Erie — Michiganders will vacation to Yellowstone and Yosemite to see iconic bubbling stinky springs. But though southern Michiganders may long to see Old Faithful, something majestic is in our backyard.
In the center of the Erie Marsh Preserve is the Great Sulphur Spring. It’s small and only accessible by walking paths and is closed to non-hunters from September through December for hunting. But the rest of the year you can walk along the preserve’s paths and stumble upon the Great Sulphur Spring
So what is this mineral spring?
The date of its discovery is unknown, but there is a map from 1876 that notes its location. This marshland has always been undeveloped and used for hunting fowl and whitetail deer. The Sulphur Spring is now located on the Erie Marsh Preserve, which sits alongside the Erie State Game Area. In 1900, W. H. Sherzer named the spring for its sulfide-rich water and described it for the first time in his “Geological Report on Monroe County, Michigan.”
Sinkholes also pepper the edge of Lake Erie because this is karst terrain, a geological formation where water has eroded soluble bedrock, making it easier for elements to drain into the bedrock. This means there are lots of caves and sinkholes near Lake Erie. The Great Sulphur Spring is one of those formations, which has collected sulfur from the groundwater in the area.
Why haven’t people heard about this geological oddity? “No Trespassing” signs litter the properties surrounding the marsh and game area. The locals think the marsh as private property, even though it is technically under the Nature Conservancy’s jurisdiction and is used by the Erie Shooting and Fishing Club, which manages the infrastructure of the Erie Marsh Preserve. If competing clubs or local children tried to sneak onto the property to fish, hunt, or swim, it could mean prosecution.
Michigan’s very own Old Faithful has no advertising. Many birders probably pass the spring by accident while walking the grassy paths while observing migrations.
All things considered, Michiganders are welcome to the spring from January to the end of August as long as they don’t poach game or destroy anything. If you do walk the paths to the middle of the marsh, you will find the Great Sulphur Spring is about 137 feet in diameter with a shelf around the inside edge of the pond that is about 2 feet deep.
Some scientists think that the center, the pupil of the spring—that abyss you can see from a bird’s-eye view—is about 30 feet deep. The scientists who measured this didn’t have the guts to dive into the center to see for themselves. In all fairness, neither do I.
One curious diver went 30 feet down and found there was still more to go. He kept circling a black sinkhole within the water that was most likely connected to the local aquifer. A petrified tree trunk was protruding from the black mouth’s edge. Since he was diving solo, he was terrified of plunging deeper.
It’s most likely that the Great Sulphur Spring is deeper than anyone wants to measure. The sulfidic water could also potentially damage scuba gear. Exploring the spring is dangerous. But that doesn’t mean you can’t see it from above. Depending on the time of year, it might be radiant with color.
Michiganders need to stop dreaming of the springs of Wyoming. The Great Sulphur Spring is glorious. It’s free. It is deep and enigmatic. This January, head out to the spring and find our pleasant peninsula’s Sulphur Spring.
Noah Wing is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer. You can subscribe to his newsletter at noahwing.substack.com.
