The Loda Lake Wild Flower Sanctuary is one of our recommendations to explore.

Loda Lake, formerly known as Bass Lake, was at one time surrounded by a pine forest. At the turn of the twentieth century, the pine was stripped from the land for the needs of the Pere Marquette railroad. The land became neglected and eventually became part of the Manistee National Forest. In the late 1930’s, a local garden group had a vision for something special there, a wildflower refuge. Their dreams and persistence paid off in 1949 with the creation of of the only wildflower sanctuary located in a National Forest.

The name of Bass Lake was changed at that time to Loda Lake to honor an Indian princess, wife of the Potawami chief.

Detailed descriptions of the plant life as well as a map to enjoy the sanctuary can be found at  Loda Lake Wildflower Santuary