Jeptha Lake Fen

Columbia Township • Van Buren County • 49 acres

Jeptha Lake Fen holds a special place in our hearts as one of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s oldest preserves.

49 acres
Columbia Township
Van Buren County

Jeptha Lake Fen holds a special place in our hearts as one of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s oldest preserves.

Quick facts

Click to quickly jump to . . .

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

Parking

Pull off onto grass in front of gate
2 car capacity

Trails

Length: 1 mile

The mowed trail is flat and may be quite muddy, especially in the spring or after heavy rain. The trail goes down a lane to views of Lower Jeptha Lake. The trail continues along a forest edge and ends at a boardwalk that offers close-up views of the fen (while still protecting its fragile soil and plant life).

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

Hiking, scenic views, snowshoeing, summer wildflowers, wildlife viewing.

PLEASE NOTE: There is no paddle launch from the preserve into Lower Jeptha Lake. Instead, paddlers are encouraged to use the public access across the lake, at the end of 48 1/2 Street (42°20’23.1″N 86°01’08.3″W) . Click here to find it in Google Maps. Paddlers are welcome to get out at the preserve to hike.

Maps

Track your progress in real time as you hike through the preserve with the interactive Avenza Maps App (available on iOS and Android for free)!

1. Click to add the Avenza Maps App to your phone.

2. Click to open the PDF of the Jeptha Lake Fen Map.

3. Copy the URL at the top of the page.

4. In the Avenza Maps app, click the ‘plus’ (+) symbol at the top of the page. Then choose ‘Tap to enter a URL of a map.’

5. Paste the copied URL and the trail map will automatically load into the app.

6. 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

Approximate street address
49000 block of Co Rd 380, Grand Junction, MI 49056

GPS
42.34668, -86.02404

Driving directions
From M-43 just east of Bangor, head north on County Road 215 to the blinking light in Breedsville. Turn east at the light onto County Road 380, and go 2.5 miles until the road makes a right-angle turn to the north (left). The preserve entrance is at this corner near a private residence. Please park in the grass in front of the yellow gate on the right side of the yard. Do not block the driveway of the private residence. Walk past the gate and down the lane to enter the preserve.

Natural features

The wetlands of Jeptha Lake are home to several State-listed reptiles and amphibians, including Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes and Blanchard’s cricket frogs. The wet forest is relatively young, with seasonal pools that support several different species of frogs.

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy acquired this preserve in an effort to protect the high-quality wetlands found along the shores of Upper and Lower Jeptha Lakes.

The high alkalinity and low nutrients of the spring-fed fens support showy and unusual wildflowers, such as pitcher plants, marsh blazing stars, and sundews. Botanists will be particularly interested in a white form of swamp thistle that occurs here.

The old field runs from wet to dry and supports a wide variety of bird species with some grassland species such as bobolinks and Eastern meadowlarks. The picnic area along the lakeshore contains a variety of large trees including black gum and tulip.

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

Jeptha Lake Fen holds a special place in the hearts of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy faithful as our very first preserve — the one that started it all.

On a spring day in 1997, the Olson family contacted Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s then-Executive Director Renee Kivikko with an offer to sell part of the property that had been owned by their family since 1910. Their intent was to ensure that it would always be protected in its natural state for future generations to enjoy.

When Renee first visited the 49-acre property with frontage on lower Jeptha Lake, as well as a tributary creek, she discovered a botanically rich fen wetland full of amazing, uncommon wildflowers and butterflies, and reptiles and amphibians that are on Michigan’s list of threatened wildlife.

This, she thought, is definitely a site worth protecting!

In the fall of 1997, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy entered into a special purchase agreement with the Olson family to purchase the Jeptha Lake Fen property at a below-market price. In the young land trust’s first concerted fundraising effort, long time members and new donors raised the needed funds to finally acquire the land in December 1998.

In 2003, the steadfast and loyal Wednesday Warrior volunteer group soon constructed a boardwalk that allowed visitors to experience the fen upclose without damaging the plant life – then returned 12 years later to replace the parts that had been damaged by time!

SWMLC is honored to be able to carry forward the Olson Family’s conservation spirit at Jeptha Lake Fen, which will always be there to provide homes for wildlife and a place for people to connect with nature.