This place is great for hiking and meeting up with friends! I really enjoy all the flora & River.read more

The Black River Preserve is truly a spectacular place. The location of the preserve, along the…read moreLake Michigan coastal area, makes it a premier migratory songbird stopover. There is also great biological diversity ranging from poplars and redbud trees to hemlocks and birch trees. The Preserve encompasses 120 acres of rolling forest, meadows, and scenic tributary ravines. The trails are all marked and offer easy-to-difficult hiking options. We spent a Sunday afternoon in October walking through this magical preserve. The Mainstem Trail is the most direct route through the preserve. We traversed slops of the north and middle ravine and crossed streams along the way. We stopped at the "quiet spot" bridge and closed our eyes and just listened to the peaceful sounds of nature. The Black River Preserve is located on 8th Ave. in South Haven. There is a gravel park lot and a trail map posted at the trail head. If you are looking for a place to go for nature and a quiet atmosphere, be sure to check out the Black River Preserve.

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.

Clear Springs Nature Preserve is a great hidden gem in Montague! It is a spring, meaning the water…read morenever freezes. The tranquility is unmatched. There is beauty at Clear Springs no matter the season. There are quite a few hiking trails to choose from. Most of the trails are loops. There are never a ton of people there which is nice. Dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash. There is a porta-potty there all year round so if you have to go, no worries! A great spot to get some fresh air and get a few miles in. You will not be disappointed!

Absolute MUST stop if you have pups and are in the area. This was arguably the highlight of our…read moretrip. Brought our two teens, our 5mo puppy and our 7yo senior dog. Our senior one is not very energetic and was never much of a retriever. WELL, he LOVED retrieving the ball & competing with the pup. BEST PART: they both learned how to swim here!!! Oh how I wish we had something like this near our home!

Wow what a hidden Gem. Hidden away between Muskegon and Whitehall. You pull into a nice ordinary…read morepark. Then there is a nice boardwalk path that leads to a beach area along side a Duck Lake. A very nice view in itself. Then the boardwalk travels on, then goes under a bridge and next to a sand dune, then Bam! The lake and path funnel into Lake Michigan and the path onto an amazing beach. I had no idea this beautiful public beach was here. The views are outstanding and the sand is pristine. We took the dog, yes on a leash, for a walk of the beach and had a great time. Overall an easy 5 star review. Would I return? Absolutely! A must stop.

Always a great place to camp near our son and family. Close to Lake Michigan with beautiful mature…read moretrees, clean restrooms and electrical hookups on many sites.

P.J. Hoffmaster State Park was such a good time! Went with the little ones and it did not…read moredisappoint. The visitor center is a nice surprise, they've got a little nature center inside with live animals, saw a turtle and some fish in there, and the kids were obsessed. Nothing crazy or overdone but just enough to keep them entertained and learning a bit about the dunes before you head out. Then you hit the stairs up to the top and whew, worth every step. The view of the water and the dunes from up there is gorgeous. Staff around the park were friendly and helpful too, made the whole visit easy.

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.

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!

Nice newer park. Theres trails...macatawa rivwr access for fishing. A pavilion and playground…read moreequioment. Make sure to look at the park signs for a map, the park kind od winds through the outskirts of Holland/ Zeeland.

Hudsonville Nature Center ⁣ ⁣…read more76 BEAUTIFUL acres of woodlands, wetlands and prairies is tucked away is this neighborhood. It's absolutely gorgeous in the Fall. ⁣ ⁣ These hiking trails are well kept and well loved by the community. Along the trail are lookouts, bridges, and picnic areas. The nature center offers guided tours as well! ⁣

I was brought here as a surprise stop with Coastal Tours. I had actually never heard of this field…read morenor seen any photos. But I was blown away by how beautiful it was. Our guide told us about the history behind the field which was truly harrowing but showed the beauty of love and the cyclical nature of life. I was incredibly moved going here, it's somewhere that you can come and visit during any period of life but it's a good place to remember when things get tough. I'm sorry for the people who created this field but so beyond grateful for the ways in which they've turned grief into something so meaningful and moving. If you do come here, please respect what the space is for/about but I highly recommend you come here.

This is astonishingly beautiful -- looks like a Monet painting of southern France, with a rich…read morecontrast of textures and colors the longer you stare at it. It was raining and I still found myself just standing and prolonging the moment. Pull off at the cemetery and make five minutes for it. What a tribute.