My nieces + nephews and I decided to go on a hike on Saturday. Well, when we got there, they…read morechanged their minds and wanted to go home and get cozy. Not happening. So I took them out into the woods kicking and screaming ;) Auntie of the year! We compromised and made it a shorter hike but I enjoyed it! The trail we went on stayed mostly on the river and just slightly into the woods. Next time we'll go all in! The trails are well maintained and entry is only $4.

Reserved a shelter for our 30 year high school reunion. Best decision ever. There were plenty of…read moretables for us to feel comfortable. Group of about 50 people. We were close to a playground in Berta Shelter and restrooms were directly behind us. Restrooms were clean. Very pleased!

This was one of our first state parks to visit as new campers and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay!…read more They were so welcoming! Our campsite was well equipped and perfect for our family. The dump site was brand new and especially user friendly! The scenery was gorgeous. We were there a little late in the season, but the lake was still beautiful and we enjoyed watching all the wildlife.

Do not let your dog is the water here. They have algae that is poisonous to dogs! This can be scary…read morefor people that don't know this.

Miles of great hiking trails and numerous scenic views…read more Skiing and biking also encouraged.

Moving back to southwest Michigan I've missed going to the park- I'd picnic or take a book in the…read moreevenings or walk/run with my dog on the weekends- this one has a good mix of flat and elevated hiking terrain along with creek and marsh areas. Pretty good signage but make sure you take a map for your first hike or two. my dog likes it too. $3 residents and $5 for non. I haven't spent any time in the nature center but it looks nice. Downside no dogs in the winter.

Located along the shores of Lake Michigan,this State Park has over 1500 acres of pristine beaches…read moreand sand dunes making it one of Michigans most popular State Parks. There is an admission free to enter. Plenty of parking available. We went in the Fall midweek so it was not crowded at all.

Beautiful beach and park!…read more We came for the day to play on the beach and see the sand dunes. You have to pay for the use. There is a large parking area by the beach. As soon as we pulled in we noticed the beach on one side of the parking lot and the sand dunes on the other. We decided to climb the dunes first. There is one big hill that everyone was going up. It is challenging but fun. Great views from the top. And super easy to come down. Then we went to the beach. Sand was really nice and clean. A storm started to roll in so we had to leave the beach a little early. They do a great job of communicating and changing the flags when the beach conditions change. There are bathrooms and some food vendors. Only wish is they had actual showers to clean off all the sand. They have the outside ones but they weren't very efficient.

Wonderful trails. We took the boardwalk which is uncovered and can be super sunny. The walk is easy…read moreand ends at a beautiful pond. There is a tiny bench, but you probably wouldn't sit there for awhile. Back by the entrance, there is a welcome center that has a picnic table in the back if you want to bring some snacks. No mushroom hunting. Parking - there is lots of parking! Bathrooms- there are bathrooms and they are nice.

This is definitely a hidden gem in St. Joseph County! Not far from downtown New Carlisle is this…read moregreat nature preserve. Your GPS may not correctly tell you where to turn, but there is a clear sign for the road to access the preserve. Near the small parking lot is a nature center building with restrooms, but it looked to be closed while I visited. Spicer Lake Nature Preserve has a variety of walking trails, including a nice boardwalk through the wetlands. Our group had fun spotting the birds, frogs and other creatures that call this place home. Note that you cannot access Spicer Lake, but you can view it from the boardwalk.

The park is being updated. There are new bridges and cabins...of you look on the parks website…read moretheres a blueprint of planned upgrades and new features.

Great little park to go walk the trails. There are huge hills that make great sledding adventures…read morein the winter. They have a few playgrounds and picnic area for your enjoyment pleasure.

Ive taken the kids here for hiking too many times to count. We have seen deer, turkeys and on…read moreoccasion a fox- which seems strange considering that its surrounded on 3 sides by residential and industrial areas,of South Bend. They have updated the signage on the trails recently , and the playground equipment is fairly new as well. Disc golf is fun and challenging. The nature center is a little dated...but my kids are too old now to want to go inside anyway. There is quite a bit of standing water in the woods, mosquito repellant is highly recommended. The bike trails are across the road from the main park.

While there's plenty of disc-golf fun to experience "north of the border", ours was a pleasant…read moresummer family stroll even the faint-hearted "hiker" could complete. With multiple loops to select, you can make this a 30-min or hour-plus trek. Pack in lunch to enjoy time at the pavilion, or just focus on the shady meandering from the trail you choose. We had babies and elementary, high school and college kids on this trip. It wasn't hard to keep up, and mostly flat paths gave us just the right amount of cardio. I'd enjoy a return visit for a run, and you mostly have double-wide pedestrian paths or wider the entire route. Finish up with some playground time for the kids if everybody's not tuckered out from the walk. Thanks to the in-laws for helping us discover this respite, and we'll look forward to a return to see what we missed this time.

I love this park. The woods are great and a hike here in the fall rewards you with nice fall…read morecolors set off by the St. Joe River below....the park is situated on a nice block off overlooking River below. I'm not much of a disc golfer but folks play the course a lot. You can also hike into St. Patrick's Park that abuts Mad Bert and is mostly at River level, so you'll get a downhill hike to there.