Trails
The Kalamazoo Nature Center is home to over 14 miles of hiking trails winding through woods, wetlands, and prairies. Cross country skis and snowshoes welcome. Download the trail map or stop in to the Visitor Center or Welcome Station to pick up a printed map.
For the safety and enjoyment of all, the Kalamazoo Nature Center does not allow dogs, biking on trails, smoking, firearms, or horseback riding. Service animals are welcome, and complimentary parking is available for bikes and dog walking on the adjacent Kalamazoo River Valley Trail at the main KNC entrance.
Questions? Call 269-381-1574 or email us at contact@naturecenter.org
Discover the Trails
Prairie Pathway
0.7 mile loop | Easy
To the north of KNC’s main entrance, the Prairie Pathway Trail is made up of two easy, 0.5 and 0.7-mile loops that wind through the Emma Pitcher Prairie. The trail begins at the northern end of the Arboretum Loop and crosses the KNC Camp entrance road. Non-public spurs serve KNC’s seasonal bird research routes and provide trail access for KNC campers and staff. The restored prairie, first planted in the mid-1970s, is a beautiful show of flowers and tall grasses from spring to fall. Butterflies abound along the mowed pathways, and hikers enjoy swooping swallows and bluebirds who utilize the nesting boxes.
Winter provides a serene landscape of snow and a unique opportunity to watch birds feeding on seed heads of prairie plants. At the trail’s southernmost end, hikers will pass the demonstration panels of KNC’s solar array. In total, KNC generates one-third of its main campus energy needs from solar power.
Arboretum Trail
0.5 mile loop | Easy
The Arboretum features winding pathways surrounded by native plantings, taking visitors along the sculpture tour to the Arboretum Garden, a popular outdoor space for weddings and special events. The Arboretum also features:
- Nature’s Playground, a natural playscape with water features for kids of all ages. Climb, splash and play in the mud, the water tower, and stream features to help you stay cool on hot summer days.
- The Nest, KNC's new Birds of Prey enclosures, where you can visit the center's winged animal ambassadors.
- Bring a picnic lunch and sit on the lawn to enjoy seasonal programs in the Amphitheater.
- View the Tree Tour, a database of trees around the Arboretum.
Fern Valley
0.8 mile loop | Moderate
The Fern Valley Trail is a moderate, 0.7-mile hike to the old Sugarbush where generations of visitors have received a hands-on demonstration of maple sugaring. As hikers head out from the main parking lot, the understory opens, with impressive blankets of celadine poppy in spring, before entering the sugarbush. This area features several large maple trees – some over 150 years old.
Hikers then descend past the old sugar shack to the Fern Valley Pond. An overlook provides views of a spring-fed vernal pool, which is home to amphibians and water plants. Dead ash trees along the trail are evidence of the invasive emerald ash borer. Look for pileated woodpeckers searching for food among the downed trees. A connection to the Arboretum Trail provides views of the newly-planted sugarbush (2019) and contemporary Sugar Shack.
Habitat Haven
0.7 mile loop | Easy
This popular 0.6 mile loop takes hikers through some of the most outstanding and beautiful habitats in southwest Michigan! On your journey, you’ll explore pond, fen, stream, and forest habitats with a spur trail into the middle of the fen.
The trail begins right under the bridge to the Visitor Center. Other than three sections of boardwalk, the trail is gravel, making it friendlier to strollers and wheelchairs. The section leading from the building to the loop is the steepest part. Stop and visit with the birds in the outdoor mews at the trailhead, then follow the outflow from KNC’s geothermal heating and cooling system down to the fen.
Once on the loop, the first stop is the overlook at the East Fen Pond. Look for frogs and turtles in the water and Wood Ducks in the nest box. The trail continues, always near the fen but with enough forest to have spring wildflowers. A spur trail, mostly boardwalk, goes right out into the fen, ending with an overlook at Trout Run Stream. During the summer and fall, the fen is exploding with flowers.
Right after the juncture with the Ridge Run Trail, the trail becomes a bridge over Trout Run Stream. Michigan’s glaciated past makes an appearance; A sunny hillside is actually part of an esker, sediment deposited by a glacial river thousands of years ago. Trout Run Stream briefly parallels this ancient riverbed. After crossing over the stream, the trail continues as a boardwalk through the delicate wet area. The connection with Cooper’s Overlook trail is near the end of the boardwalk and the loop is nearly full circle.
Camp
at KNC’s Stryker Nature Preserve
for Ages 3 & under
Our Sprouts program is perfect for young children aged 3 and under, with their caregivers, to explore, climb, get messy, observe, build, craft, and tell stories while fostering an early love of nature. Each session will have a small group size of 12 children with a caregiver.
Workshops & Events
Learn about the ancient tradition of wreath making. Take a hike through a twilight prairie to search for fireflies. Head to the forest to gather materials for a hand-crafted meal using foraged delicacies.
At KNC, we invite people of all ages to reconnect with the natural world and rediscover your creative voice, no matter your experience level. Check out the calendar for a variety of upcoming programs!