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!

My kids love going to this playground! It's huge and I like that there's a lot for kids of all ages…read moreto do. The covered picnic table pavilion is awesome so if it's raining or too sunny we can have some shelter. There's a bathroom (not open yet, but hopefully soon!). Also I like that there are only two entrances to get into the playground area, and they're both way from the street. This makes me feel like my kids are more guarded. My negative is there are some sketchy people that do come out to just hang around here, and lots of people smoking around the playground.

This park is LOVELY ! My kids love it there !!! I love how all the parents that come there are so…read morefriendly and so clean also after the emails. Wonderful park !

We've been swimming here for years, so I was surprised to see I hadn't written a review yet!…read more This park has a sandy (with some gravel) beach, accessed via a hilly sidewalk from the handicap parking next to the newish picnic pavilion. Note: to get to the handicap parking, you don't park up top (and walk down those stairs, obviously!), but drive down a clearly marked accessible road down to the four handicap spaces nearer to the beach. You will still have to walk/wheel from those spots to the water. The water starts out really shallow (good for playing, if you have littles), and then goes deep pretty quickly. There is often a bunch of seaweed near to the shore, and, depending on the weather, the water can be murky. Persevere! STILL! It is a swimmable lake, and feels really good to get in the water, so close to home. There's a small playground area, a grassy area next to the sidewalks, and then, along the lakeshore, plenty of space for fishing.

An oasis in the middle of the city, it's easy to blink-and-you-miss-it this gem across from Oakwood…read morePlaza near the intersection of Oakland Drive and Parkview. This small park offers an elevated path and raised overlook and a small beach. If you work nearby, this is a great place to escape on your lunch break with a picnic and a good book. I once spotted a snowy owl in a tree adjacent to the park. Definitely a life highlight! Not the best swimming hole in the area (definitely visit Portage's Ramona Park for a bigger, better beach), but still worth the trip.

My family absolutely loves the KNC. When the weather is glum, there are lots of things to do for…read morekids inside. When it's nice outside, there are tons of trails and lots of exploring to be done. We typically start inside, and then we hit the trails. Lots of birds to see and streams to play in. The imagination runs free at Kalamazoo Nature Center! With annual passes available (around $80 for a family), the investment in the community is well worth it!

Lovely place, first time my wife and I had been there. We walked several trails and toured the…read morevisitors center. The trails were well made and matained. We will be back. We were impressed in the COVID precautions. Temperature checks and contacting info.

Great park with a lot to offer. I have come here several times for camping and the other activities…read morethis place allows and will gladly continue to make the trek from Illinois to see it again. Most of my experience here has been camping at sites during the winter which is a totally different experience and one I recommend. The trails and river/lake in this park are beautiful and well maintained and they offer all levels of mountain biking. Again I usually go in the winter and my group is the only one here and it is just an amazing time to be able to walk the trails and park and take it all in undisturbed by others. If for some reason you are losing interest in nature which is hard to believe they also have some nearby towns with some breweries and other entertainment as well. - Ample parking - Nice, knowledgeable rangers - Range of sites for how much you want to rough it - Amazing trails

Wouldn't let us in because we have out of date tags, during a pandemic, and can't get an…read moreappointment at the Secretary of State until October.

Beautiful setting and plenty of picnic tables. Wonderful shade and a nice path down the road to get…read moresome steps in. Clean bathrooms, what more could you want from a park.

This place is very beautiful and is a nice place to go spend time outside by yourself, with family,…read moreand or with friends.

Historic Bridge Park is a great place to visit. Whether you want to take family pictures, senior…read morepictures, picnic, or take a bike ride through the trails, you can't go wrong. My family has done all of the above. Magical in every season. Take the time to check it out, so worth it.

Beautiful place - very secluded and out of the way with a lot of picture opportunities and a small…read moreplayground.

Wow what a park, wrapped around the lake. I didn't realize the sheer size of the place.read more

Large park, well used by the locals. We were here on a Sunday, there was a disc golf tournament,…read morepicnics and in general a lot of people using the park. We stopped by to sneak in a little fishing after an appointment. The lake is very shallow around the shoreline, has a ton of lily pads and we couldnt get any interest from the fish. Most people appeared to be " bucket fishing" for bluegills. We will skip it next time we are in town but it is a nice park.

Very nive older park...there a raceway. Plently of good water to fish, good spots to put an eskimo…read morecanoe in the water. I dont know who fannie pell was yet...but she has a nice park named after her.

Depending on the weather, this beach can be very rocky, or very sandy, and often both…read more This is a great beach for rock hunting anytime, and even if it's extra rocky because of heavy rain or wind, there's still nice sandy areas of beach. There's also one very large dune area that takes quite an effort to climb, but is very fun.

On the recommendation of folks at the main Park Headquarters, we walked through the woods on one…read moreof the few trails here, all leading to sandy bluffs that rise above Lake Michigan. We were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the truly colorful shades of blue of the Lake. Combined, the trails are only about 3 miles in length since this is a narrow, alongside-the-lake State Park & the trails go from the main roadway, to the top of the bluffs & then back again to the roadway. Further down that roadway is a campground, a good amount of parking, a playground, picnic tables, grills, open fields, and, the best part of all, the mile long beach, which is comprised of super soft sand, space to stretch out, a not-as-enjoyable view of a water treatment plant, & the fun of collecting smooth, soft stones that dot the beach, The waters of Lake Michigan don't come much above your waist for a good 75-100 feet, so it's easy to stay cool while you stand around with sisters (that was us!), and others. Parking is $11/day