I haven't been here since last year and briefly considered a little refresher visit as I was in the…read morearea just before sundown last week. Turns out construction had Clinton River road shut down in the area of this park and honestly it didn't seem like any great loss. I mostly wanted a return visit mainly cause this place wasn't all that memorable apart from the bugs being really bad. I've taken to rolling with bug spray in my ride and thought I had applied it pretty liberally but the mosquitoes were still just feasting on me. I posted some pics of here last year but never bothered to review it til now so you know, what does that tell you? The trails here go quite a long way actually but aren't delineated well at all so it's hard to tell if you're on a trail or not. I mean, the park is a long winding strip of land that basically just follows the river so the trails usually do the same but sometimes they just peter off or look like they branch off in one direction or another with neither looking adequate. Canal Park is a little respite from endless suburbia but if you can drive aways Dodge Park is much nicer with a similar Clinton River setting and less voracious insect life. I kind of envy the person who came here in February. They did say it was a pretty warm day for then so I don't imagine there was a pretty blanket of snow over everything but a winter hike here does sound somewhat appealing. No bugs then! Construction should be done by then, too. If I'm out here when snow makes it look like a winter wonderland I might just give Canal Park another shot.

This is a pretty decent park with trails and a lot of greenery. You have to be very careful though…read more When we went there was some mud issues where I was slipping a bit. Also, right off the pathway I saw tons of poison. If someone was walking towards us, we had to scoot to one side but I did not step i to any of the grassy areas because of all the poison. Another major issue was the tons and tons of mosquitos biting us all over and our dogs. If you do decide to walk through the trails, be sure to pack some spray with you. Another issue we had when we came was this young couple swimming and they had their dog with them. They did not put their dog on a leash. It ran and jumped out of the brush and tried to attack both of my dogs. The couple were too busy making out and didnt even try to grab the dog. Just be aware of your surroundings.

Holland Ponds is the best place for hiking! My friends and I love coming here with our dogs because…read morethere is a river through the entire place, which means plenty of opportunities for the dogs to swim! The park is also connected to the apple trail, which leads to Yates Cider Mill, so it's honestly the best place to spend an afternoon! The dogs have fun, the humans have fun, you can take a mid-hike break to fuel up with cider and donuts, and then head back through Holland Ponds! The only downside to the park is that it's close to a shooting range of some sort, far enough away that you can't see anything, only hear things, so for dogs that spook a bit towards fireworks and the like, they will be able to hear sounds that might make them a bit jumpy.

I like this park for many reasons, but mainly because it has that true nature feel to it with so…read moremuch to look at and take in as you walk and meander it's trails. The main trail is gravel, but there are areas that veer off here and there along the way that take you off the beaten path and into some 'real' nature trails. With so much to offer, you can venture off and explore the foliage, ponds, wildflowers, rabbits, birds, frogs and the elusive (at least for me so far) Blue Herons. In fact this park is a Blue Heron Rookery and a nesting area for them as well. Look up into the trees while walking along their nesting areas because they build their large 3 foot by 3 foot nests high in the trees out of twigs. There are signs as well warning the public not to enter their sacred nesting areas. It's very quiet, serene and even a tad rustic compared to the other parks in the county. It does have benches along the way, but the grasses in mid summer have grown up and around some of them making them not so easy to sit on. They also have a small pavilion that once had a picnic table, but the table is now gone, so it's 'just a pavilion' hoping for another table one day so it can once again have visitors sit under it's covered and shady rest area. But why not carry one of those fold up chairs and heck, bring a picnic bag lunch and enjoy a quiet meal as you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. Make sure to look up and side to side as you're traversing the trail because there are things to look at all around if you take the time to explore. You're so close to the city, yet so far away when you're in the middle of this park so take the time to enjoy all of it's offerings. There are areas where you can get a nice picturesque glimpse of the lily pads in the water and listen to the frogs croaking their tunes as you meander along the path. If you like the type of setting where you seem one with nature and you like a calm, serene setting, this park is a must to visit. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and see one or more of the Blue Herons. If not, there's always next time because this peaceful park is worth exploring when you want to get away from the city grind.

We have hesitated to stay at Algonac State Park but finally gave in and reserved a spot in the…read moreWagon Wheel... ...aside from the mosquitos and being situated on what seemed to be a giant ant hill, it was great! We made note of a few other sites we'd like to stay at and plan to return. We liked the privacy that the Wagon Wheel offered, compared to the Lakefront (parking lot camping is not our thing). There was plenty of path for us to ride our bikes so we spent most of our time riding. Next time, we plan to bring a bow and arrow so the littles can try some archery. All in all, it was a great visit and we are looking forward to our next one.

This is a very popular state park. It was busy over the weekend with families. Now it's the…read morechildfree camping time. Roads are reverting back to nature (lots of holes and ruts) in the section closest to the St. Clair River, but they are reasonably sized campsites. In the newer section of the park the roads are better, but the sites are smaller. And there are culverts between the sites, which right now are breeding mosquito pits. I'm surprised that there is still a shooting range here at the park, but if you don't mind that noise all weekend, it's not a big deal. I love watching the freighters go by all day long. Its mesmerizing. I think I will try for a river view next time.

Great paved walking trails. Lots of wooded area. Perfect place to take your dog. Poop bags are…read moreavailable on location.

It's no Stony Creek, River Bends or Polly Ann Trail but then I guess it's no joke like Harrington…read moreTrails Park either. A heavily wooded, overgrown plot of land I'd driven by a couple times and vaguely noticed as some sort of nature park, I then saw Wilcox-Warnes reviewed right here on Yelp and made it a point to turn into its little blink-and-you-miss-it lot. I was kind of up that way for my cousin's graduation party anyway. I had to duck under some low hanging branches, likely from a tree felled in one of the intense storms we've had here in Michigan this summer. The planks which alternated with plain ol dirt for the trail came in handy but in a few places the path was very nearly lost in foliage. But with no machete I still managed to make my way through. It really was like a whole little other world as soon as I crossed that first trail blockage. The trails here aren't the longest but I wasn't really expecting them to be either. I got in a nice little hike right before the sunset with the only other nature goers leaving just as I set off. These woods seem like they'd be loaded with mosquitoes but i just roll with a bottle of Off! in my glove compartment these days so I emerged from my trail walk bite free. There's a little bridge in one place but what looked to be a creek bed was nothing but mud. Odd since we've gotten loads of rain recently in southeast Michigan. Someone build a dam near here or something? The laminated sign reading TRAIL ENDS was also odd in a way that was both hilarious and disappointing. There's room here to just have a trail that loops around instead of just abruptly ceasing so you have to double back but whatever I guess. There's one nice little meadow but other than that Wilcox-Warnes is heavily wooded. And you can hear noise from the road in places but it is a nice little respite from outer suburbia. Truthfully, it's nothing too special and I wouldn't go too far out of my way for this nature reserve with the superior options listed at the beginning of the review but Wilcox-Warnes does offer something pretty rustic if basic. I thought about three stars, but given that this land could easily be eaten up by brown and beige McMansions, condos, strip malls or other insidious, encroaching developments, I'll give WW a four.

I went to the Wolcott Farm area with the kids. They saw some cows, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens,…read moreducks, horses, and donkeys. They had baby chicks and some bunnies as well. Each building you can walk inside to see the animals. They have staff do feedings at different times. We watched them feed a 16 year old sheep as well which was super cool. They had little baby animals too and it was so much fun watching them eat. I did see that they do cow feedings as well at 10am but we didn't make it to see if it was happening. When we entered, it said that it was part of metroparks. They didn't have anyone checking passes because it was a field trip that was covered. They have a sitting area covered and a small little play park next to it as well. They do have a building with bathrooms inside if needed.

What a wonderful park to visit. We had a great time venturing through the trails and though we only…read moretook the short mile one it was a great experience I'll soon do again. The bathrooms were very clean and the park policeman was very kind. I only know this because we didn't see the sign that they closed at 5 that day and over stayed our visit. He called us on the loud speaker lol. Go check it out.

Bear Creek Nature Park in Oakland Township, Michigan, is a 107-acre park with trails for hiking…read morethroughout hardwood forests, marshes, and meadows. It offers amenities such as a picnic pavilion, playground, and bathrooms. Spring ephemerals include the stunning white trillium. There's plenty of wildlife and it's a great spot for birding.

Easy access to Clinton river roadside park. Fishable on the river bank. Lots of car noise. Benches…read morein need of repair and clean up. Lots of poop. And strong smell of dog poop in many areas. Picnic tables and bbq's.

I can't say enough things about this park! It's a great place for the entire family. There's plenty…read moreof pavilions, baseball diamonds, pickle ball, splash pad, several playgrounds, a walking path etc. Theres a restroom area and grills. Great place for all kinds of parties. Across the street is Chrysler beach where you can swim or fish. There's a kayak launch and it's the perfect place to watch the freighters go by. There's also another play set for kids to play on. In the summer months there's a concession stand open, along with the restrooms. I utilize the bay to bridge bike path on a weekly basis for running. The St. Clair River is the perfect spot to watch the sunrise.

Opens at sunrise, closes promptly @ midnight. Steps head down to seawall at water's edge. A couple…read morepicnic tables. Great place to watch all the boat traffic pass by. Drive slowly or you'll miss the driveway in. This park is nestled in with the residential properties that line the shore.