Little Portage Lake ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The part of Little Portage Lake that joins by a channel to Portage Lake may be the last water in Washtenaw County to freeze over in the winter, and many or most winters it never freezes over. (Another such location is at the Bridge Rd. bridge in Ypsilanti, where Ford Lake empties into the Huron River.) For this reason it's sometimes the best or only place in the county to find waterfowl in late December or January. Little Portage Lake (much smaller than Portage Lake) can be viewed from along Dexter-Pinckney Rd. Take Dexter-Pinckney Rd. north from Dexter Village or No. Territorial Rd. Not far past Stinchfield Woods Rd. (a T from the left) you will come to McGregor Rd., which Ts with Dexter-Pinchney Rd. from the right. McGregor Rd. runs along the southeast edge of Portage Lake. Do not turn at McGregor Rd. Instead, continue past for 0.7 miles, where you will come to a low-railed bridge. Little Portage Lake is on your left. Just past the bridge you should be able to find a place to pull off on the right side of the road between mailboxes. Park there and walk south and north to positions where you can set up your scope to watch birds on Little Portage Lake.