Nature is grand! If you like hiking, this is a great location to visit. There are lots of stairs,…read moresome elevation, and sand! It was peaceful, especially by the water. I'd return if I was in the area. You need a parking permit- so come prepared. It wasn't very busy, which is a plus.

Rosy Mound Natural Area's dunes, forested trails, and shoreline views were stunning!…read more Pulling in there is small parking lot, restrooms, and pay station kiosk for the $8 daily permit. The 2.2 mile trail starts at the parking lot leading you through the woods right to Lake Michigan's shoreline. The trail consist of dirt, dune, and board walk paths with a total of 360 stairs; so get those quads ready! Thankfully there are lots of shaded places to stop and rest with benches along the paths and between flights of stairs. Note to mention: This is a no pet area so keep your furry friends at home! Would definitely recommend Rosy Mound if you're up for a short hike and want to enjoy a breathtaking shoreline view or beach at the end.

Amazing nature, great hiking, so many birds and, and very peaceful. Highly recommendedread more

Beautiful trails and butterfly exhibit. Stayed a few hours waking the many trails. I was advised…read morethere's around 8mi of trails. Butterfly exhibit was nice and captured plenty of photos. A nice place to solo visit or bring family and children.

This is a beautiful state park with tree covered trails to hike. If hiking sand dunes is not your…read morething there are other trails. If it is, it could be a training pre-curser to bigger dunes. In any regard, it is rustically beautiful. There are porta-potties and picnic tables near the parking lot.

This is such a lovely state park with hiking right to the beach. I had a great time with my pups…read moreand enjoyed the water which wasn't too hot and neither too cold. The sand is great and the hike is pretty short (about 15 mins) a lot of people walked in with towels, chairs, blankets, and were lazing around great place. Just be aware of ticks. Seems like there were a lot of banners and I had my tick spray so that was great.

My family absolutely loves the KNC. When the weather is glum, there are lots of things to do for…read morekids inside. When it's nice outside, there are tons of trails and lots of exploring to be done. We typically start inside, and then we hit the trails. Lots of birds to see and streams to play in. The imagination runs free at Kalamazoo Nature Center! With annual passes available (around $80 for a family), the investment in the community is well worth it!

Lovely place, first time my wife and I had been there. We walked several trails and toured the…read morevisitors center. The trails were well made and matained. We will be back. We were impressed in the COVID precautions. Temperature checks and contacting info.

My favorite beach in Michigan…read more I've been to: Douglas Beach (wonderful neighborhood beach nearby) West Side County Beach (a bit south of Oval and lots of rocks to collect) as well as North and South Beach in South Haven, and a few other neighborhood ones there. Oval wins for me for a lot of reasons. Great, abundant parking ($15 per car for the day, $75 for the season as of 2026). Good restrooms, snack bar, but most importantly, lots of space on the beach to spread out and enjoy. Vibes are immaculate here. We had several days on our trip where this was it. We set up a beach tent, packed sandwiches, and had a blast. The waves were big a few days which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's kind of a roll of the dice whether the water is fine or a bit too chilly, but it's fun nevertheless. So, to sum it all up. SUN. WAVES. EASY. BEAUTIFUL. I will dream of the time spent here, especially come mid-February when we'd give nearly anything for a nice weather day.

You pay $15 per car to get in but it is worth it. Great area to swim, has bathrooms and a snack…read moreshack. The beach itself is well kept and no trash was seen. Great for watching sunsets and swimming. No stairs or easy way down if you have motility issues. :( My elderly mom was happy sitting at a picnic table at the top of the beach but was unable to touch water. That's ok but I wish I would have seen it somewhere so we could have picked a different beach the day she was visiting.

I spotted a bald eagle hiking along the Grand River while enjoying the Grand Ravines the other day!…read more This is a large park that has a dog park on the south side that is fenced in and well utilized. If hiking, the path has a paved loop, but you will need to cross a suspension bridge. There are also off the beaten trails that take you into the ravines and over 100+ stairs down to the river bed. It looks like they've connected Grand River Park to Grand Ravines and Ottawa county will eventually connect all the parks to make a path all the way to Lake Michigan. That is very exciting! You can easily run or walk whatever you're training for here, and the varied topography of woods, fields, ravines, and rivers makes for a scenic and interesting time. Enjoy!

What a great local park! Many miles of trails through fields and wooded areas. We love to take…read moreour dog here for walks. There is also a dog park and bigger off-leash areas where you can let your pup run free. They have onsite parking as well.

Nice little dog friendly beach for our pups first time at the beach! There were plenty of places to…read morepark but we got there pretty early. Short walk to the beach. It was a pretty small area and pretty packed but it was a holiday weekend when we went. Wasn't the most clean/pristine beach but we didn't expect that for a dog friendly beach. There were bathrooms up near the parking lot. Kind of a mixed sand rock beach but mostly sand. When we left, the parking lot was packed and people were lining the street, so I'd say go early if you want a parking spot.

One of the top highlights of our week stay in South Haven. This small secluded nature preserve has…read morea modest rocky beach perfect for small treasure hunting. At the beach we found geodes, lightening rocks, and sea glass. This area has a small 45ish car parking lot. It is dog friendly (dogs must be on leash and picked up after). There's a .33 mile trail that is not difficult. Park is free and a great way to spend some time in nature!

The Kellogg Research Forest is an interesting & m as maintained forestry research facility. Like…read morethe USFS, it's a bit too rah rah forestry industry focused but is genuinely educational about the tree species on display in various stands ... there is a surprising number of species showing what goes into commercializing a selected species or figuring out which species will thrive under which environmental conditions...

Hidden nature trail, you never believe this is only 20 min away from Kalamazoo, hiking, house…read moreridding, pretty in summer, great place to ski in winter, part of Kellogg Biological Station, open to public. It is a part of the National Park's North Country National Scenic Trail form NY to North Dakota under construction, longest continuous hiking trail in US! http://www.nps.gov/noco/index.htm After the rainy day all the forest trees smells REFRESHING! Jan/ 2014 About a beautiful swamp board walk: a secret garden Just before the covered bridge and trail entrance gate form the parking lot, go walk left-north, there are rest room, maple syrup log house, picnic area beside the trout creek, keep walking for about 5min. The end of the road with a driving loop, you will see the bridge to cross the creek. Cross the creek walk bridge and you will find the most beautiful little area of this forest, board walk through the swamp with water plants. Best time is in Spring green time. Stay walk along with the creek side trail ( stay with left trails) and cross the high voltage power line. You will see the maple syrup gathering place, start crumbing along with north side syrup correcting tubes you will go back to the north end of main trail. It is about 15min walk. If you like to stay in loop trail, go straight up to the bit steep trail form the main road crossing ( there are two trails go up hill, go right-south hill trail). about 50min you be back to the east side of the covered bridge to the parking lot. This is a great walk including 20 min climbing - cardio, and 15min relaxing gentle down hill, feels like taking exercise class. Have a little great time in nature! Map is available at the ranger station beside the parking lot!