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.

So, after daytripping Waterloo for years I finally camped there. Met some family for a…read moremini-reunion at the Sugarloaf Lake campground. I didn't have high expectations, but came away with a very favorable impression. What I liked most? Probably the quiet. Yes, there are times of the day that got a little noisy due to kids playing and dogs barking, but you're going to get that in any state park campground, and I gotten it much worse. Little to no road noise and generally pleasant neighbors. Bathrooms are fairly clean though in need of an update. Hot water never ran short in the showers. What I didn't like? My site. I picked what had to be the spot least shaded in the hottest parts of the day. Fortunately the rest of my family had shadier spaces and we hung out with them. Avoid site 92 unless you're camping early or late in the season. Generally, the camping area is fairly open, though a lot of it has at least fair shade most of the time. Our sites were on the far edge of the campground loop--it seemed like things were generally busier and louder close to the driveway into the camping area. Ice and firewood are available at the check in station and both are reasonably priced. Great for a chill weekend getaway without driving too far from urban southeast Michigan.

Waterloo Recreation Area is AWESOME! The trail system here is incredible and you just feel like…read moreyou're surrounded by an endless sea of nature that we are privileged to recreate on. The paths are so wide and there's just so much room to PLAY. My mind and heart feel open when I'm at Waterloo. My friend and her dog and I and my dog did the Waterloo Pinckney to Lakeview Trail, which is just so much fun. It's almost 5 miles long, but is pretty doable, with a lot of interesting things to see and check out along the way. There was a little natural playground we stopped at, we checked out those on the water ice fishing for a bit, and more. Tons to do here and I absolutely loved it! Looooove Waterloo so much though and I love that it's part of the greater recreation area of Pinckney-Waterloo as well. There are endless opportunities to recreate in all various forms when you're here and it's definitely worth the trip during all seasons!

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.

A nice and remote state park but no frills other than a walking trail and a few historic relics. I…read morewent here on a cold October day, and the ambiance was very nice. The walking trails aren't exhaustive at all, and I was in and out in less than an hour. There are absolutely no amenities. Leave your horse, bike, and kids at home. I've been to a lot of state parks, and this one was unique in its simplicity. It's in the middle of nowhere but only about 10 minutes off of US-127 and worth the quick stop. There is no camping, no definining environmental features, a dirt parking lot, and no restroom.

Gorgeous park along the Huron river between Ann Arbor and Dexter. Tons of amenities including an…read more18-hole golf course, disc golf course, picnic areas, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, biking and hiking trails, nature trails, river fishing, and boat launches for canoes and kayaks. My husband and I brought our pups here for a little outdoor time during social distancing and despite it being a gorgeous Saturday early-evening we didn't run into any one else on any of the trails we explored. So it's a really great spot to enjoy some outdoor adventures without worrying about getting too close to other people. Beautifully maintained, tons of parking and pup friendly! Just remember bug spray if you get into the woods/near the river. I forgot and got eaten up quite a bit!

It was an awesome sunny afternoon in early May with temps approaching 60 degrees...the perfect time…read morefor a bike ride. Michigan's Washtenaw County has created a 35-mile "Border-to-Border" paved bicycle trail that winds from Dexter through Tree Town (Ann Arbor) and on to Yipsilanti. Much of the trail is off-road and provides plenty of welcomed shade and river views on a hot summer day. Today, my wife and I chose to ride 10 miles of the B2B Trail in the Dexter area that winds through the Hudson Mills Metropark. Given the pandemic, we saw plenty of courteous walkers, joggers and bikers sharing the 10-foot wide trail which enabled effective social distancing. The Hudson Mills Metropark section of the trail in Dexter is a true gem that offers fresh air, sunshine and the opportunity to get some welcomed exercise. We look forward to the time when we can once again stop into the Riverview Restaurant after our bike ride and enjoy a breakfast or lunch. Until then, we're staying safe in Dexter. 5 stars!

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).

We spent two days in AA and this was my favorite activity! What a beautiful time to…read morewitness the thousands of peonies in the peony garden. So many different variations and colors. We stopped by the visitor center and got a guide to the different types of peonies. They also had a restroom which was nice. We took the 2.7 Nichols Walking Trail and really enjoyed the nature, wildlife, scenic city overlooks, and the Huron river views. I would say it's a medium level of hard given that most of the path is easy walking but some steeper inclines and steps that get your heart rate working. It was incredibly pleasant, we spent a little over 90 mins exploring. Also, we learned there is free parking in the Blue M28 lot on the weekends and were able to utilize it! Looked like dogs were welcome, met some friendly pups. Saw people having a picnic in the park and a cute little free library! Such a wonderful place, really glad we came!

A very large park built around 2 lakes. Over 11000 acres with over 40 miles of trails…read more This area offers camping,fishing,boating just to name a few of the many activities offered. Trails are marked but are unpaved and hilly and they can get muddy and slippery when wet so bring hiking gear. Some trails are also used for mountain biking. Plenty of parking is available .

Love these trails in the fall--when the mosquitoes are not bad. Many trails have good hills--but…read morebe careful because there are lots of rocks and roots, and fall leaves make them less visible. Dogs love it here, too. There are endless possible routes...we often do Crooked Lake.

What an absolutely wonderful nature center! There are so many nooks & crannies to this space and…read morejust so much educational learning to be had here. I came here in the winter and really loved walking the trails throughout the center. It helped that one of my friends, Dan, manages the programs here and would point out all the cool trees, plants, and general history as we walked along. He truly made my first time at Woldumar so memorable and his passion for this nature center truly shines through in everything he does - even when he's off the clock just showing boring ol' me around! I've heard so much of all the work Dan has put into this place over the years and he truly makes Woldumar shine bright for all those who come and visit, whether for an afternoon or for a summer-long program! I imagine this place overrun with kids and adults alike when the weather is great and can only imagine how much fun it would be to experience this place in the summertime. There is truly something for everyone here and definitely recommend this if you're looking for a low-key place where not a ton of people will be with some majorly high-key fun and exploration!

Our family loves WNC! Snow shoeing the winter trails is magical and one of our favorite traditions!read more

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.

Very nice park. Clean water , beach , trails. Not too…read morecrowded. It's hidden in backroad. Definitely will be back again. My daughter enjoyed this park.