Hidden Marsh Sanctuary

Three Rivers • St. Joseph County • 38 acres

Truly a tranquil respite that’s close to the city of Three Rivers, Hidden Marsh Sanctuary offers a shady woodland stroll to beautiful views of Hoffman Pond.
It’s the perfect place to bring a sketchbook!

38 acres
Three Rivers
St. Joseph County

Quick facts

Click to quickly jump to . . .

• Maps
• Getting there
• Natural features & conservation
• Preserve history
• Photo gallery

Parking

Gravel lot
12 car capacity

Trails

Length: 0.67 mile

Flat, forested trails reward visitors with views along the banks of Portage River and Hoffman Pond, then loops back to the parking area.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a 6-foot leash at all times. Dog waste must be packed out. Click to learn more.

Restrooms

None

Recreation

Cross-country skiing, hiking, scenic views, snowshoeing, summer wildflowers, wildlife viewing.

Maps

An interactive trail map that allows hikers to follow their progress through the preserve is available for free download from the Avenza Map Store!

1. Add the Avenza Maps App to your phone (available for free on iOS and Android).

2. Download the Hidden Marsh Sanctuary Trail Map to your phone.

3. Take a hike!

Click here for interactive maps for other SWMLC preserves.

Need help? Visit the Avenza Maps Support Page.

Prefer to have a paper map?

Click on the map image for a PDF that you can print or leave open on your phone while you hike.

Getting there

For GPS purposes, the address is approximately:
57000 block of Buckhorn Rd., Three Rivers, MI 49093

From downtown Three Rivers: From N. Main Street, turn right (east) onto East Hoffman Street. Travel about 0.35 mile and turn left onto Portage Avenue. Continue for another 0.6 mile and the preserve will be on the right.

From US-131: Turn east onto Heimbach Road at Three Rivers. Turn left (east) and go to the four-way stop at Buckhorn Road (about 0.8 miles). Turn right and go south 2.5 miles. Buckhorn becomes Portage Road, and you will see the dirt parking lot and preserve sign on the left (east) side, near 1501 Portage Road.

Natural features

The preserve has a great diversity of woody plant species along the banks and floodplain of the Portage River where it flows into Hoffman Pond. The work of beavers is sometimes seen. Botanists may be able to detect evidence of an old nursery from the few Japanese spindle trees still growing in the woods, and a line of Osage orange trees marks a historic fence line, now surrounded by forest.

Hidden Marsh Sanctuary is a good springtime birding spot. Its wetlands offer homes to ducks, herons, turtles, frogs, beavers, muskrats, and many other animals. Foxes, coyotes, rabbits, and groundhogs make their homes in the upland areas of the preserve while grosbeaks, woodpeckers, and orioles nest in the trees above.

Nature has our backs.

Let’s return the favor.

Our public preserves remain free and open from dawn to dusk – and your support helps keep them that way!

please donate

History

Hidden Marsh Sanctuary protects an area of rich natural history – and a segment of the rich and varied history of the Three Rivers area.

The property was first recorded in the Lockport Township plat book in 1826, then sold by the State of Michigan to a private buyer in 1853. Soon after that, it was sold again, then became the site of a flour mill. Beginning in the 1880’s, the property became a very successful strawberry farm, with worldwide distribution of its plants.

Beginning in the 1950’s, the surrounding properties were subdivided and sold. Lawrence and Sylvia Wong purchased the Hidden Marsh property in 1988, then generously donated it to Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy in 1998.