Not the largest nature area, but you take what you can get, especially when you're still within the confines of a major metropolitan area.
E. L. Johnson is a nice place to walk trails for maybe an hour or two, but not more than that. In the short time I was there I think I covered most of the trails. (Some of the different loops really aren't that big.) There is a nice lake/pond in the middle of the property. I'm not sure the exact difference between those two terms - a lake, I guess has an aphortic zone where sunlight can't reach the bottom - but given that this body of water doesn't have a name on Google Maps I'm inclined to go with pond.
There's also an observation tower, though it's not too tall, a rustic cabin that understandably was locked, and a deer enclosure. Animals in captivity generally bum me out but this enclosure is for sick/hurt deer that can't reacclimate to the wild so I can let it slide. There was only two deer as well. So if you want your kid to see deer up close and don't want to take them to the animal jails us humans call zoos, this is your spot! Beyond those deer, dragonflies were about the only wildlife I saw on a July morning here.
Some of the trails run pretty close to the roads that border this park, and it abuts a subdivision pretty closely in at least one spot, too. There's better nature trails in southeast Michigan, and I don't think E. L. Johnson nature center is even giving the Metroparks a run for their money, but it's not a bad little respite from city/suburban life. The price is right, too - donation only. Show em some support for not being more McMansions out here. read more