Big Creek Township is a small, rural community located in the forests of the northeastern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The township includes the western half of Mio, Michigan, and the small town of Luzerne, Michigan. The 2010 census recorded a population of 2,827 with a median age of 49.3 years. There are many retirees here, with 22 percent of the population aged 65 or older.

The AuSable River runs through the township, providing some of the best fishing and canoeing in the state of Michigan. On any summer day, you will find fisherman wading in the river and floating downstream in the distinctive drift boats that are common to this river. A dam in Mio creates the 944 acre Mio Pond with deeper waters than the normally fast and shallow river.

Most of the township lies within the Huron National Forest, providing thousands of acres of federal land, along with numerous snowmobile, ATV and hiking trails. Numerous small lakes are also found for a variety of fishing. The forest lies in a transition area between the agricultural lands of southern Michigan and the forested areas to the north. As a result, the area provides a wide variety of habitat, including hardwoods, conifers, lowland swamps, bogs and marshes. Famous to the area is the Kirtland’s Warbler, an endangered bird that summers exclusively in the jack pines of this area.

Thanks in part to these natural resources, over half of the homes in Big Creek Township are used for seasonal or recreational use. Folks from southern Michigan and other states enjoy summers and weekends in this beautiful area.