature Sanctuary lies adjacent to the state-owned DNR Rifle River Recreation Area in Ogemaw County. It is part of the vast Rifle River Valley wilderness area that straddles 4,500 acres of State recreation land with thousands of acres of state and national forest to its north.

The Rifle River watershed encompasses 385 miles and drains 246,000 acres into the Saginaw Bay. Its headwaters start in the surrounding Ogemaw Hills and glacial moraines of this northern region. Lost Lake’s Cedar Swamp combined with the absorbing sponge effects of sphagnum moss in the northern fen all play an important watershed role. 

Lost Lake Nature Sanctuary contains a diverse plant and wildlife assemblage. Numerous natural communities include northern mesic forest, conifer swamp,  and northern fen which provides homes and habitat for hundreds of species native to this area. Pitcher plants, pyrolas, and twinflower can all be found at Lost Lake, among many more.

In the wetlands, ferns thrive among red-osier dogwood, bog rosemary and an occasional elderberry scattered through the undergrowth. Isolated yellow lady’s-slippers survive where sunlight finds its way through the openings in the evergreen roof. Many other plant species can be found in this 80 acre wilderness area, including wild sarsaparilla. 

Wild sarsaparilla is a woodland plant that grows in rich, moist woods. It produces a single, long-stalked leaf and flowering stalk from a very short stem. The leaf stalk is about 12 inches long and is divided at the top into three parts with each bearing about five leaflets from two to five inches long. The flowering stalk produces flower in globular clusters consisting of 12 to 30 small greenish-white flowers followed later in the season with round purplish-black berries. This flower can be hard to spot because the leaves are taller than the smaller flower stalks they cover. 

Planning Your Visit:
The best time to visit Lost Lake Nature Sanctuary is in the spring when the vast array of wildflowers will be in bloom.

How to Get There: 
The sanctuary is located adjacent to Rifle River Recreation Area in Lupton, MI in Ogemaw County.

For additional information, contact the MNA office at (866) 223-2231.