Saginaw River Headwaters Rec Area

334 Acres along the Saginaw River in Southwest Saginaw

Saginaw County Parks, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, is excited to announce a soft opening of Saginaw River Headwaters Rec Area in April 2023. The property currently features a parking area and over 2 miles of developed trails along the Saginaw River and adjacent wetlands. Continued development will include additional trails, observational overlooks, a fishing platform, and an interpretive timeline of the site; all highlighting the beautiful features and wildlife habitat throughout the 334 acres.

Headwaters Capital Improvement Update – March 2024

The State of Michigan is implementing a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant this spring at Saginaw River Headwaters Rec Area. The capital improvements include aggregate trail surfacing on the southern half of the trail system including around the landfill, the construction of an observation platform at the southern terminus of the Saginaw River trail, and additional benches along the trail system. The construction began on April 4, with the aggregate trail surfacing and bench installation completed on April 19. All trails are currently open. In May, construction of the observation platform will take place, potentially requiring trail closure of the southern portion(s) of the trail along the River.

Saginaw County, in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division and the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy, will implement a Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Recovery Act (GLFWRA) grant across a three-year cycle 2024-2026. This work will include extensive invasive species removal, the planting of native species pollinating flowers, shrubs, bushes, as well as 1000 native tree plantings. Matching funds for this project and additional habitat restoration were secured through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Restoration(NRDAR) program. The NRDAR funding will also contribute to a fishing pier installation on the Saginaw River in 2025-2026.

Saginaw County Parks intend to keep the property open to the public throughout these initiatives, however intermittent closures will be necessary for some of the work. We appreciate your patience and patronage of Saginaw County Headwaters Rec Area. We look forward to celebrating with a more formal “grand opening” later in 2024.

Check out the landscape video and photos below to get a sneak peak of this beautiful park.