This park/nature area is made for hiking. I wouldn't start here if you're a beginner hiker because…read morealthough the area is relatively small, the trails are steep and narrow! Great for a workout, especially if you live nearby. Speaking of living nearby, I wish there was a better-drawn map of the trails. There is a map on the A2 Parks and Rec website, but sometimes, the trails led you to the nearby culdesac. One trail also leads you to the basketball court.

One of the largest man made marshes in the country,this hidden gem offers over 5 miles of trails…read moreincluding over a mile of boardwalk over the ponds and marsh. No fee to enter and plenty of parking. Picnic tables available. Dogs and horses are allowed. Depending on the time of the year,the wetlands are home to over 40 mammals as well as a variety of birds including a pair of bald eagles. Definitely a "Real Gem" in Wayne County Michigan.

Great place to go for a stroll. You can go for a short walk or a long hike. Well maintained trails…read morewith markers. The restrooms were very clean. Definitely a great place to spend a beautiful summer afternoon.

Mary J. McCann Park is on the east side of Warner Road, south of Bemis and north of Willis. It's a…read morebit hidden by all the trees, but the entrance is well marked with a sign and a fence. There is no parking lot, per se, but there is room to park about a half dozen cars. There will be mosquitoes as soon as you emerge from your car, so be prepared. Also bring your hat and sunscreen, if it's a hot and sunny day, because even though this place looks shady and dark from the road, most of it is open prairie. It's only about a quarter mile through the buggy part of the park. Stay on the trail to avoid the poison ivy, which is a native species, so no complaining--it's a food source for luna moth larvae--did you know that? If you keep heading due east, you will emerge into a very open and sunny part of the park. There are signs to identify some of the trees and flowers you will see there. Some of the signs identify non-native species. I wish they would distinguish. Just a little detail that we nature freaks would notice. There are mowed paths all over the open part of the park. Here and there, you will find plantings of native wildflowers. In the very center of the park, there is a pavilion, but no tables. I think the chimney provided as a home for chimney swifts is a neat idea. Where did they nest before there were chimneys? Hollow trees, I suppose.

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.

featuring wooded trails, wetlands, a lake, boardwalk areas, and unique rock formations that make it…read morefeel like you're much farther away from the city. It's a perfect spot for a peaceful walk, nature photos, and a little outdoor adventure without leaving Metro Detroit.

Nice walking trails - I think it's about 1.3 miles around the trail one time. Little benches to sit…read moreon and reflect on the world's problems or to just be in nature. Lake is pretty and calming. I saw a couple deer and some little furry friends while on my walk. Not sure if you should stay on the trails but some others who were walking were not......

This County Park is a hidden gem! Well maintained, great trails and play structures, lovely beach…read more A great outdoor experience including easy access to the Blue Heron water park and Independence Lake boat/canoe launch. A true GEM!

Check the county website or facebook page before you go!! Recently, the beach at Independence Lake…read morehas had to be shut down several times for high e coli levels. One of the posts said that this is because of the amount of geese that have been frequenting the lake this year or because of runoff from rain. We went once before we knew about the e coli issues and actually had a great time. The beach (we thought) appeared clean and the water was the perfect cool temperature on a hot summer day. The swimming area went deep enough that we could float away from the littles on the shoreline. There were two life guards on duty. They have really amazing facilities where a get together was being held under the pavilion. They have a snack station, but we brought our own chips and sodas. They also have a splash pad with water slides. This area was closed when we went, and you have to pay a little more to access this area. They also have some cool trails and a frisbee golf course. You can bring dogs, but not to the designated swimming area. I hope they figure out the e coli issues because we would love to go back.

Dynamite Park is a large park that is directly next to the Wayne County River Rouge park…read more                 Dynamite Park is a rustic area.  There are just a couple of picnic tables and no lavatories.  Nevertheless it is a nice location for a picnic.  The park has several areas set aside as wildlife areas.  A visit here can give anyone an overview of the present state of natural recovery in most places in Michigan.                 Deer, coyote, raccoon, opossum, hawks, fish and the occasional eagle frequent the place.  Look for tracks wherever you can.  During Spring and Autumn you may well cross paths with one or more of the wild residents.  This is an excellent place for birdwatching.  The birds that appear here range from waterfowl, to forest birds and meadow / open space birds.                 On the edge of the park is a trail leading to 'The Cliffs of the Rouge' which is a natural wonder featuring a set of cliffs towering over the River Rouge.  A visit in any season will provide a unique natural viewpoint to be enjoyed by nature lovers and appreciated by students of nature.                 Walking, hiking, snowshoeing and limited biking are all natural opportunities here.  There is plenty of open space for frisbee, baseball, football or soccer on the green fields near the water station.  The fields are not marked - these would all be impromptu games played with changing boundaries.  Have fun!

The best time to view the peony is end of May and begin of June. This blooming only happens on the…read moreshort duration of time. We were lucky to visit arboretum during this time on our trip to Ann Arbor. The peony garden can be reached in two locations. The best parking is near Ronald McDonald House of Charity Ann Arbor. That parking lot gets you direct access to the garden. The other parking near Nichols Drive and go the entrance by taking the first right trail to the top and reach the garden. The garden has 28 bed of flower beds. Each bed has the name of flower indicated. During the blooming time, there are a lot of visitors. Parking may be full. The flower is beautiful and the pedal open wide and bright. I got my peony moment during my visit. Some flower has fragrances smell. So don't forget to smell the flowers during your visit.

The first time I came here in April and there were no flowers or green and everything was brown!…read more I came back on the last day of May with my husband and it looked completely different!! There is a lot of green everywhere and soo many different flowers (especially the peonies before they were vandalized)!! We parked in the back where it is about a 15-20 min walk to the peonies. It was a nice and mostly shaded walk. We even saw a new bird (Great Crested Flycatcher)! I think it's only worth coming for the peonies but otherwise, it's free (unless you park in the front and then you have to pay).

After searching for a water park, I stumbled into this park that's located in the Lower Huron…read moremetropark in Belleville. The entrance we took, was right next to Turtle Cove, which was super convenient. There was plenty of parking and getting the tickets was a quick and easy process. It cost a little over $30 for the 4 of us. We were bummed the splash pad that is located inside TC was not working but still had a good time with the rest of the water park. There are two big slides (green- can use inflatable tube (single or double, blue- can't use a tube), a big lazy river, area for the little to swim, and a lot of seating. The pool and lazy river were not deep at all and there were plenty of lifeguards throughout the whole place. There are lockers after entering and wish I knew beforehand to bring change. The lockers I looked at required 2 quarters. If you're looking for a bit more than just a splash pad and a place where adults can also have fun in the water with your kiddos, this is a great place to come!

Park is beautiful but campground is run by some very thoughtless people. I arrived and paid for a…read morecampsite online and was awoken in the morning by police presence that the park had called on us saying we didn't pay. Appearently they don't know how to use their system but I showed the police our receipt and they appologized. I tried to go back to sleep and was awoken again @ 8am but this time by rocks hitting my camper. Giant industrial mowers are flying by children, pets, tents and vehicles, flinging rocks and waking everyone up. My cat was almost killed by some fool mowing at top speed. I saw the same thing happen with a family that had toddlers moments later. I paid $45 dollars to be harassed, woken up by mowers and chainsaws on my day off. This place is not worth it