🕷️ Crawler Inspector

- [Start Here](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/index.html) - List 1 ↓ [1\. Nan Weston & Sharon Mills](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/weston.html) [2\. Park Lyndon & W-P Trail](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/lyndon.html) [3\. Leonard Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/leonard.html) [4\. West Lake Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/westlake.html) [5\. Stinchfield Woods](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/stinchfield.html) [6\. Brauer Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/brauer.html) [7\. Sloan Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/sloan.html) [8\. Scio Woods Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/sciowoods.html) [9\. Saginaw Forest & Dolph](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/saginaw.html) [10\. Draper-Houston Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/draperhou.html) [11\. Bird, Barton & Kuebler-Langford](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/birdbarton.html) [12\. Argo, Bluffs & Bandemer](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/argobluban.html) [13\. The Arb, Gallup & Furstenberg](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/arboretum.html) [14\. Pittsfield Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/pittsfield.html) [15\. Whitmore Lake Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/whitmore.html) [16\. Lillie Park & Johnson Preserve](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/lillie.html) [17\. Marshall, Goodrich & more](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/marshall.html) [18\. Matthaei Botanical Gardens](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/botanical.html) [18A. Parker Mill & MBG Trail](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/parker.html) [19\. LeFurge Woods & SGN Trail](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/lefurge.html) [20\. Kosch, Weatherbee & more](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/kosch.html) [21\. Crosswinds Marsh](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/crosswinds.html) - List 2 ↓ [P1. Watkins Lake State Park](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/watkins.html) [P2. Waterloo Recreation Area](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/waterloo.html) [P3. Pinckney Recreation Area](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/pinckney.html) [P4. Brighton Recreation Area](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/brighton.html) [P5. Island Lake Recreation Area](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/islandlake.html) [P6. Maybury State Park](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/maybury.html) [P7. Proud Lake Recreation Area](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/proudlake.html) [P8. Highland Recreation Area](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/highland.html) - [What's New?](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/whatsnew.html) - [Site Map](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sitemap.html) - [Home](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/index.html) ## John's Guide to the Best Hikes in Washtenaw County And Nearby State Parks [](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/other/selfie1.jpg) [](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/photos/intro.jpg) ### Introduction So, what did you do during the Pandemic Summer (...and Fall and...) of 2020? When the stay-at-home orders came down, there was not much we were allowed to do outside besides shop for groceries and get socially-distanced exercise. As a result, finding interesting places to hike in Washtenaw County quickly became my new favorite hobby. While I had hiked in places like Bird Hills \[[Hike \#11](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/birdbarton.html)\], the Arboretum \[[Hike \#13](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/arboretum.html)\], and the [Waterloo State Recreation Area](https://www.michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/Waterloo)  \[see [Hike P2](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/waterloo.html)\] in the 1990s, I have to say I was gobsmacked by how much more there is to choose from now. Many of the hikes on this list are on lands acquired for public use only within the last 10 or 20 years. Yay us for having found room in our budget for this public good. I should have started this hobby years earlier, but it took a pandemic to help me overcome a bit of hike snobbery. As a native Californian who grew up hiking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, I was conditioned into thinking that a hike has to involve mountains and serious changes in elevation. Such things do not exist here in southern Michigan. Instead what we have is what my California self would call nature walks. And what this summer has taught me is *vive la différence.* We don't have mountains, but what we do have in this county is an amazing level of biodiversity and more than our fair share of natural beauty. ### About the First Set of Hikes The ordering of the first 21 hiking locations on this list is roughly west-to-east across Washtenaw County. In each case, you will find photos, links to trail maps and websites, tips and suggestions, and directions for those driving from Ann Arbor. Most of these sites offer a network of trails where one has many options and side trips to choose from. However, in a few cases, the variations are a bit more substantial. For example, [Hike \#2](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/lyndon.html) is really several distinct hikes originating from one location. [Hike \#13](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/arboretum.html) and [Hike \#14](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/pittsfield.html) have similar multiplicities. The practical reality is that you have more than 25 hikes to choose from here. My guidelines for inclusion in this first set have generally been - a hike at least 2 miles long, preferably longer, - true trails, not paved, - bikes not allowed on the trail, - free parking/no entrance fee, and - in Washtenaw County. So for example, the [B2B Trail](https://b2btrail.org/)  (a fantastic recreational resource for the entire county) is not on the list, although I do make use of it and other asphalt paths as connectors between unpaved trails in several of the hikes, such as [Hike \#12](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/argobluban.html) and [Hike \#13](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/arboretum.html). A number of hikes on the list also fall short of the guidelines in various other ways. For example, [Hike \#21](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/hikes/sites/crosswinds.html) is in Wayne County. ### About the Second Set: Hikes in State Parks In 2021, I began documenting a supplementary set of 25 great hikes in 8 nearby state parks and recreation areas. These all require a Michigan Recreation Passport, and therefore fail the "free parking/no entrance fee" standard used in the first set. Many of them also involve trails where mountain bikes are allowed and/or they are in neighboring counties. So they may have as many as three strikes against them. Even with these shortcomings, they are well worth it. The easiest way to get a Recreation Passport is to check the box and pay an extra \$15 when you renew the registration on your vehicle. For other options, visit the [Michigan DNR website](https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp) . *** © 2020, 2025 [John R. Stembridge](https://websites.umich.edu/~jrs/index.html)