Super fun, quiet, off the beaten path park. The trails were all dirt, but mostly smooth. There are…read more1 or 2 good spots to sit and hangout, but no grills. There is a bathroom. There's a small floating dock that can maybe fit 2-3 fisherman at most. Mostly come for the views and to take in the scenery. The lake is serene and tranquil. Great for photography

Relatively new nature park for Kalamazoo County. This heavily wooded park with a central lake &…read moreperimeter hiking trails is reborn from a former 100 year old Boy Scout Campground Campus. Only a handful of physical elements remain from the scouting days. Park entrance fee is minimal & single day passes are available. No overnight camping allowed. Primary appeal will be hiking, birdwatching & fishing. The trails are pretty well marked and grooming will only get better over time.

Even on a cloudy day in November, Chipman Preserve is beautiful…read more This was our first time to visit Chipman Preserve. I recently joined the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and my goal is to visit all 19 of the public preserves. Chipman Preserve is located in between Comstock and Galesburg on E. Main St. There is a gravel parking lot, which probably holds 10-15 cars. Chipman Preserve is nearly 230 acres that take you through savanna, forest, and grassland habitats. There are six miles of trails. The main loop takes you around the perimeter, but there are lots of smaller twisting trails that take you off the beaten path. The dense forest area is so peaceful. I'm anxious to return in the spring so I can see the beautiful wild flowers. I've always been loved the beauty of nature and Chipman checks all the right boxes. The paths are easy to follow and there is not a lot of elevation. It only took us a little over an hour to traverse most of it. Besides hiking, you can cross-country ski, snowshoe, and it is also used for trail-running. And it is dog friendly. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place to do it.

This out-of-the-way hiking spot is a good go-to if you want to avoid the crowds (although they're…read morepretty adamant about no off-leash puppers, which is one of our top reasons to seek out lesser traveled trails). Really enjoyed a short lunchtime hike here recently and love that they have lots of kiosks where you can learn a bit about the area and its wildlife.

The park is under some construction through September which is a bummer but from what they've dug…read moreup, it looks like there will be some great improvements. The ball field will go away but they're putting in new playground equipment, new pavilion, new basketball courts and updated restrooms. In the meanwhile, the parking lot is still there, the river is still there (note the warning about eating the fish) and it's a nice, peaceful spot. [Review 11208 overall, 984 of 2019.]

This is our go-to putting-in point for kayaking to Arcadia Ales (it's round about an hour's paddle…read more-- longer if you're feeling leisurely and faster if you're going for a big workout). Plenty of parking, tons of covered picnic area. We staged about 75 kayaks/paddleboards/canoes there for a recent Kanoe the Kazoo event and it didn't feel too crowded on the riverbank, which was awesome. However, you've got to be pretty strategic about how you put in (fortunately we had seasoned paddlers leading our group who gave good advice about how to put in, but those who tried to enter the river closer to the woods/fence/parking lot got caught up in some wicked current. Be sure to put in farther out toward the picnic structure and park and paddle across the river then let the current drift you across the mini-rapids. Don't forget -- it's unsafe to eat the fish from the Kalamazoo River. We saw tons of people fishing on our recent excursion and really worried about their health. A few people were sad to see a small tent city on the river's edge -- personally it made me happy that some of the homeless had found a more pleasant haven than the city parks. Just a matter of perspective, I suppose. One of the "tent cities" was also a group of 5 matching, new-looking tents so I suspect that group was a group of people kayak-camping.

It really is such a shame that this park doesn't have a beach. We are super fortunate to live on…read moreone of the Portage lakes and have access all the time, but between West, Austin, and Long Lake's parks only Long Lake has a beach (at Ramona Park). Nonetheless, this park has incredible views and offers decent fishing opportunities off of two extended docks, one of which features a large covered gazebo with benches. The playground area here looks legit, and my partner and I always enjoy stopping for a break here when we do a 9-mile cycling route that basically wraps around Austin Lake plus an extra mile each way to access the route from where we live. As with Long Lake, the boat launch is at a completely separate location from the park. Unlike Ramona Park, there is no charge to park at Lakeside Park. We are super excited at the prospect of all the cycling routes in the Vicksburg and Portage area connecting soon. Work got underway on connecting the Vicksburg path into Portage early last year but was halted due to the pandemic. So happy to have a little bit of spring-like weather this week to get out and celebrate all the wonderful natural spaces in our community.

Thanks to our friends, we had a chance to see and enjoy this park…read more The park has great view to the lake with two decks on each side. We saw some folks fishing while we were there. There's also a small trail where you can exercise too. Don't worry, there are a couple of picnic areas for you and your family to bbq and enjoy the serenity of the beautiful lake. The parking lot has lights so when you leave the park at sunset, you won't be walking in the dark to your car.

With some hillside, Meachem Park is apparently known for its sledding. But in early June, the grass…read morewas mowed and the park was accessible with a decent play structure, some basketball courts and lots of open space. There is also a grill and a walking path. It is located in a residential neighborhood. And to the lady who wondered why I was taking pictures of the park, here you go. [Review 11184 overall, 959 of 2019.]

We had walked around this preserve more than several years ago but never realized it was part of…read morethe Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC). Evidently, we weren't so adept at reading signs then. I don't recall if there were graveled paths leading to an overlook last time. The overlook looks to be several hundred yards to the west of the trailhead, and there are three benches along the gravel paths. There's a dirt path that goes from the right of this area down a small hill to the marsh. The dirt path turns into a boardwalk with occasional interpretative posts. Depending on the time of the year you go to this preserve, it will either strike you as a place of phenomenal beauty or one of the Gates of Hell. Several years ago we experienced this preserve as the former, then later the latter. Our first several encounters were when there were flowers everywhere. It was stunning. Later that summer, babysitting an Irish Wolfhound for a friend who was stuck in the hospital, we walked about the preserve - dogs must be on leashes - and we discovered the boardwalks were covered with overgrown foliage. So not taking a misstep off the boardwalk into water was a challenge. And then later, surprise! We and the dog caught ticks. It was simple to find the few that were on our legs and to remove them, but checking through the fur of a dog whose size is just short of a pony was arduous. So for this most recent time, we checked out the gravel paths and overlook. The paths wander around. The overlook, which is an inverted V shaped structure and already marked with graffiti, is a bit small but it provides a great view of the marsh below. The plateau above the marsh looks like it's a project and that SWMLC has something in mind to do with it. The parking is dirt and gravel except for the 2 spaces reserved for handicapped parking. Those 2 spaces are concrete. There is a white barn to the right of the parking lot that has the trails posted. Entering and exiting the preserve's parking lot can be tricky because there is a blind corner north of the entrance, so southbound traffic on Nazareth Rd. can just suddenly and unexpectedly appear. In short, a beautiful area. Watch out entering and leaving the parking area. Do tick prevention.

Beautiful nature preserve. Tons of native plants, animals and bugs. Good for families, dogs, hikers…read moreand maybe joggers. Really well made trails and beautiful scenery. Also some really great examples of trees and birds. There is good parking for handicap accessory vehicles.

Pavilions, baseball fields, basketball court and playground. Bathrooms during games open. Lots of…read moreparking. Great place to get into sports. Several fields to practice games in. Paved path for bikes, scooters or skating.

We love the Richland park. There is so much green space, it never really feels super busy. They…read morehave several baseball/softball fields, a football field, a basketball court, tons of parking and a sweet little playground. Coupled with several pavilions, this is a perfect spot for a family picnic or a gathering of friends. We've played kickball on the ball diamonds, ultimate frisbee on the big grassy area and hammocked in the trees. Just a great little park.

This park has a number of historical markers posted that commemorate Battle Creek's Quaker…read moreheritage. The Quaker meeting house was built here in 1871. It was at the dedication of the meeting house that Sojourner Truth sang. Meetings continued here until 1899. It is a full city block of open space with trees and walking paths. Benches, grills and a playground too. [Review 11052 overall, 825 of 2019.]