Can I please add another star? Visited with my husband and…read moredog. The folks here went above and way beyond to accommodate an unusual need I had. The grounds are meticulously maintained with level, shaded spots that provide great privacy. If you have kids, they will NEVER get bored here. Well-stocked store, clean laundry facility. If we are in the area again, this will be our go-to place!

Great family-friendly RV campground / resort…read more Our site was beautiful - it backed up against a forest and was close to the pond. It was a bit tight / cramped (my picnic table was virtually on top of the neighbor's sewer line), but the neighbors were friendly and everything was clean and well-kept. The restrooms and showers were spotless. Cute playground - we loved the pirate ship. The pond was a great place to walk our dog, and it seemed like most people (like us) were cleaning up after their pets because we didn't see dog piles everywhere like many other campgrounds in the area. One warning: This place is surrounded by a pond, a lake, and plenty of forest, and has a serious (but understandable) mosquito problem. We tried to sneak in eating 2 slices of pizza quickly upon arrival before putting on bug spray, and my youngest son got 14 bug bites on his legs in less than half an hour. Beware and plan accordingly! I'd highly recommend long sleeves, long pants, and shoes and socks, even if it's hot outside. Biggest qualm: my son was crying for the last 10 minutes of our drive because he was going to pee his pants and this is in the middle of nowhere - we hadn't seen a gas station or anywhere legal for him to go "number 1" since leaving I94. I'll admit I drove 15mph in a 10mph zone on the way in, because the map showed a bathroom next to the pool on the entrance road (before any of the campsites, before any pedestrian areas), and I wanted to avoid a pee-pee incident. After dropping them off, I stuck to the speed limit even when it dropped to 5mph. I was chastised (politely) upon check-in to watch my speed, which is completely reasonable. Separately, someone ran up to my wife and child (neither of whom were driving) as my 5-year-old came out of the bathroom and yelled at them, which is not okay. There are good ways to handle an admonition, and bad ways, and whoever yelled at my wife and son needs to learn a bit of tact. This is the only reason our stay wasn't a 5-star experience. It wasn't an isolated or stranger incident as the yeller was also the person who called the front desk to complain about it and I'm certain was a local / seasonal / permanent resident. There's "enforcing rules" and then there's "yelling at children for something they had no control over," and the management here was much closer to the latter.

I love our local state rec area! Yes, I do wish there was more shade, and more shade closer to the…read morebeach, and I also know what the possibilities are for short and long term goals. This space is such a gift in our community.

Traveling has become so darn expensive (mostly thanks to hotels and rental cars) so I've been…read moretrying to find places within driving distance to explore this year so I can drive and also camp to save money and connect with nature more! I loved this campground. It's quite large with lots of lakes and bodies of water. I didn't get to hike a ton but the one trail I did hike was great and very peaceful. I reserved campsite 159. I will say that the campsite next to it was basically right on top of mine so it would be great for a group site! It was also located right by the bike/hike trail, so that was good for me but could see how it wasn't as private as other sites. Loved the check in process and great location related to Kalamazoo.

The beach there sucks, they have parts blocked off so there's very little area to swim and the…read morelifeguards will pull everyone get out of the water every 15 minutes

Hurray for a bit of good news amid an abysmal year. Tests came back for the beach staffers who were…read moreshowing potential Covid symptoms and they received the all-clear. It's freezing out today so the beach is a no-go right now, but it's wonderful to have the option available. They've got another beach campfire event, drive in movie, and drive in concert scheduled at the park this month as well. We appreciate their efforts to provide social but socially distanced events, although we hope they'll do a better job hiring local and/or talented bands for future summer concert series.

I loved this lake growing up, so many amazing memories of my childhood here. Whether picnics,…read morebirthdays or family reunions. Great beach and lots of shade, perfect for young families.

More than 2,000 acres, one of the largest inland deep clear spring fed lake in west Michigan. In…read moreearly summer lake is very transparent Caribbean blue color. It is in Kalamazoo county!!. Love to go boating, sailing, 2 mile long from south to north end. OK, for swimming and we see sometime scuba divers!! You can see around the Island Park lake floor with google map satellite view!!!! Not only they have yacht club, country club but also ice sailing yacht club!! Since 1897!! http://www.gulllakeiyc.org/ This video is surreal, cool to believe some one ice sail in Kalamazoo County!? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYbLGYvqP8E

Second year camping here and loving it!! Plenty to do if you choose, if not just sit back and…read morerelax. Super clean facilities and camp sites. The owners Nick and Katie are very accommodating, extremely friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand. 5 from Bradner, Ohio

Rockey's is the very definition of "family campground." It's a place where people bring their kids…read moreand pets to relax, play in the water, and sit by the campfire. Lots of, possibly the majority of, people here are on seasonal sites, and some make these these quite homey, with screened porches, hedges, light displays and statuary. Campers are packed pretty tightly together, but if you came here you probably weren't looking for solitude. Though there were a lot of people here, it was quiet overall. The owners were very pleasant and helpful. Other campers were pretty friendly too. The firewood we got was dry and easy to burn. We appreciated the cleanliness. The grounds were well maintained, and bathrooms and showers were kept very clean. Plenty of hot water in the showers, though water pressure gets weak if more than one person is showering at the same time. If you don't feel like walking all the way to the modern bathhouse, there are outhouses scattered through the campground, though I'd recommend just walking to the bathhouse. Rockey's is situated on a chain of small lakes, and there are some decent fish to be found in these. There's a concrete boat launch, as well as fishing boats and canoes for rent. When I was unloading my kayak by the boat launch, one of the owners said it was no problem for me to leave it on the lawn by the launch, and that I could safely leave all my gear by it with no worries. He as right. We were tent camping, which I think few people do there, and this did present some inconveniences. Some of the sites have few trees...like ours, and a little protection from the sun would have been nice. A lack of trees also left us with no place to string up our clothesline. There are streetlights along the campground lanes, which are handy for walking to the bathhouse after dark, but make your tent very bright at night. Rockey's doesn't cater to tenters, but some do come there, and for them it will be less than ideal. But for others it should be more than satisfactory,

Even on a cloudy day in November, Chipman Preserve is beautiful…read more This was our first time to visit Chipman Preserve. I recently joined the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and my goal is to visit all 19 of the public preserves. Chipman Preserve is located in between Comstock and Galesburg on E. Main St. There is a gravel parking lot, which probably holds 10-15 cars. Chipman Preserve is nearly 230 acres that take you through savanna, forest, and grassland habitats. There are six miles of trails. The main loop takes you around the perimeter, but there are lots of smaller twisting trails that take you off the beaten path. The dense forest area is so peaceful. I'm anxious to return in the spring so I can see the beautiful wild flowers. I've always been loved the beauty of nature and Chipman checks all the right boxes. The paths are easy to follow and there is not a lot of elevation. It only took us a little over an hour to traverse most of it. Besides hiking, you can cross-country ski, snowshoe, and it is also used for trail-running. And it is dog friendly. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place to do it.

This out-of-the-way hiking spot is a good go-to if you want to avoid the crowds (although they're…read morepretty adamant about no off-leash puppers, which is one of our top reasons to seek out lesser traveled trails). Really enjoyed a short lunchtime hike here recently and love that they have lots of kiosks where you can learn a bit about the area and its wildlife.

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!

What the village has done with the Rec center is amazing! It's a huge disc golf course now and it's…read moreone of my favorites in the area! Make sure you bring your bug spray though. With so many of the holes being near water the bugs can get heavy.

This park is the launching point for a lovely, wooded path for walking/running/cycling. We used it…read morea ton when we were in early days of our marathon training because it was nicely shaded and not too busy. Sunset Lake also abuts the area and is a beautiful little pond with lots of lily pads and bird life. There's very little in the way of homes on the lakeshore so it's a pretty spot. Great for sunset photography, too.