Kehl Lake Natural Area

Located between the Leelanau State Park and Cathead Bay is a pristine jewel known as Kehl Lake. Three quarters of its shoreline is protected along with 279 acres of wetlands and towering mixed forest. The 100-year-old hemlocks and old-growth white pines which surround the lake provide food and cover for wildlife, particularly birds, and contribute to the lake’s exceptional water quality. Its close proximity to Lake Michigan makes Kehl Lake part of a critical flyway for migrating birds and it is also part of an extensive wildlife corridor of protected lands at the tip of the peninsula.