Megaphone in the Woods
Michigan day trip to the megaphone in the woods. Megaphone on Youtube
If you think about a megaphone at all, you probably conjure up an image of an old-time singer belting out Winchester Cathedral or the like. There is a different kind of megaphone perched on a hillside in the forest of Northern Michigan. This one isn’t for projecting and amplifying sounds. It is for collecting faint sounds from the woodlands and amplifying those.
The megaphone in the forest is constructed of wood. It is big enough for two adults to crawl inside. In fact, that is exactly what you are supposed to do. It sits on an overlook beside a trail in the Agnes S. Andreae/Boyd B. Banwell Nature Preserve a few miles east of Indian River, Michigan. The megaphone is designed to be used by crawling inside. Once you are in, just lie still and remain quiet. The Megaphone amplifies the sounds coming into the larger opening. After a few moments you may be aware of the forest in a whole new way. Some people say they don't really notice the effect until they crawl back out of the megaphone. Then, they are instantly aware that it all seems much quieter outside rather than inside the megaphone. When you are back out of the megaphone, you’ll notice the change in the sound level almost instantly.
The walk to the megaphone from the parking area takes about 25 minutes. Even without the megaphone as a destination the walk is worth it, especially during the color tour season. The trail has a few hills and a nice walking bridge across the river. There are excellent signs with detailed maps all along the way. The trail is being improved but it was kind of rough when we were there in late 2022. There are minimal facilities in the off season.
Recommendation:
If possible, visit the megaphone on a weekday to
avoid crowd noise. It is best experienced in silence
which may not be possible if there are a lot of
people chatting away. In addition, this area is full
of two tracks and old “snake” trails. These attract
ORV and dirt bike enthusiasts, rather noisy. Quiet
is what you want to fully enjoy this unique work of
art.
Important Note: If you Google the
location of the megaphone, you will find detailed
instructions on which roads and two tracks to follow to find
the trail to the megaphone. All the instructions we found
turned out to be wildly inaccurate. Even following
directions dictated by our onboard gps proved to be wrong.
We ended up at least a half mile from the location of the
megaphone on the wrong side of the Pigeon River with no
trail to the site at all. Save yourself the hassle. Google
up Agnes S. Andreae Nature Preserve and follow those
directions. The trail leads from the parking area and is
well marked.
Many thanks to Nick Turnbull of the Bridgeport Michigan Library for telling me about this great installation.
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The monthly newsletter is published on the 1st of each month and is delivered by email, www.travelinmichigan.com .
