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| St. John's Marsh west side monument erected by the Lake St. Clair Advisory Committee. |
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| Swans swim by in the St. John's Marsh wetlands preserve. |
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The St. Clair River is a commanding attraction for people interested in the ecology of southeast Michigan. Marine City offers several access points to the river for pleasure boating, fishing, bird watching and swimming. Flowing from the north west into the St. Clair River is the Belle River. This long, winding river is perfect for canoe exploration and can be traveled upstream from Marine City through China Township, Casco and Columbus Townships. Before it narrows into a non-navigable streamlet one can see deer, numerous bird and turtle species and frogs.
Approximately nine miles south west of Marine City is the St. John's Marsh. It is the largest surviving wetlands in southern Michigan. Now owned and protected by the state, this marshy preserve has a nature trail with explanatory materials and pictures provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The ecological importance of wetlands is made clear and visitors will be rewarded with sightings of Blue Heron, Snowy Egrets, Mute Swan, Red Tail and Coopers Hawks, Canadian Geese, Wood Ducks, Mallards, gulls, Red Wing Blackbirds aplenty and the occasional deer. Red fox and muskrats can be seen and patience may bring a sighting of the large but not poinsonous Rat Snake, plus turtles and Bull Frogs.
The nature trails at Algonac State Park, eight miles south of Marine City do a good job of getting one into a woodland setting with informative materials posted along the way. Harsens Island and Walpole Island, about 10 miles south of Marine City, offer beautiful views of the St. Clair River delta system as the river slows and fans out into the shallow pan of Lake St. Clair. This territory has traditionally been called "the flats" and is more wet land than dry. This region is famous for good fishing, duck hunting, boater's rendezvous for swimming and a wild history of blind pigs and rum running during Prohibition.
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| The start of the educational visitor's trail. |
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| The eastern monument in St. John's marsh erected by the Lake St. Clair Advisory Committee. |
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