Access to this area is made easy by the Michigan Nature Association’s Black Creek Nature Sanctuary.

A dynamic river system, the Black Creek and Hill Creek confluence is an opportunity to observe rapidly changing morphology of river channels.  The disequibrium of this system comes from the disturbance by mining materials, stamp sands which were funneled down the Hills Creek from mines in the Ahmeek area, within the Allouez Gap. This stamp sand represents substantial sediment input which creates extensive deposits that disrupt the flow of both Hills and Black Creeks and make the coastal confluence of the two rivers  very changable.  This is an interesting and instructive area to visit. It represents another example of mining waste disposal where the stamp sand deposits are unstable and get constantly redistributed. The stamp mill that produced the Hills Creek sand is near Ahmeek, more than 3 miles upstream. The stamp sands have been moving down Hills Creek for many decades and are still moving now. The area is an interesting contrast to the Owl Creek Sands, where the stamp sands are stable.

Hills Creek

Black Creek

Hills Creek

Sands

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