Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy

Shaw-Marsh Nature Preserve

Shaw-Marsh Nature Preserve is only accessible by water and is roughly located 16 miles east of Grayling on North Down River Road and 30 miles north of St. Helen via F97. The preserve is located on the North Branch of the AuSable River south of Kellogg Bridge and the access is approximately 2.5 stream miles south of this bridge on the east bank at GPS coordinates of Latitude 44.694416° and Longitude -84.407821°. Four marked walking trails traverse the 4.3 acre preserve and the preserve can be a public canoeing resting point between the public canoe access points of Sheep Pasture (upstream of the preserve) and Parmalee Bridge (on the Main Branch of the AuSable River just east of the confluence of the North Branch with the Main Branch), a trip distance of approximately 25 stream miles (a day's canoeing).

Kellogg Bridge on North Down River Road can be reached from the west by taking North Down River Road (F32) from Bus I75 in Grayling east to a point just east of the intersection of F97. Kellogg Bridge can be reached from the south via St. Helen Road (Exit 222 from I-75) and going north on F97 for 30 miles to its intersection with North Down River Road/F32, then east to the bridge.

The preserve can be also be accessed via wading the river from state-owned land just upstream on the west bank. The river entry point from this state land is located at the end of North Fork Trail (a two-track road from McMasters Bridge Road/F97). North Fork Trail intersects McMasters Bridge Road approximately 1.5 miles south of North Down River Road and runs northeast to a short walking distance from the river bank. The north branch is primarily bordered by private land.

The Morley Road canoe access upstream from Shaw-Marsh Nature Preserve can be found by driving 1.4 miles east of Kellogg Bridge on F32 and turning south on Morley Road to its end at the river approximately 1.8 miles.