A brisk 2.3 mile hike on the southern basin of Saginaw Bay, don’t let the beginning of Port Crescent Trail discourage you from the rest of it. I was a bit disappointed when I started out in the very tailored portion of the nature walk of the trail, fearing that it would be that way for the entire hike. Port Crescent is a known birding area, much like the next few hikes I will write on, so it wasn’t as bustling in November as it could have been during other parts of the year, but the nature trail portion of the hike was meant to educate on these birds, as were other trails in the park. 
Just a .3-.5 mile portion of the trail, the path has packed down gravel with concrete slabs for benches and educational placards. Sadly, the placards were extremely faded and difficult to read, if that was what you were there for. Maybe this portion of the trail will go under some rejuvenation soon.
Beyond the nature trail, you were dropped into an interesting set of paths, comprising of dunes, limestone, and marshy areas. Parts of it were challenging, which was nice for testing my new trekking poles, and parts of it were confusing, but the trail was decently well marked. I only got turned around once, but was quickly capable of finding my way again.
While you are hiking along the bay, you are not quite on the water, which cut down on some of the wind picking up over it while I was there. I hiked out on the outside portion of the loop and hiked back on the portion along the water, but you are in a basin, so must make a sidetrip to see the water. Even in November, I would suggest finding a good lookout point though.
I came across a lovely couple on my hike back towards the nature preserve that reminded me of why I like coming across people on the trails. I was a little packed up for such a short trek, but was trying out some new gear and getting used to the new weight of my pack, so we had a short, masked interaction about “training” for harder trails. Then, I pointed out a good lookout point I had found and they thanked me as we went on our way. I’m hoping that these types of interactions continue, even as the trail goers thin out for the winter.
I enjoyed this trail due to its different types of terrain and the potential that the nature trail would have if it had a little love put into it soon. I may go back out to check out some of the wildlife when it gets closer to birding season, which is definitely not something I had considered before.
Raven K 