Harsens Island – St. Clair River

Many visitors to Harsens Island come to fish, kayak, or canoe the St. Clair River, but this flat island calls to bicyclists and joggers, too. Others, attracted by the island’s many canals and marshes, come to hunt waterfowl or to take advantage of this birding hot spot.

Harsens Island is one of a dozen islands in the delta region called the St. Clair Flats, the only major river delta in the Great Lakes Basin and the largest freshwater delta in North America. The delta is located where the St. Clair River, running just over 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Lake Huron, empties into Lake St. Clair, a secondary lake in the Great Lakes Basin.

Like many Great Lakes Basin islands, Harsens Island is best seen from the seat of a bicycle. Pedal the length of the island by the perimeter road and down the peninsulas along South and Middle channels. You’ll probably have lots of opportunity, depending on the time of year, to spot turtles and waterfowl. At the turnaround, if the wind is right and you’re fortunate, you may see kiteboarders doing their thing in Big Muscamoot Bay.