Amazing park for riding, running or bicycling. Trails are well kept and great sceneryread more

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!

This was the second year that our group did an end of the school year campout at Sugarloaf Lake…read moreCampground. The kids loved spending time at the Gaga ball pit and the fishing dock. The kids also road the bikes around the sites and up and down the main hill. Our campsites were close to the park and beach, which was nice. The bathroom facilities were good, but the showers are dated and the lights would turn off and on randomly. We did get warnings from the park ranger for noise, I guess our neighbors weren't fans of our karaoke. It was before quite hours so me and my group were bummed. I do wish there was more activities, like a basketball court, at the site.

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.

There are lots of lakes nearby for swimming and hiking. Brighton State Rec is not one I would go…read moreback to. The beach at Bishop Lake was too small for the amount of people and the water quality wasn't great. The water was shallow, murky, and slimy. The trail around the lake was also crowded and not peaceful. Many people were riding their bikes or walking in between the camp grounds and the beach. Some signs or trail activities were falling apart and in need of repair. If you want to be around a ton of people while enjoying the outdoors, you'd have fun. It wasn't for me.

I visited on Saturday, October 4th driving a rental vehicle registered through my insurance…read morecompany. We purchased a grey rec sticker attached to the windshield. My family purchases rec passes for all of our vehicles. When the booth worker, Connie, asked if I have a rec pass on my vehicle, I replied yes, and she waved me in. She did not stand up to view the sticker. I parked in the Bishop parking lot and soon after noticed a white vehicle speeding through the parking lot. Connie the booth worker blocked the back of my car into the parking space with her personal vehicle and jumped out screaming, so angry she was nearly foaming at the mouth. Connie jumped out of her car, and ran to my driver's side window screaming at me as I sat bewildered in the driver's seat of my car. "What do you mean you have a rec pass, you don't even have a Michigan plate?!! Go back to the booth!!" I asked Connie to remove her personal vehicle from blocking my vehicle and obstructing my movement. I told her I don't feel comfortable with her behavior and that I wanted to leave the park. Connie said, "Good, leave!" I stopped at the booth and asked for Connie's name and the contact information for a park's supervisor. Connie replied- you don't need my name. They know who I am in the park's office. She then walked into her booth and slammed the door. I had Deb with DNR drive to the booth to speak with Connie and address her bizarre and over the top behavior. When I asked Deb whether booth workers are deputized or authorized to pursue and block parks goers with their personal vehicles, she smartly replied, "What do you think?" MI Legislature allows DNR officers to write civil tickets only to visitors without a rec pass. Under no circumstances should a civilian booth worker impersonate an officer, chase, pursue or physically block a person who they believe is not carrying a rec pass.

Most of the trails offer little shade. Five loop sections (A-E). C-E loops run through a…read moreredundant field of wildflowers. A&B is wooded but very short. There are two entrances but the one listed on Yelp is the main one at the foot of cornfields and portable bathroom with a picnic table nearby.

I am proud to share my neighborhood preserve with you! I live at the edge of this 500 acre trail…read morepark and live to see people enjoying it. It was a battle to keep this land away from bloodthirsty developers. The crooked, lying, pretend (bluedog) Democrats (the ones in office now, unfortunately) are liable to sell this parcel off to their nature-hating, concrete loving pals at any moment, so please- come and enjoy! Do slather on the mosquito repellant and bring your rugged bike for some easy (but not paved) trails. This is a perfect place to bring your dogs (on leash). If nobody is around and you are SURE, you can let them run wild a little bit (I didn't tell you that) The other review is wrong about the farmlands- it had been farmed up until the late 90's, when we were able to get the township to purchase this land with surplus money made from allowing all the Targetowns in the early 90's. I have lived next to this magical place (summer and winter!) for 24 years. It truly is a lovely preserve, unspoiled by refinement.

Wonderful place to "get away from it all" that is close and so beautiful! Hiking or mountain bike,…read moreit's all fun!

Beautiful park - well maintained, often quiet even though it's in an urban area. Gorgeous horses,…read moretrails, and peaceful spaces.

I live off Scio Church Road, and have been driving past what looked like a new walking trail since…read morethe Spring. Last night I went with a friend and we checked it out. It is beautiful! It seems to still be in the works, so the trails are a little difficult to follow right now, but everything is so pretty! We saw about 100 small frogs while we were walking, and tons of deer tracks, and even 2 Mallard Ducks! There is lots of water, a couple mid-sized ponds, and a steam that seems to run through most of the park. So much of this park is beautiful. I really enjoyed walking through the trails and enjoying the sights of nature. This will be my new go-to park for a walk with friends or to get away for awhile and relax.

A very small area but it seems bigger as the trails splinter off from the main (larger) one. A…read morelittle tricky to spot as it blends in with neighboring private yards. Well shaded but the mosquitos love it. Thank you neighbor for leaving fruits of your harvest.

A lovely 22-acre park/nature area tucked into the middle of a neighborhood. It's a short walk from…read moremy house so my pup and I go hiking through here on the regular. It's so clean and peaceful, mostly due to the work of the neighbors that live around it. They take fantastic care of it. The entrance to the park from Arborview is surrounded by homes and, at least last summer, one of the homes had a vegetable garden that they labeled with "help yourself" (don't quote me on that if you get in trouble for taking a tomato this year, tho). Lots of greenery, and a number of pathways mean that no two walks are the same. One main, wood chipped pathway runs north/south from Arborview to Miller and then several other, smaller pathways spiderweb off of it. There are a few benches throughout and only a handful of signs so once you get going it may be hard to figure out where you are but it's easy to retrace your steps. Also, it's not so huge that you can't get through it pretty easily. Just last night my pup and I made it there, then through a good chunk of it, and back to our home about 5. mile away in about 45 minutes. If you live on the west side of Ann Arbor and don't have the time to dedicate to heading over to Nichols', Gallup Park, or Bird Hills this will get you your fill of nature quite nicely. You can find a map for the park here if you are so inclined: http://www.a2gov.org/departments/Parks-Recreation/parks-places/Documents/Park%20Maps/Miller%20Nature%20Area%20Map.pdf

Hickory Woods Park is on the east side of Crane Road, north of Textile and south of US-12 in…read morePittsfield Township. It's a relatively new park, only dedicated in the summer of 2012. Everything still looks very new and clean. There is a large building with restrooms. The drinking fountain out front has three levels, with shorter fountains for children and dogs. Nice touch, for those of us who forgot our dog dish & water on a hot day! There is a large pond, kiddie jungle gym, picnic tables & grills, and paved paths with wildflower plantings. About half of the park is a relatively treeless prairie. This is a very open park, so bring your sunscreen & wide brimmed hat on hot, sunny days. A lot of people walk over from their houses, but there is a large parking lot, so it would be great for a large group picnic on a sunny day. I don't remember seeing a picnic shelter, but maybe that's coming someday.