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.

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!

Absolutely stunning. This park is another reminder of why we need to invest time, energy, and funds…read moreinto our natural resources. I could spend all day here wandering the trails and walking the beach. I plan to reserve a campsite in their beautiful campground sometime this summer.

Definitely worth the drive to see lake Michigan and the Sand dunes. There is a beautiful boardwalks…read morenext to the visitor center that you can take directly to the dunes. It's a wooden walkway, with a ton of shade from the trees, that takes you through the forest directly to the dunes. The visitor center was closed for remodel when we were there so we could not go inside to enjoy the displays on this trip so I am looking forward to the upgrades.

This is an easily walkable/bikeable sometimes-shaded, bucolic trail created as a "rail trail" on a…read moreformer railroad bed from the 1870's. It is all asphalt, flat, & winds alongside bodies of water, sometimes busy main roads and with lots of wildflowers growing alongside (also flies...so, bring bug spray). It is 33.5 miles long, has a campground, Kal Haven Outpost, on the South Haven end of it, as well as a water fountain, bike tools & rest rooms. There are covered bridges & overpasses to go under and through, nice views alongside & benches to rest on. We started on the trail midday and, interestingly enough, barricades, closing down the trail, were put up sometime during our walk. We are lucky that we got in our walk before this happened.

I live around the corner and walk the trail daily. I take various directions but my favorite is the…read moretrailhead at 10th to F. The scenery is beautiful in every direction. I've had deer & coyote's jump in front of me on the trail. Maybe one day I'll walk from Kalamazoo to South Haven!

I would say Provin Trails is one of my favorite trails in Grand Rapids. Some people might find it…read morestrange that I say that, but let me explain! Provin Trails isn't the biggest trail/park out here. It's not even the most glamorous. But to me, it's one of the most interesting. There are 3-4 different routes you can take, and some are of course more challenging. There are some trails that can be quite steep, and others that are actually more sandy! There is a section in the middle of the trail where you can see some mini sand dunes. I was really not expected that, so it was really cool to see them. There were a good number of people walking their dogs here, so maybe something to note as a dog owner. I would come back here!

It's a go hiking in the greater Grand Rapids area. One loop around the perimeter is just under 1…read moremile and it's guaranteed to get your heart rate up. After living in Arizona and hiking the mountains of Arizona for a few years this was a good Michigan comparison. For clarity I'm not calling us a mountain

Best camping experience in a long time, maybe ever. Staff extremely friendly and helpful…read more(especially Brandon amd his grandfather). Clean facilities. Wood cheaper than at the gas-station (even if you have to buy it on the premesis). Canoe/Kayak rental and ride on the premises. Just a short distance from South Haven, breweries and wineries and a blueberry farm. Will definitely be back! Thank you for the experience. Chris S.

Would highly recommend this place. My spouse and I are originally from the Pacific Northwest and…read morenow live in Chicago - so we are always looking for little nooks within 3 hours of the city. This is a little gem of a campground that's pleasantly filled with comforts and modern amenities. The campground itself is very small, but it's quiet, & has a steady body of water. I will be staying here again. I spent the weekend sitting in my hammock and enjoying hearing the water. 5/6 of the cabins face the water just as an fyi, so it's like a private paradise. The town of SoHa is really fun too and a great place to wine, dine, & explore. The cabins are basic and rustic with one plug in to charge your electronics. There is one light in there but it does get dark at night. Bring a nightlight. The queen bunk beds are great and comfortable. I would say more like 2-3 people could comfortably sleep in a cabin due to space and the cabins get hot at night! There's showers, there's toilets, there's cabins- oh my! The showers run on a unique token system. 1 token=$1=3 minutes of hot, private, shower. Tokens are purchased on site. the showers are game changers because they're open 24 hours with cameras outside so the owners monitor who goes in/out and your safety. As a queer person, I felt comfortable & safe at this campground.

If you're looking for a peaceful getaway, Grand Mere State Park is a hidden gem that delivers on…read moreall fronts. The park offers several trails that take you through dense forests and towering sand dunes which lead to some stunning overlooks and beaches of Lake Michigan. It's a bit of a trek to get to the water, but once you do, the lakefront is beautiful and less commercialized than other spots. Definitely recommend Grand Mere State Parkin for anyone in the area looking for a peaceful outdoor escape.

Path to Lake Michigan was flooded, water over your ankles. No easy path to Lake Michigan. A…read morehiker would love the up/down sand dunes.

Really pretty campground, very nice place for primitive camping. Due to the inexpensive price you…read moredo get a little bit of rough crowd at times. Drinking and partying late with the local hillbillies. Weekends you will feel out of place unless your a really fat, 35 year old, pregnant grandmother with neck tatoos , chain smoking marlboros, listening to some form of country music....alot of those types. However, if you come during the week for the price, combined with a nice lake, and walking trails this is a good place to go.

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!

Rosy Mound Natural Area's dunes, forested trails, and shoreline views were stunning!…read more Pulling in there is small parking lot, restrooms, and pay station kiosk for the $8 daily permit. The 2.2 mile trail starts at the parking lot leading you through the woods right to Lake Michigan's shoreline. The trail consist of dirt, dune, and board walk paths with a total of 360 stairs; so get those quads ready! Thankfully there are lots of shaded places to stop and rest with benches along the paths and between flights of stairs. Note to mention: This is a no pet area so keep your furry friends at home! Would definitely recommend Rosy Mound if you're up for a short hike and want to enjoy a breathtaking shoreline view or beach at the end.

Beautiful hike to the beach!…read more The trailhead starts in a parking lot, weaving through the woods. You go up stairs to a dunes overlook and you can continue to follow the trail down to the beach. The beach and the sand dunes are beautiful, especially at sunset. There are bathrooms at the beginning of the trail and near the beach.