First time here, and it was beautiful. Hilly trail with packed dirt, paved, wood stairs, and…read moreboardwalk sections. Be aware that there are many roots and rocks on the trail so keep your eye out for tripping hazards especially with the fall leaves. The Rouge River runs through the grounds so there are little pockets of flowing water. I saw at least 7 deer, including a young buck with a small rack hiding in the brush. There were many different birds including a few woodpeckers, cardinals and blue jays. I'm pretty sure I saw a falcon too. I'll be back to enjoy the trails and wildlife again

Stage Nature Center offers relaxing hikes through some well-marked wood chip and boardwalk trails…read more The trails are beautiful and even for not being that large, you could enjoy it for hours. Rouge River runs through for a nice natural water source. There are plenty of benches along the trails so you're never without the option to sit for too long. There is plenty of wildlife. I always see tons of deer wandering about. There is a resident racoon family, rescued owls, mallard ducks, and even the wild turkeys!! Plenty to see that will entertain young and old.

Raintree Park is one of the greater parks in Troy. It is a half wooded and half open space with a…read morepaved walking loop throughout. I especially loved that the park has partnered with the Troy Public Library to make the loop a Storybook Trail, which changes books monthly! Visitors can enjoy a 9-hole disc golf course, ball diamond, play structures, swings, sand volleyball, and a picnic shelter. The swings include traditional swings, baby bucket swings, as well as one ADA swing. There is plenty of parking and the restrooms seem to be open seasonly.

Nice park for gathering; baseball diamond, disc golf course, walking path, playground and a…read morepavilion. Restrooms seemed nice and there was an employee emptying the trash cans.

One of the standout features of Licht Park is its expansive playground. The forestry vibes and…read morequiet environment gives children a chance to play and explore in a safe and natural environment. This park is a great source of entertainment and health exercises. It provides picnic tables, two fun playgrounds for your kids, a trail (to walk, jog, run, and even bike), and many exercise equipments around the area. Whenever you do a full circle around the park, there is a fountain at the start to keep you hydrated! There are many places to get rest, including benches and tables. Even when you need shade on a summer day, there are several trees covering the whole park. Pull out a blanket, lay down, and enjoy! The park isn't just for any age range or alone. It's also great for spending time with family. The park mostly has children, but that doesn't mean adults can't have fun either! There are swing sets and balance poles for adults. While it may not be the largest park in the city, its a beloved spot for both locals and visitors. The only reason why I didn't give it a 5 star, is because the bathrooms are always locked or there is construction done near there! If you can't hold it in, I suggest not going here! Otherwise, this place is my favorite and new visitors are welcomed.

Great park to take kids. They recently upgraded the restrooms and walking paths. Also well…read moremaintained!

There's so much for everyone at this park in Troy; a brand new playscape with a ninja wall, covered…read morepavilion, a paved walking trail which leads to small rustic trail in the woods, a wonderful lake for fishing or kayaking, and restrooms. There's plenty of native plants and wildlife, beautiful blooming flowers in July, and a unique bamboo tunnel. Free to the public to enjoy!

Sylvan Glen Lake Park is a hidden gem right off Rochester Road…read more It is great for a walk, picnic, and fishing. The back and forth walking path is paved leading around the lake into a beautiful forest area. Only about a third of the lake is accessible since the neighboring golf course locks the northern side. The accessible lakeside is shallow. Along the lake you will find benches to rest at or fishermen young and old. The onsite restrooms and water fountain were super helpful! Sylvan Glen Lake Park is a great spot to spend for the day or even stop on the way home from work for a fresh breath of air!

Indian Springs is one of my favorite Metro Parks. The Discovery Center has plenty of exploration…read moreopportunities, including a fun indoor scavenger hunt. The lower level takes you underground to get a fish eye view of the pond where we were greeted by a bluegill. You can rent event space inside the Discovery Center or one of the pavilions throughout the park. Visit during the summer to enjoy the splash park. Visit year-round to slow down and enjoy nature!

I recently paid my second visit to Indian Springs, the most far flung Metropark from my Detroit…read moreNorth End home. On my inaugural trip I biked the buttery smooth cycling trail taking a loop through beautiful woods, a circuit just long enough for some scenery and exercise but without any what-did-I-get-myself-into exhaustion. They have an absolutely lovely bike trail out here in White Lake, one that I'd judge to be second best in the 13 park Huron-Clinton Metropark chain, trailing only the magnificent Kensington which makes a full circuit of Kent Lake. I was a bit bummed on my maiden voyage here that I couldn't make my way into the Discovery Center as it was booked for a wedding that day. I really wanted to see the pond dome, a basement aquarium that's just a big observation bubble beneath the surface of a pond. Them's the breaks; they gotta pay the bills and it did sound like an intriguing place to get hitched. Last week I made the drive back out here to get my pond doming in. It was really cool, but also slightly underwhelming. Not a whole lot of fish or much variety of fish and no frogs or other reptiles to be found. The dome was pretty sludgy in places but I could still see over 20 feet into the pond as demonstrated by a series of targets with labels showing how far away they were. Other reviewers have complained about not being able to see far which makes me wonder how often it's cleaned. It's really gotta be a serious pain to keep this dome free of algae and pond scum and what not. At any rate it was in reasonable shape on the day I went. And I wonder if the time of year figures into how few fish I saw. Maybe I'm spoiled by aquariums that stock aquatic life rather than this honest to goodness look into actual nature. Like I said it is really cool but it also didn't quite live up to the initial thrill and jolt of wonder I got from first walking into it. I didn't see a whole lot else in the Discovery Center either but the taxidermied wolf near the entrance is something else! I also walked a shorter nature trail on my second visit here. It was a loop around a hill with tall grass. There was another pond to look at but really the views weren't that great. I also wasn't far from the park's main access road - not do naturey. I posted one pic on Instagram of the overcast gray October sky above the tall swaying grass that I thought looked like could have been the moody inspiration for a Van Gogh painting and it only got four likes. So I don't think the trails that navigate fields here are so great. The longer hiking trails that wind back through the woods look a lot more appealing. Perhaps if I manage a third trip out this way I can tackle one of those. All in all, this is a fine Metropark but doesn't have nearly the amount of attractions as some of the other larger parks in the chain. Maybe cause it's out in the boonies. There's a kids splash pad but no place where I as an adult would feel comfortable cooling off with some water. There's golf but no disc golf for us frisbee throwers. All my grousing about this and that on here is mostly nitpicking. This is a good park and I'd probably have it at five stars if I lived nearby. But I don't so four stars it is.

I love coming to the nature trail with my doggos! It offers an abundance of shade on a hot summer…read moreday!! The trail is very well maintained with lots of trail markers. I'd rate it an easy trail with a few different paths to take all under 2 miles or so. We've spotted a lot of nature life and it's a very peaceful and relaxing walk. The nature center even hosts a few events for the public to register. There's a few spots to sit and enjoy the nature scale and surrounding sounds, a pond by the nature center, and a story book trail for the kiddos!

This hidden gem tucked amongst residential homes boasts a paved walking trial through mature forest…read moreand wetlands. A hotspot for spring migration and a wonderful place to explore nature year-round. Nature Center: Admire the water feature, watch birds coming to the feeders, meet the animal residents, hands-on activities/exploration, birthday parties, and register for one of their programs/events. Story Book Trail: Quick loop near the nature center with stories that change every season. 10/10 Family Friendly!

Simply incredible, honestly one of the most peaceful trails in the area, if you're thinking about…read morevisiting, just do it

A nice trail you can ride in full in one trip. I did in in two, but on the first day I also pedaled…read morethe adjacent Clinton River Trail to its Pontiac terminus and on the second I also did a mile or two of the Michigan Air Line Trail til I got to one of its trailheads that just couldn't be on the end of the trail. So, yeah, a lot of these trails just kind of bleed into each other which is awesome for a big interconnected trail system where people can just cycle across the whole state but it can be tricky if you're sitting down to write a Yelp review and figure out where the arbitrary boundaries are. The WBT is crushed limestone which isn't buttery smooth like it's paved neighbor the Michigan Air Line Trail but it only offers moderately more resistance to a good mountain bike and Joni Mitchell won't be singing any songs about them ruining nature with it. You get two parks intersecting this trail. The West Bloomfield Nature Preserve is the larger and where I parked on both my trips here. It looks like there's some pretty good hiking, non-pedal-friendly trails there and I did walk a bit of one but the rigors of my bike ride that day kept me from getting too far. Like the Michigan Air Line Trail, it's another Yelp review for another day after I've racked up more experience. But it is an added bonus. The other park is some rinky dink city park with kids playground equipment but it does have a little shelter with a picnic table or two, perfect for a little snack, water, what have you break. There's also a couple tunnels, a couple lakes, or maybe ponds, it's pretty borderline there and a long photogenic boardwalk looking bridge near the west end of the trail. One downside of this trail is it criss-crosses Orchard Lake road again and again and traffic can be pretty heavy. There's a couple buttons on crossings giving us cyclists the awesome power of unleashing traffic signals to bring those multi-ton polluters to a grinding halt, but there's also a couple times they leave us to twist in the wind, fending for our fragile two-wheeled existence against the uncaring commuters. One is near not one but two curves in the winding road so it's a dicey proposition that can leave you waiting in frustration for moments that turn to minutes and more minutes. I could almost go four stars here but can't quite commit to it. I'll call WBT a 3.5 even if that's not a thing on Yelp.

I think this is one of the best hidden gems and I hope it stays that way... lol it has a lot of…read moredifferent trails to walk some take you through nature and some even take you to the lake if you can climb down a small set of dirt slopes. It's very much worth coming and checking out. I went here to hang out with a good buddy of mine and we spent time catching up and checking out the trails there were a few deer and some squirrels but the real draw here are the different trails and path ways which are fairly even despite a few protruding roots. There is also rest area which has a large cement structure to get outta the sun or chill at. Be careful to not pass up the entrance as the gps pointed an entrance about 80ft past where it actually was. If you're looking for a wonderful natural beauty place to hang out with great trails, lake views and benches then this is the hidden gem for you!