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!

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.

Just northwest of downtown Chelsea, this is a great place to bring the 8-and-under crowd to work…read moreout some energy. The extensive play structure that is the centerpiece of this park gives the kids a great place to climb, run, slide and engage in all-around healthy play. We went with our son and daughter-in-law to take our 2-year-old grandson to this wonderful play area. He had a great time and had a chance to work out some excess exuberance. The rest of the park features a couple of picnic pavilions and some green space to run around or pass the ball. It's a nice option in Chelsea to spend a couple of hours.

Nice walking trails - I think it's about 1.3 miles around the trail one time. Little benches to sit…read moreon and reflect on the world's problems or to just be in nature. Lake is pretty and calming. I saw a couple deer and some little furry friends while on my walk. Not sure if you should stay on the trails but some others who were walking were not......

Beautiful walk, perfect for a quick afternoon stroll. Some areas are nice and shaded and others are…read moresunny!

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!

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.

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!

Let's get this part out of the way - The park itself? Amazing. It is modern, has plenty of options,…read moreis well maintained, and has some great nature paths outside of the playground area. In an area that features many great playgrounds and parks to take your family to, Innovation Hills has always stood out. There is a lack of options for younger children though (no infant swings?). The three stars? One of the new features of this park is the addition of Park Mobile being introduced for the main parking lot. Signs everywhere reminding you that you better have paid your $1.50 an hour! There is of course a free dirt lot across the busy road for your convenience. Or a parking 'annual pass' you can purchase from the Rochester Hills website. Our society struggles with the concept of 'the third place'. Parks and playgrounds are a haven for families and a community builder outside of work and home. What in the world is the motivation behind suddenly charging for parking? 1 - The City of Rochester Hills wants to prioritize park access for its citizens? Charging for parking doesn't keep out non-residents and in fact just causes Rochester Hills citizens to pay more for something they are already paying for. 2 - The park is often extremely crowded so charging for parking may reduce visitor count? If this was the motivation I am confident this strategy is not working. 3 - We want to encourage more families to park in the dirt lot across the street and attempt to cross a highway? I have more faith in humanity than that. Oh, I think I got it! To quote Tim Robinson's sketch 'The Driving Crooner' - "I gotta figure out how to make money on this thing..it's simply TOO GOOD!"

After a long school day, we took the kids to Innovation Hills Park, and they had a blast! The park…read morewasn't too busy, and the kids explored everything, from the playground to the jungle gym. I loved the artificial turf--it keeps the area looking nice year-round. This park has everything--playgrounds, walking trails, a serene area with ducks, and even bathrooms. I'd recommend it to any family looking for a fun day out. Definitely a great spot for outdoor fun!

An amazing garden + forest + gift shop and bathrooms combined!!…read more Admission is $10/a person and you can return during the day if you leave and want to come back. There is plenty of parking, lots of lakes, cool plants, beautiful flowers, and so much nature!! The Sky Bridge was great and the gift shop has better bathrooms than outside. The Bonzai trees and Biomes were so cool!!

What a hidden gem... no pun intended. A MSU property in Tipton. 10 bucks per person to get in. Lots…read moreof trail walking. Nice conservatory with 3 zones of plant life. Multiple collections of plants an trees throughout the grounds. Did not make it into the visitor center. For us the best thing was the Skywalk suspension bridge. Very cool. Just enough up and down motion to intimidate some walkers. A wonderful experience. All the employees/volunteers we met were very friendly and had loads of information. We can't wait to go back next spring when the foliage is back. This is definitely a go to place in my book.