Parks & Nature

If nature refreshes your spirit, you’ll love Southwestern Michigan. Hang gliding from a towering dune. Bike or hike along miles of groomed railway trails. Listen to the cry of the loon on a hidden lake. Trot your horse down a quiet path. Play 18 holes of disc golf. Explore a cranberry bog. Build sandcastles on one of the top 10 family beaches in the U.S. (Parents magazine). Cross-country ski. Read in an English garden. We have preserved hundreds of acres of this area’s natural beauty and made it yours to play in and explore.

Arthur Dodd Memorial Park

Located along the Dowagiac Creek, near the County line, this 51 acre park has long been a destination spot for the water enthusiast.

Fernwood Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve

Fernwood is situated on the St. Joseph River near Buchanan, Michigan, only minutes north of South Bend, Indiana. Fernwood comprises 105 acres of gardens and natural areas. Visitors may enjoy woodlands, a prairie, cultivated gardens, an arboretum, springs, ponds, and miles of walking and hiking trails. Other features include a nature center, fern conservatory, art gallery, library, café, and garden and gift shops. The garden features an herb garden, rock garden, boxwood garden, fern and hosta collections, railway garden, English cottage border, Japanese Garden, and more.

Fred Russ Forest

Nestled along the Volinia Creek, Fred Russ Forest and Newton's Woods County Park, is a nature lovers paradise with its old growth forests, acres of wildflowers and abundant plant life. Located on Marcellus Highway, one-half mile east of Decatur Road near Volinia, Russ Forest offers two picnic shelters with electricity, potable water, equestrian and hiking trails, fishing (designated trout stream), horseshoe pits, and much more

Grand Mere State Park & Nature Area

Along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Adjacent to Lincoln Township Park, this 371-acre nature area is a favorite spot for "birders." As part of the 1,000-acre Grand Mere State Park, Grand Mere Nature Area offers a variety of settings for studying the outdoors, including sand dunes, beach woods, an old lake bed, a hemlock swamp and cranberry bog.

Kal Haven Trail State Park

The Kal Haven Trail is a bicycle and hiking trail that follows the old railway line from South Haven to Kalamazoo, a total of 34.1 miles away. The trail is non-technical and is mostly prepared path with some road stretches. Along the way the trail passes through a number of scenic natural areas and towns, each with their own attractions.

Love Creek County Park & Nature Center

Love Creek County Park & Nature Center features over 100 acres of meadows, forests, marshes and creeks. Visitors will enjoy hiking and skiing over 5 miles of trails. An interpretive building offers a nature book shop, classrooms, a variety of displays and exhibits, and a popular wild-life observation window through which you can observe an assortment of birds and mammals throughout the year.

Madeline Bertrand County Park

Located on the east bank of the St Joseph River, this park offers visitors a variety of outdoor activities. An 18-hole Disc Golf Course, designed by the world's leading course architect, is contained within Bertrand's pine and hardwood forests. Each hole features a cement tee-off area, a pole target and tee sign that indicates hole number, distance from tee to hole, par and an illustrated overview of the hole. Bring your plastic flying discs and enjoy the fun!

Sarett Nature Center

This unique nature center, located in southwestern Michigan's Berrien County, has five miles of trails meandering through its 800 acres. Our trail system includes boardwalks, observation platforms, and an easily accessible barrier-free walkway. Trails running along the Paw Paw River bluffs provide great views of the river valley below.

Silver Beach County Park

Located in St. Joseph at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, Silver Beach features a clean, wide beach on Lake Michigan and public access to the South Pier. It is a favorite destination for a variety of beach and river front activities, ranging from sunbathing and beach volleyball to pier fishing and sunset strolls

TK Lawless Park

This 820 acre nature park is open year-round and boasts a broad range of recreational activities.

Van Buren State Park

Outdoor sports enthusiasts will enjoy spending time at the Van Buren State Park. Located on Lake Michigan, the park offers visitors a variety of year-round activities.

Warren Dunes State Park

A summertime favorite, Warren Dunes State Park offers 1,507 acres of dunes and lakefront camping. Open year-round, the park offers camping and hunting in the Fall, cross-country skiing in the Winter, and picnicking, sailboarding, swimming, hiking, and hang-gliding in the Summer. 197 campsites with electricity, hot and cold running water, showers, bathrooms and fire circles make the park ideal for family camping

Warren Woods State Park

Warren Woods Nature Center, administered by the Warren Dunes State Park officials, is a favorite site for hikers and naturalists. The Woods is made up of a 311-acre tract of virgin beech and maple. Hikers will enjoy the rare chance this nature cente r provides to observe birds and small animals in an uncut, natural setting. Naturalists will also appreciate the wide variety of plants and wild flowers that grow in the woods - over 100 species!