O'Neal Lake

O'Neal Lake was a man made lake on the southern end of  Wilderness Park in the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan.  Formed by damming a small stream, it was a place for canoeing, wildlife and especially birding.   It was a popular migrating bird stop and a Loon nesting area.

Access to the lake was a small two track dirt road that several people had issues with.  I was there for the first time in June, and found a beautiful area with a small ghost forest, and a quiet lake that was a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Unfortunately, sometime in late summer, the dam failed.  The DNR ended up draining the lake while they figured out the issues.  It turns out the dam was ok, but some of the surrounding dirt berms had failed during heavy rains.  As of October of 2014, there was a promise to fix the berms and restore the lake.  Hopefully by the time I get up to that area early next year, that will have happened.   I would like to explore the area more.