Another check mark on my list of visiting Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy preserves. On a…read morebeautiful December day, we ventured to Marcellus (Cass County) to explore the diverse woodlands and wetlands of Spirit Springs Sanctuary, a 124-acre preserve owned by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC). It was named Spirit Springs in part because of the surface stream and groundwater seeps on the site, but also because it is a place that lends itself well to peaceful reflection and the renewal of mind, body and spirit. Classic glacial topography of the preserve features rolling woodlands that surround a 7-acre pond and borders 65 acres of spring-fed wetlands. A small creek connects the pond and wetlands. The mixed trees and evergreen woods are punctuated by openings where prairie plants grow. The wetlands include a swamp. I need to return in the spring or summer to see the wide array of plant communities. A network of maintained trails provides access to the various areas of the preserve. Come prepared for walking woodland trails and perhaps some wet areas. The trails are well marked and are relatively easy to moderate. It was a great day to be outside to enjoy SW Michigan's nature.

The Kellogg Research Forest is an interesting & m as maintained forestry research facility. Like…read morethe USFS, it's a bit too rah rah forestry industry focused but is genuinely educational about the tree species on display in various stands ... there is a surprising number of species showing what goes into commercializing a selected species or figuring out which species will thrive under which environmental conditions...

Hidden nature trail, you never believe this is only 20 min away from Kalamazoo, hiking, house…read moreridding, pretty in summer, great place to ski in winter, part of Kellogg Biological Station, open to public. It is a part of the National Park's North Country National Scenic Trail form NY to North Dakota under construction, longest continuous hiking trail in US! http://www.nps.gov/noco/index.htm After the rainy day all the forest trees smells REFRESHING! Jan/ 2014 About a beautiful swamp board walk: a secret garden Just before the covered bridge and trail entrance gate form the parking lot, go walk left-north, there are rest room, maple syrup log house, picnic area beside the trout creek, keep walking for about 5min. The end of the road with a driving loop, you will see the bridge to cross the creek. Cross the creek walk bridge and you will find the most beautiful little area of this forest, board walk through the swamp with water plants. Best time is in Spring green time. Stay walk along with the creek side trail ( stay with left trails) and cross the high voltage power line. You will see the maple syrup gathering place, start crumbing along with north side syrup correcting tubes you will go back to the north end of main trail. It is about 15min walk. If you like to stay in loop trail, go straight up to the bit steep trail form the main road crossing ( there are two trails go up hill, go right-south hill trail). about 50min you be back to the east side of the covered bridge to the parking lot. This is a great walk including 20 min climbing - cardio, and 15min relaxing gentle down hill, feels like taking exercise class. Have a little great time in nature! Map is available at the ranger station beside the parking lot!

Wonderful visit, warm sunny day. Greatly enjoyed chatting with the head miller. He was full of…read moreinformation about the mill itself and expanded our knowledge of multiple grains while discussing bread making tips n tricks. We strolled a shorter bath but forgot our bug spray so didn't adventure into the woods. The gardens around the mill were picturesque and the mill store had a great variety. I would recommend a visit and be sure to engage the miller for all your questions !!

Well done tours of a genuine mill. Fascinating story behind the original owner! Great place for a…read morepicnic or a stroll - the grounds are beautiful. Check online for hours - not open every day (for tours).

Tucked in off a street in Bristol, IN, is a place for serenity and a short walk through beautiful…read moregardens. The stone path leads to one of the 26 area heritage trail quilt gardens. Along the pathway, you will be shaded. These gardens include a huge ornamental lifelike mushroom with short sidekicks. Another photo worthy decoration is a wood carved cardinal next to a blue life sized Dutch windmill. The little park contains flowing water, a koi pond, scented roses, and multiple flora, as it winds up and down stairs on a stone pathway. Many artistic metal structures adorn the pathway. Definitely a place to visit!!!! I wish I lived closer.

For those who are fairly new in my world, you likely don't know about my long history as an…read moreactivist in the area of violence prevention with a strong emphasis on child abuse and sexual violence prevention. Since 1989, I've traveled over 6,000 miles in my wheelchair and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for a wide variety of organizations. I spend a lot of my wheeling time in Indiana - my home state and lifelong home. Among my favorite places to go in Indiana is Elkhart County, a Northeastern Indiana jewel filled with magnificent trails, a strong Amish community, a number of historic peace churches, and a vibe that just really clicks with me. My favorite trail in Indiana is the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail that winds its way through four Elkhart County communities and runs a bit over a marathon in terms of length. You get to visit a variety of cool small towns and will likely see some Amish folks on their bicycles. Quite honestly, it's awesome. If you stop in Middlebury, and I always do as I have multiple friends there, you can take a break along the trail here at the Krider World's Fair Gardens. For once, this is not small town braggadocio. Krider World's Fair Garden started out its life as a 1934 World's Fair exhibit and has been meticulously maintained ever since. I won't say it's "the" pride of Middlebury, but it's certainly one of the things of which the community is most proud. This is a botanical garden that weaves together gentle walking paths, a quilt garden exhibit, iconic structures, and facilities that include waterfalls, picnic tables, viewing benches, a gazebo, and a swing arbor. The park itself is really only about 2.4 acres. It's not a huge place, but it's a beautiful place. It can be rented for special events, weddings, and photography needs. If you're on the Pumpkinvine, then you'll run into this area as a perfect place to stop and rest and enjoy a beautiful part of Middlebury. The biggest city in Elkhart County is, in fact, Elkhart itself. But, a visit to Elkhart County isn't complete without visiting places like Goshen, Middlebury, and Shipshewana. Yes, I'll admit that it can get a bit touristy but it's a friendly community and a place I absolutely love to visit. This part of the state has about 2 dozen quilt gardens. A "quilt garden" means that they lay the quilts out in a pattern that changes each season. You can also see "Garden With a Cause" here, a garden devoted to charities and local organizations improving the lives of the people of Middlebury. They have a replica of the "Sunrise Bench," a bench that was included in the World's Fair Exhibit and there's a Statue of Hebe and a Water Wheel House among other attractions. If you're in Elkhart County, a stop at Krider World's Fair Garden just really needs to happen. I have some photos, but I'm still trying to find them from past tours. When I do, I'll post my own photos but you can definitely capture the garden's vibe in the available photos here.

Neat little park where your kids can play until their heart is content. Lots of features to climb…read moreon, swings, slides, lookouts.....you mame it, this park has it. Except restrooms with plumbing and electric. There are a couple portable toilets, and trash bins, but that's it. You can grill here if you choose, as there are a few charcoal grills located in various spots. There's also a good sized sand volleyball court and basketball court. All in all, this is a neat little find.

Love this playground for the kids! The playground equipment and area itself is so imaginative and…read morefun. My kids could play happily for hours if we'd let them. The park also has a pavilion, trails, a pond, a picnic area and sand volleyball.

I'm fat. Over the last year this statement is no longer a subjective opinion, my pants tell me I'm…read morefat. So, I've made it a point to be more active and start creaking the ole bones again. I've driven past the entrance for this park for a year and had good intentions of stopping. Today I ran into the one neighbor who doesn't hate me, and he told me I can get to the hiking trails from my neighborhood. Cool! I charged up my 1st gen iPod (seriously), dug out my pig wrestling sneakers (seriously), and my fanny pack (seriously) and off I went. Mengerson is owned and cared for by Acres Land trust since 1989. There are approximately 32 acres of forest and hiking trails are about 1.2 miles. This time of year the trails are ridiculously muddy, so I'm glad I wore my pig shoes. There were several points I just went off trail to avoid standing water, and since the trees and undergrowth is still bare, it wasn't too bad. The hike itself is easy and suitable for just about anyone. There can be deer seen (according to my neighbor) and all sorts of bird species. There are a few neat side trails. You are never far from housing, but it's still quiet (my iPod died in the middle of Bel Biv Devo) and once the trees fill in I imagine it's even more peaceful. Now that I know I can walk to a trailhead and not have to drive and park, I can say I'll be back frequently till the mosquitos drive me away. This is a neat little patch of forest and I highly recommend it. Plus its a pokestop for the three people who still play PokemonGo.

This place is great for hiking and meeting up with friends! I really enjoy all the flora & River.read more

The Black River Preserve is truly a spectacular place. The location of the preserve, along the…read moreLake Michigan coastal area, makes it a premier migratory songbird stopover. There is also great biological diversity ranging from poplars and redbud trees to hemlocks and birch trees. The Preserve encompasses 120 acres of rolling forest, meadows, and scenic tributary ravines. The trails are all marked and offer easy-to-difficult hiking options. We spent a Sunday afternoon in October walking through this magical preserve. The Mainstem Trail is the most direct route through the preserve. We traversed slops of the north and middle ravine and crossed streams along the way. We stopped at the "quiet spot" bridge and closed our eyes and just listened to the peaceful sounds of nature. The Black River Preserve is located on 8th Ave. in South Haven. There is a gravel park lot and a trail map posted at the trail head. If you are looking for a place to go for nature and a quiet atmosphere, be sure to check out the Black River Preserve.

With everything going on, we just needed to get away & unplug! The Nan Weston Preserve was perfect…read more It was a nice & easy drive to get to this beautiful preserve. For my fellow SoCal folks -- this is NOT a Los Angeles hike. You can tell where the trail is, but wear some hiking shoes (was a little muddy) and.BRING SO MUCH BUG SPRAY. I REPEAT, bring/wear/lather. alllllll. the. bug. spray. Some of the trail has a raised wooden planks, but other parts are just dirt (but still easy to see the path) & through some grassy terrain. So...wear pants! It was so lush and beautiful, but it got warm rather quickly! I didn't see any wildlife though - just lots of bugs! But I'd imagine that this place is teeming with wildlife when there isn't a human making lots of noise /flailing around to avoid the flying bugs! Ha.

I like coming here because its has relatively convenient parking. The paths aren't usually too…read morebusy. I have had many enjoyable experiences traversing the preserve.

Beautiful trails and butterfly exhibit. Stayed a few hours waking the many trails. I was advised…read morethere's around 8mi of trails. Butterfly exhibit was nice and captured plenty of photos. A nice place to solo visit or bring family and children.

This was legit one of the nicest maintenance nature areas I have been in. Tons of elevated…read moreplatforms to view and we walked on wood paths most of the time in the lower marsh. Such beautiful views. Great visitor center!