Grand Rapids Day Hikes

Best Easy Day Hikes Grand Rapids
Kevin Revolinski
2012

This guidebook is part of the Falcon Guide Where-To-Hike series.  It's a slim volume (about 90 pages) that would easily fit in a jacket pocket.  It includes descriptions of 20 trails near Grand Rapids, with a small map of each trail system.  All of the trails are reasonably close to Kalamazoo.  Several of the trails are in parks on Lake Michigan or in popular State Recreation Areas, but over half of the trails were new to me.

Here are a selection of trails from the book:

1. Otis Sanctuary
1.9 mile lollipop

2. Millennium Park
4.4 mile lollipop

3. Pickerel Lake
3.4 mile loop

4. Cooper Creek/Spencer Forest
 3.0 mile lollipop

5. Aman Park
3.7 mile loop

6. Hofma Park
3.0 mile loop 

7. Swan Creek (Allegan State Game Area)
5.9 mile loop

8. Warren Townsend
1.6 mile double loop 

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other booksellers, and libraries.

Hiking Indiana

Hiking Indiana
Sally McKinney
2000 

This guidebook, by the author of  Country Roads of Indiana, covers 100 day hikes in 45 parks throughout Indiana.   It's part of the same series as Hiking Michigan  and it features the same "Trail Finder": a list of all the trails that summarizes distance, difficulty, and trail features.   Each entry includes a trail map, a thumbnail state map showing its location, information about the park or recreation area, description of the trails, and a list of nearby points of interest.  The book includes a few black and white photos.  The hikes are divided into three regions: north, central, south.


Indiana Hikes relatively close to Kalamazoo

1. Elkhart
Elkhart Architecture Walk 3.5 miles
Elkhart Riverside Parks 3.7 miles
Bonneyville Mill North Loop 1 mile
Bonneyville Mill Lookout Loop 0.83 miles
"Elkhart, an early settlement at a river junction eventually became a sprawling manufacturing community.  Despite its growth, Elkhart has preserved many historic buildings, including early commercial buildings, churches, and homes."

Other areas of interest: Elkhart Environmental Center, Heart City Bike Tour (bike map pdf)

2. South Bend Riverside Parks
Howard Park to East Race Waterway 1 mile
"Hike through riverside parks that provide green oases in a large metropolitan area."

Other areas of interest:  Chapin Park National Register District, West Washington National Register District.



3. Potato Creek State Park
Quaking Aspen Loop 1 mile
Porter Rea Loop 2.5 miles
"The 327-acre lake was formed by stopping the waters of Potato Creek with an earthen dam."

Other areas of interest:  Lake Maxinkuckee

3 LaPorte County Parks
Hickory Hollow 0.75 miles
Crabapple Corners 0.8 miles

"In northern LaPorte County, the sandy lake bottom remained after the ancient Lake Chicago receded.  In southern LaPorte County, small freshwater lakes and moraines were formed by glacial action."
[Luhr County Park]

Other areas of interest: Pinhook Bog



4. Indiana Dunes State Park
Dune Mountain 1.5 miles
Forest to Dune Ridge 3.75 miles 
"There were four major glaciations here during the last million years.  Working in concert, glaciers, wind, and water created a distinctive and unusual moraine topography near the Lake Michigan shore."

Other areas of interest: Calumet Bike Trail



5. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Miller Woods 1.1 miles
West Beach-- Dune Succession Loop 1 mile
West Beach Loop 1.65 miles
Cowles Bog to Beach 2 miles
Beach to Cowles Bog 3.0 miles
Chellberg Farm Loop 1.2 miles
 "Behind the beach are the shifting sand dunes and behind them the swales, or depressions.  Farther back from the lake, there may be forest, then a marsh, than another type of forest, then a stream."

Other areas of interest: Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education


6. Chain O'Lakes State Park
Self-Guided Nature 0.5 miles
Sand Lake 1.3 miles
"Canoeists can put in at Miller Lake; paddle east through channels connecting three small lakes; and cross Sand lake, Bowen Lake, and Dock Lake before arriving at Long Lake, which is the end of the chain.  Hikers find trails around these lakes and use bridges to cross the narrow channels."  In this park, the lack of motorboats greatly enhances ta wildlife-watching experience."
Other areas of interest: Lake Wawasee, Lake Webster, Sylvan Lake



7. Pokagon State Park
Hell's Point 2.5 miles
Bluebird Hills  2 miles
"Before European settlers came, this area was favored by the Potawatomi Indians.  In fact, Pokagon State Park is named for two Potawatomi leaders, a father and son, who transferred title to three million acres to the federal government for about three cents an acre."
Other areas of interest:  Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area


This book seems to be out of print.  Amazon or  Barnes & Noble may have used copies.  Both Amazon and Google books let you preview selected pages of the book.  I borrowed a copy from my local library.

Backroads and Byways of Michigan

Backroads and Byways of Michigan
Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions
Matt Forster
2009

This guidebook describes a dozen drives throughout the state of Michigan.  Each chapter starts with a description of the route (but you'll need your own map to visualize it).  The focus of the book isn't on the roads but on the attractions in the communities along the route.  Each drive would be an easy daytrip (typically 3-4 hours) but many of the recommended stops would justify a couple of hours each, so you couldn't visit them all in a day since each chapter describes a dozen or more options.  Contact information for the attractions and for recommended accommodations is listed at the end of every chapter.  Each chapter is illustrated with a number of black & white photos.

Two of the recommended drives are in southwest Michigan.   I've exerpted a few quotes from each of them.

Through the Heart of Michigan: Following the Grand River
Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Ledge, Lowell, Grand Rapids, Rockford, Grand Haven
Length: 150 miles
Time 2.5 - 4 hours
"This cross-state drive bypasses the highways, misses the truck stops and fast food joints, and requires stops at the lights on Main Street of a dozen small towns.  For the right person, it's a relaxing journey through mid-America-- two lanes, speed zones, fields of corn and wheat, grain silos, once-grand Victorian homes, and empty downtown storefronts."
Selected highlights:

Ten Pound Fiddle coffehouse Lansing
Elderly Instruments Lansing
The Ledges, Grand Ledge
Fallasburg Park north of Lowell
Ada Covered Bridge
Frederik Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids
Heritage Hill, Voigt House, Meyer May House Grand Rapids
Gerald R Ford Museum Grand Rapids
John Ball Zoo Grand Rapids
Grand Haven State Park Grand Haven

The Grape Coast: Michigan's Wine Country
Paw Paw, Coloma, Harbor Country, South Haven, Saugatuck
Length: 175 miles
Time 3.5 - 4 hours
"Lake Michigan helps temper the local climate-- the vast body of water holds the summer's warmth and prolongs the growing season by a couple of months."
Selected highlights:

St Julian Winery Paw Paw,
The Chocolate Garden Coloma
Jollay Orchards Harbor Country
Warren Dunes State Park
Warren Woods
Grand Mere State Park
South Haven beach South Haven
Michigan Maritime Museum South Haven
Saugatuck Chain Ferry Saugatuck
Mount Baldhead Saugatuck
Oval Beach Saugatuck
Saugatuck Dunes State Park Saugatuck

 Available  from Amazon, other booksellers, and libraries.

Country Roads of Indiana

Country Roads of Indiana
Sally McKinney
1999

This small guidebook describes a dozen drives throughout the state of Indiana.  Each chapter gives driving directions and discusses the villages, shops, and vistas along the way.  A few pen and ink drawings illustrate every chapter and a list of phone contacts is included.

Four of the excursions in northern Indiana are reasonably close to Kalamazoo.

1. Meander through Amish Country: Elkhart to Lagrange
Elkhart, Bristol, Goshen, Nappanee, Middlebury, Shipshewana, Lagrange
"For a drive in the slow lane, travel through Indiana's Amish country with its tidy farms, clanging school bells, and horse-drawn buggies.  In two northern counties, Elkhart and Lagrange, about 17,000 Amish live in one of the three major communities in rural America."
Selected highlights:
Elkhart riverside parks and bike routes
Bonneyville Mill County Park
Amish Acres
Deutsch Kase Hause
Shipshewana Auctions and Flea Market
Menno-Hof


2. From Courthouse to Lakeshore: Crown Point to La Porte
Crown Point, Hebron, Valparaiso, Chesterton, Michigan City, La Porte
"A leisurely drive through northwestern Indiana from Crown Point to La Porte lets you cruise through small-town America, beside small farms, through suburbs, along Lake Michigan's southern shore, and inland to Indiana's small-lake country."
Selected highlights:
Stoney Run County Park
Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore


3. Wildflowers & Lake Country: Pokagon State Park to Gene Stratton Porter House
 Pokagon State Park, Angola, Orland, Greenfield Mills, Brighton, Mongo,  Ontario, Lagrange, Gene Stratton Porter House
"Northeastern Indiana has long been known for glacial lakes, forests, streams, and patches of wildflowers.  You can come by interstate, but once you arrive, follow the country roads to find nature preserves, hiking trails, boat rentals, small villages, antique shops, family resorts, and scenic waterways."
Selected highlights:
Pokagon State Park
Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area  (Trading Post canoe outfitters]
Gene Stratton Porter State Historical Site



4. Wings across the Plains: Jasper Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area to Plymouth
Jasper Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area, Bass Lake, Culver, Twin Lakes,  Plymouth
"Sandhill cranes, the Jasper-Pulaski area's star visitors, stand up to three and a half feet tall, weigh 10 to 12 pounds, and fly on wingspreads up to seven feet.  During the autumn, they leave nesting grounds in the wetlands of southern Canada and the upper Midwest, using the Jasper-Pulaski area as a refuge before flying to marshlands in southern Georgia and Florida for the winter."
Selected highlights:
Jasper Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area
Tippecanoe River State Park


Apparently this book is out of print.  Amazon will let you "look inside" and Barnes and Noble may have used copies.  I got this from my public library.

Hiking Michigan

Hiking Michigan (2nd edition)

Roger Storm and Susan Wedzel

2009

This guidebook presents 146 day hikes throughout the state of Michigan, including several hikes on islands in the Great Lakes.  Each entry includes a trail map, a thumbnail state map showing its location, information about the park or recreation area, description of the trails, and a list of nearby points of interest.  Some hikes are illustrated with black&white photos.  The hikes are divided into three regions-- the Upper Peninsula, the Northern Lower Peninsula, and the Southern Lower Peninsula-- with about a third of the book devoted to each region.  I particularly liked the book's "Trail Finder" section, an expanded table of contents that includes distance, difficulty, and features for each trail.   

Hiking Michigan near Kalamazoo

1. Kalamazoo Nature Center
Beech-Maple Riverwalk Trail 1.1 miles
Fern Valley Trail 0.6 miles
"Cooper's Glen, as the area used to be known, is named after James Fennimore Cooper, who visited the area in 1847 and 1848.  While he pursued business interests in the vicinity, he collected information on natural features for a novel, Oak Openings."
Other points of interest:  Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, Kal-Haven Sesquicentennial State Park

Kalamazoo Nature Center

2. Yankee Springs Recreation Area
Hall Lake Trail 2.5 miles
Long Lake Trail 5.2 miles
"Almost 5,200 acres of diverse terrain, once the hunting grounds of the Algonquian Indians, provide varied recreation experiences." 
Other points of interest: Barry State Game Area

Yankee Springs Recreation Area

3. Sarett Nature Center
River-Gentian-Two-Board trails 0.5 miles
Lowland-Upland Trails loop 2.1 miles 
"You cross boardwalks, bridges with benches, and overlook towers, walking along woodchip and natural trails.  You meander on ridges high above the Paw Paw River and cut through wetlands in this variety of habitats." 
Other points of interest: Tiscornia Park, Silver Beach County Park

Sarett Nature Center

4. Warren Dunes State Park/Warren Woods Natural Area
Nature-Blue Jay-Beach- Mt Randal Trails loop 4 miles
Warren Woods Natural Area 1.1 miles
"Both parks evolved through the foresight of Edward K. Warren who, in the 1870s, purchased the land that is now called Warren Woods Natural Area,  His effort preserved one of the few remaining virgin beech-maple forests in Michigan.  He continued to purchased undeveloped land, including land that eventually became Warren Dunes State Park."
Other points of interest: Grand Mere State Park

Warren Dunes State Park
Warren Woods Natural Area

5. Saugatuck Dunes State Park
North Trail 2 miles
BeachTrail 1.4 miles
Livingston Trail 2 miles
South Trail 4.6 miles
"Lake Michigan awaits those who are not intimidated by the 1-mile trek over the sandy dunes from the parking lot."
Other points of interest: DeGraaf Nature Center Preserve, Star of Saugatuck

Saugatuck Dunes State Park

6. PJ Hoffmaster State Park
Loop of Homestead and Dune Climb Staircase 2.4 miles
Walk-a-mile trail 1.6 miles
"A vigorous hike along the Dune Climb Stairway to a platform on top of the towering dune provides a panoramic overlook of the vast open waters of Lake Michigan."
Other points of interest: Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center, Muskegon State Park

PJ Hoffmaster State Park

7. Muskegon State Park
Dune Ridge Trail loop 1.7 miles
Lost Lake Trail 1.7 miles 
"Muskegon State Park's 2 miles of sandy Lake Michigan beach rank with some of the most beautiful in the world."
Other points of interest: Duck Lake State Park, PJ Hoffmaster State Park

Muskegon State Park

8. Aman Park
Yellow Trail 1.1 miles
Red Trail 1.4 miles
"Wildflowers are spectacular in spring, and the diverse terrain and varied plants of the park produce continual showings throughout the year, from skunk cabbage and marsh marigold to beech and aspen, and even to the gray of leafless branches pocketed with ice crystals.  All seasons show off something in this retreat."
Other points of interest:Pigeon Creek Park, Meijer Gardens, Kent Trails, Blandford Nature Center

Aman Park

9. North Country National Scenic Trail
Birch Grove Trail 9 miles
"When completed the trail will stretch some 4,600 miles across seven northern states from Lake Champlain in New York to Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota.  Michigan has the longest segment of any state and over half of that distance is complete and certified."

North Country National Scenic Trail

10. Manistee National Forest
Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary Trail 1.2 miles
"Protected species include trailing arbutus, bird's foot violet, bittersweet, flowering dogwood, trillium, club mosses, Michigan holly, American lotus, gentian, and pipsissewa."
Other points of interest: Birch Grove Schoolhouse

Manistee National Forest Loda Lake Sanctuary

11. Whitehouse Nature Center
River's Edge Trail 0.9 miles
Prairie Trail 1 mile
Situated along the East Branch Kalamazoo River, only .25 mile from the main campus of Albion College, are the diverse lands of the Whitehouse Nature Center."
Other points of interest: Marshall

Whitehouse Nature Center

12. Pinckney Recreation Area
Crooked Lake Trail 5.1 miles
Losee Lake Hiking Trail 3.3 miles
"The rolling topography of hills and ridges interspersed with numerous inland water bodies is typical of a landscape shaped by glacial activity."
Other points of interest: Park Lyndon

Pinckney Recreation Area


13. Waterloo Recreation Area
Waterloo-Pinckney Hiking Trail (Portage Lake to Sackrider Hill) 5.8 miles
Oak Woods-Waterloo-Pinckney Hiking Trail -Hickory Hills 4.7 miles
"The landscape was shaped more than 10,000 years ago in the last glacial period.  Receding ice, often more than 1 mile thick, formed the moraines (ridges), kames (hills), and kettles (lakes, ponds, and low-lying areas) that characterize the area, providing an abundance of recreational opportunities today."
Other points of interest: Gerald E Eddy Discovery Center, Waterloo Area Farm Museum, Phyllis Haehnle Audubon Sanctuary

Waterloo Recreation Area

14. Hidden Lake Gardens
 Pine Tree Trail 1.3 miles
Hikers' Trail 2.8 miles
"The 755-acre garden exhibits valuable plant collections and creates landscape pictures, fulfilling the objective of the Michigan State University-owned Hidden Lake Gardens."
Other points of interest: Bicentennial Woods, Walter J Hayes State Park, Walker Tavern Historic Complex

Hidden Lake Gardens

Available from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, other booksellers and some libraries.

Northern Great Lakes Regional Guide

This travel guide by Forbes continues a long-running book of ratings published by Mobil.    The Northern Great Lakes guide covers Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario.  Each state's attractions are divided into regional sections.  For Michigan, the regions are: Northern Michigan, Southwest Michigan, Detroit, Southeast Michigan, Bloomfield Hills, and the Upper Peninsula.  Restaurants, hotels, and spas are rated on a 5-star scale.

Other types of attractions are listed without a rating, although some are highlighted under a question like, "What are Some of Michigan's Best Wineries?"  (Fenn Valley, St Julian, Tabor Hill, Warner Vineyards) or "What are some of the Best Places for Outdoor fun in Southwest Michigan?" (Dutch Village, Meijer Gardens, Michigan's Adventure, Musical Fountain, Warren Dunes State Park.)  Listings give a short description (a sentence or two) and contact information.  There are no illustrations or maps.

Here is a selection from their listings near Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo

Bittersweet Ski Area
Bronson Park
Echo Valley
Gilmore Car Museum
Kalamazoo Air Zoo
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Timber Ridge Ski Area
Western Michigan University

Battle Creek

Binder Park Zoo
Fort Custer State Recreation Area
Kimball House Museum
Kingman Museum of Natural History
Leila Arboretum
Sojourner Truth Grave
Willard Beach (on Goguac Lake)
Kellogg Bird Sanctuary

It's available from Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers.  I borrowed a copy from my library.

Best in Tent Camping Michigan

Best in Tent Camping Michigan
Matt Forester
2011

This guidebook is part of a series by Menasha Ridge Press for car campers who want a more nature-centered experience and who aren't looking for a slab to level their RV.  I've used several books in the series and have found some great campsites, so I was happy to see the Michigan book released.  The book divides Michigan into five regions: Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, Northeast, and the Upper Peninsula.  As might be expected, the book recommends many campgrounds in northern Michigan and the UP but there are some close to Kalamazoo.  Each chapter includes a description of the campground, a map of the sites, and recommendations for the best individual sites.

Best Tent Camping in Southwest Michigan
1. Warren Dunes State Park Rustic Campground
2. Yankee Springs State Recreation Area: Deep Lake Rustic Campground
3. Pines Point National Forest Campground
4. Highbank Lake National Forest Campground
5. Tubbs Lake State Forest Campground

The book has a Facebook page and is available from Amazon and other booksellers

Parklands of the Midwest

Parklands of the Midwest:
Celebrating the Natural Wonders of America's Heartland
Dan Karcher
2007

This book, by the editor of Midwest Living magazine, is part travel journal, part guidebook, and part picture book. Parks from 12 states (from the Dakotas through Kansas to Ohio) are illustrated with full color photos and a personalized account of the author's visit. The level of detail means only a few parks are featured for each state. A separate section in each chapter suggests restaurants, lodging, and attractions near the parks.

The Michigan chapter features three parks-- Porcupine Mountains, Palms Book State Park (Big Spring), and Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore. Sleeping Bear is presented in the most depth:

"The star here is a combined total of 65 miles of pristine Lake Michigan beaches and lumpy dunes-- 31 miles along the mainland and 24 miles around those two islands about six miles from shore.

"I'm greeted by Public Information Officer Bruce Huffman and Chief of Natural Resources Steve Yancho. Bruce, about a year into his job here, proves an able and eager guide-- his newbie enthusiasm is contagious. Steve is a friendly and extremely knowledgeable 28-year Sleeping Bear veteran who obviously loves his posting. We head for the nearest beach, at Empire.

"About 11,000 years ago, the last retreating glacier gouged out Lake Michigan. Aeons of slow-motion glacial action had helped from Sleeping Bear's ivory-colored, jumbo-size dunes, soaring up to 400 feet above the lake. Steve explains that the monoliths in the distance actually are called 'perched' dunes-- gravelly glacial rubble topped with sand, like fluffy frosting on a loaf cake."

The Sleeping Bear section continues with Petoskey stones, Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, historic buildings at Glen Haven, the South Manitou island lighthouse, and a charter fishing trip. It includes nearly 20 photos and a salmon recipe.

The Michigan chapter concludes with a section, "More Michigan Parks," that provides more photos and a paragraph or so on each of a dozen other parks:

Au Sable River and State Forest
Copper Country Trail National Scenic Byway
Grand Island National Recreation Area
Isle Royale National Park
Kal-Haven Trail State Park
Ludington State Park
Manistee River and National Forest
Kitch-iti-Kipi Spring
P.H. Hoeft State Park
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Tawas Point State Park

Other states are covered in a similar manner. Indiana's featured park is the Hoosier National Forest, in southern Indiana, with a nod to the Indiana dunes. The Illinois chapter starts with Starved Rock State Park and then looks in detail at the Shawnee National Forest and its Garden of the Gods.

While the featured parks aren't particularly close to Kalamazoo, many are within a few hours' drive. This book with its engaging pictures and enthusiastic descriptions creates a desire to hit the road.


Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other bookstores and libraries. Iowa Public Television has a companion TV program

Midwest Canoe Trails

Midwest Canoe Trails
by John W Malo
1978

This guidebook gives short descriptions of over 100 rivers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario. While it's over thirty years old, and much of the rental information is out-of-date, the rivers are still there.

"In all probability there is no region in the world that offers so much canoeable water over such an extensive area and so readily available to millions of people as does the upper Midwest of the United States and the contiguous province of Ontario, Canada."

The guide lists 44 rivers in Michigan, and describes about half of them.

"The water trails of the Wolverine state knew the birchbark canoe long before they floated the bateaus of the French explorers. Indians, voyageurs, settlers, loggers, and, now, recreationists have enjoyed the state's moving waters, which have retained much of their integrity to this day."


Canoe Trails near Kalamazoo

1. Kalamazoo River
"The portion of this river that offers the best canoeing experience is from Allegan (Routes 89 and 40) to Saugatuck. There are well-developed state forest campgrounds in the county and numerous other places along the bank for unrestricted camping. The river flows between high banks and forests with many large trees."

2. Paw Paw River

3. Thornapple River

4. St Joseph River
"This southwestern river is born at Sturgeon Lake near Colon at Route 86, where you can put in. You will meander over a lot of Indian trail water as you cruise this river, which flows through agricultural country."


5. Flat River

6. Grand River
"Add the Grand River, which rambles for 185 miles in scenic beauty through seven counties, to your collection, and you will be able to boast of the experience of canoeing the most crooked river in Michigan. The river also meanders through four cities-- Jackson, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven before it enters Lake Michigan."

7. Looking Glass River

8. Red Cedar River

9 Maple River

10. Muskegon River
"This River rises in Higgins and Houghton lakes in Roscommon County and flows southwesterly for 227 miles to its terminus at Lake Michigan."

11. White River

12. Pere Marquette River
"For a hundred miles the Pere Marquette River is a fast trout water with many quick turns along its wooded course."

13 Pigeon River (Indiana)
"This stream in northeast Indiana from Mongo to the Michigan state line is a twenty-mile cruise with four well-defined portages." "Spring is the time to float this river, for the canoeist will be treated to meadows in bloom and trillium covering the banks and fields in milky white panoramas for miles along the way."

This book is out-of-print. Some used-book sellers may have copies available. I found one at my library.

Mountain Biking Michigan

Mountain Biking Michigan
by Erin Fanning and Keith Radwanski
2002

This book, part of the Falcon Guide series, describes 67 mountain bike destinations throughout the state of Michigan. The rides are grouped by region: Southeastern Michigan, Southwestern Michigan, Northwestern Michigan, Eastern Upper Peninsula, Western Upper Peninsula. Each trail is introduced with a list of its distance, difficulty, hilliness, and access, followed by a a brief description and trail map. Many trails are illustrated with black & white photos.


Mountain Bike Trails in Southwestern Michigan

1. Fort Custer Recreation Area
16.8 mile loop
"offering a rainbow of loops, this well-organized and popular 16-mile multiple use trail system offers something for everyone."
2.5 miles from Augusta

2. Yankee Spring Recreation Area
13.1 mile loop
"Bopping in and out of trees and rolling along a picturesque ridgeline, this fun adn fast mountain-bike-only trail cruises among the tall red pines and past the Devil's Soup Bowl, a sunken area surrounded by thick trees."
4.5 miles south of Middleville.

3. TK Lawless Singletrack
10.4 mile loop
"Popular county park holds a wallop of a fun trail with whoop-de-doos and tight, twisted singletrack."
4.5 miles southeast of Vandalia

4. Bass River Recreation Area
5.4 mile loop
"Twisting continuously, this tight, mostly flat trail system was designed by mountain bikers for mountain bikers."
18.6 miles south of Grand Haven

5. Cannonsburg Ski Area Singletrack
3.7 mile loop
"Cannonsburg offers panoramic views, which come at the end of the rout. A fast, plunging downhill ends the ride with an exclamation point."
10 miles northeast of Grand Rapids

6. North Country Trail: Michigan 20 to South Nichols Lake
35.6 mile loop
"Combine buffed singletrack and fast, twisting downhills with the natural beauty of the North Country Trail and you have the perfect mountain biking mixture."
2.75 miles west of White Cloud

7. Hungerford Lake Mountain Bike Trail
7 mile loop
"Fast downhills on tight mountain bike-only singletrack."
7 miles west of Big Rapids

8. Ionia Recreation Area
7.9 mile loop
"boulder-strewn area unlike any other Michigan ride."
3.1 miles west of South Ionia

9. Jailhouse Trail [McNabb Park]
3.9 mile loop
"Located practically in downtown Ithaca, a small farming community, the Jailhouse Trail shares its space with the fairgrounds, giving it a folksy feeling."
Ithaca

10. Deerfield County Park
5.7 mile loop
"Tranquil river setting with suspension bridges, a covered bridge, and a rolling ridge."
6.6 miles west of Mt Pleasant

11. Sleepy Hollow State Park
10.9 mile loop
"It is an excellent trail for beginners looking for a longer, virtually obstacle-free, mostly singletrack ride."
12 miles southeast of St. Johns

12. Burchfield Park Singletrack
5.9 mile loop
"Challenging obstacle-strewn singletrack; perfect for bike control practice."
5 miles south of Lansing

13. Ella Sharp Singletrack
13.2 mile loop
"Connected by paved roads, the ride consists of thirteen different trails for all skill levels in a pretty urban park."
Jackson

Day Trips from Chicago

Day Trips from Chicago: getaway ideas for the local traveler
Elisa Drake
2011

This guidebook features 25 trips within a few hours drive of Chicago. Each trip is illustrated with a full page regional map and includes directions and suggestions on where to go, where to shop, where to stay, and where to eat. The trips are grouped by geography: north (mostly Wisconsin), northeast (Michigan), east (Indiana & Michigan), southeast (Indiana), south (mostly Illinois), and west (Illinois & Iowa). While all of the destinations are within a day's drive of Kalamazoo, I've selected a few from Michigan and Northern Indiana.

Day Trips near Kalamazoo

1. Beachy Keen
South Haven
"The first inkling of South Haven as a resort town came in the 1880s when Jewish families from Chicago began landing there for summer stays. It exploded over the next 80 years, at its height boasting more than 200 resorts. But along came the Depression, which sent that number spiraling down to about 45 during the 1960s. Now, a tighter tourist community offers quaint stays at bed-and-breakfasts and lakefront cottages."

DeGrandchamp Farms U-Pick
Kal-Haven Trail
Michigan Maritime Museum
South Pier Lighthouse
Cafe Julia $-$$
Clementine's $$
Sherman's Dairy Bar $
Tellos Italian Bistro $$

2. Calm, Cool & Art Collectors
Saugatuck-Douglas
"It's no secret that Saugatuck-Douglas is one of Chicago's favorite driving destinations...and now that Budget Traveler magazine declared it in 2010 as the "Coolest Small Party Town in America," you really need to go see it for yourself."

Chain Ferry
Oval Beach
Red Barn Theater
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Museum
Art galleries
Star of Saugatuck boat cruise
Belvedere Restaurant $$$
Everyday People Cafe $$-$$$
Phil's Bar & Grille $$
Restaurant Toulouse $$$
Uncommon Grounds $
Crane's Pie Pantry $ Fennville
Salt of the Earth $ Fennville

3. Windmills and Winsome Shores
Holland & Grand Haven
"Both cities have water at their hearts, with protected sand dunes and soft sandy beaches lending loads of recreation and natural beauty. Holland is famous for its Dutch flavor in its food, festivals, flowers, fancy footwork of the klompen dancers, and, of course, its grand 12-story-high DwZwaan windmill. In Grand Haven a recently refurbished boardwalk puts a brighter spotlight on Lake Michigan and the Grand River."

Holland

Holland Museum
Holland State Park
Nelis' Dutch Village
Veldheer's Tulip Gardens
Windmill Island
CityVu Bistro $-$$
New Holland Brewing Company $-$$
Pereddies Restaurant $$
The Piper $$
Windmill Restaurant $

Grand Haven

Grand Haven State park
Musical Fountain
Rosy Mound Natural Area
Tri-Cities Historical Museum
Harbor Trolley
Bil-mar Restaurant $$
Kirby House Grill Room $$$
Odd Side Ales $
Pronto Pup $

4. Take a Seat, Literally
Grand Rapids
"The public museum tells the story of the city's furniture glory days,while today its major contribution is in office furniture, with headquarters here for the $2.3 billion company Steelcase."

Frederik Meijer Gardens
Gerald Ford Museum
Grand Rapids Art Museum
Grand Rapids Public Museum
John Ball Zoo
Robinette's Apple Haus
Urban Institute for Contemporary Art
Beltline Bar $
Bistro Bella Vita $$-$$$
Electric Cheetah $$
Founders Brewing Company $
Green Well $-$$

5. Brews, Zoos & More
Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, & Marshall
"Just off I-94 this trio of Michigan cities takes you from a zoo of airplanes to a zoo with a heart for endangered species, from a microbrewery that's 25 years old to another that boasts a 250-year-old tradition."

Kalamazoo

Air Zoo
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Parkwyn Village
Bell's Eccentric Cafe $
Food Dance Cafe $$
The Union Cabaret & Grill $$
Gilmore Car Museum Hickory Corners

Battle Creek

Arcadia Brewing Company
Binder Park Zoo
Heritage Mile Walking Tour
Clara's on the River $$
O.T.'s Up-n-Smoke BBQ $

Marshall

American Museum of Magic
Honolulu House Museum
Cornwell's Turkeyville USA

6. Wine, Dine & Wind Down
Michigan City, New Buffalo, Three Oaks & Sawyer
"Harbor Country cities brim with quaint bed-and-breakfasts for comfy lodging after a rough day of wine tasting, dune hiking, and even a little card playing at the two casinos in the area."

Indiana Dunes
Art and Earth Trail

Michigan City, IN

Barker Museum
Blue Chip Casino
Great Lakes Museum of Military History
Lubeznik Center for the Arts
Old Lighthouse Museum
Washington Park Zoo
Lighthouse Place Outlet mall
Matey's Restaurant $$
Shoreline Brewery $$
Swingbelly's Restaurant $$

Harbour Country

Acorn Theater
Dinges' Farm
Four Winds Casino
Fruitful Vine Tours
New Buffalo Railroad Museum
Round Barn Winery
Warren Dunes State Park
Brewster's $$-$$$
Fitzgerald's Bistro $$$
Kite's Kitchen $-$$
Red Arrow Roadhouse $$
Redamak's $

7. Touchdown Here
South Bend, IN
"Famous for the University of Notre Dame and the school's beloved Fighting Irish football team (and the enthusiastic tailgating that goes with it), South Bend is also a cache of industrial history and national landmark homes-- from the 1895 Copshaholm mansion, now a museum, to the tangible markers and historic tales left by Studebaker and the Oliver Chilled Plow Company, both of which provided substantial growth to this Indiana town from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries."

Center for History
College Football Hall of Fame
Potawatomi Zoo
South Bend Chocolate Company tour
Studebaker National Museum
University of Notre Dame
Fiddler's Hearth $$-$$$
Rocco's Restaurant $$
Sorin's $$$
Tippecanoe Place $$$
Yesterday's $$-$$$

8 Take Us Home, Country Roads
Elkhart, IN & Amish Country
"Black horse-drawn buggies clip-clop their wayalong rural byways; brilliant quilt designs patterned from thousands of flowers fill the farmland from srping through early fall; RV-ers roll through the area to pay homage to the place they were produced; and two prominent rivers converge in scenic vistas."

Elkhart, IN

Elkhart River Queen
Linton's Enchanted Gardens
Midwest Museum of American Art
New York Central Railway Museum
Ruthmere House Museum
RV Hall of Fame
Wellfield Botanic Gardens
DaVinci's Italian Family Restaurant $$
El Maguey Grill $-$$
Lucchese's Italian Restaurant $$
McCarthy's on the Riverwalk $$
Stirred $$$
Sweet Creams Soda Shop $

Amish Country

Amish Acres
Bonneyville Mill
Heritage Driving Tour
Menno-Hof
Das Dutchman Essenhaus $$
Mullet's Dining (by reservation only)$$

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or directly from the author

Great Lakes Vacations

Great Lakes
88 Great Vacations
by
Doris Scharfenberg
1996

This guidebook describes vacation destinations around Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario and on connecting waters, like Lake St Clair or the Niagara River. The book is illustrated with a few sketches and hand-drawn maps. It would make a good resource for anyone planning a Circle Tour around one of the Great Lakes. The vacations listed in this book stretch from Minnesota to New York. Michigan is well-represented, with destinations on 4 of the 5 lakes. I've selected a few destinations close to Kalamazoo.

Great Lakes Vacations in West Michigan

1. Michigan's Wide-Awake Sunset Towns
"By rare geologic luck, Michigan has a long chain of lakes immediately behind its western coast. Lake Macatawa (Holland), Muskegon Lake (Muskegon), Pere Marquette Lake (Ludington), and Manistee Lake are among the many harbors for commerce and plaeaure. Neither the Wisconsin coast nor any Lake Huron shore has this advantage."

Empire
Point Betsie
Frankfort
Manistee
Ludington State Park
Pentwater
White Lake/Whitehall/Montague
Canoe the White River
West Michigan Tourist Association

2. Lakeside Bonanzas in Muskegon
"The largest city of the east coast of Lake Michigan sprawls loosely over a wide area, ties in with a great state park and would like some things in its past to be forgotten. In 1887, forty-seven Muskegon sawmills were consuming forests like locusts on a binge, leaving years of depression when the trees ran out."

Muskegon County Museum
Hackley Public Library
Michigan Adventure
Festivals
Muskegon State Park
Luge
Hoffmaster State Park
Muskegon Visitors Bureau

3. Town of the Dancing Waters: Grand Haven
"Two shouts below Muskegon, a trio of towns shares a watery access to Michigan's southern heartland: Grand Haven, Ferrysburg, and Spring Lake. Grand Haven is largest and the only one with water on three sides, but the three are close enough to share the same big events."

Coast Guard Festival
Boardwalk
Grand Haven State Park
Grand Haven Area Visitors Bureau

4. New Furnishings For Grand Rapids
"Stand at the door of the Oval Office, then fish for salmon in a business suit one block away-- you can do it in Grand Rapids, Michigan's second largest city. Planted as a seedling village on a curve of the Grand River where water bubbled down over a stretch of rocks, the city's fame and fortune came from lumbering, manufacturing, cleansers (Amway Products), publishing, and in some measure from being the boyhood home of President Gerald Ford. The biggest claim to fame, however, has been as a furniture maker without peer."

Gerald R Ford Museum
Van Andel Public Museum
Fish ladder at Sixth Street dam
John Ball Park Zoo
Meijer Gardens
Heritage Hill
Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau

5. Saucy Holland Days
"Minutes away from Lake Michigan, the sweet city of Holland hugs the east end of Lake Macatawa, quiet, scrubbed, and as lively as a tulip in the breeze. Founded by Netherlands' immigrants, its population today is a diverse mix, yet the Dutch heritage remains in charge."

Windmill Island
Veldheers Tulip Farm
Dutch Village
Tulip Festival
Holland State Park
Holland Convention and Visitors Bureau

6. Artful Saugatuck
"Searchers for the perfect bed and breakfast do consider pausing around Saugatuck, sometimes called the Marth's Vineyard of the Midwest. It is a village that manages to be famous, chic, historic, quaint, and unspoiled all at once. An even smaller hamlet, Douglas, shares the same wide spot on the Kalamazoo River (called Lake Kalamazoo) just inside the coast of Lake Michigan and a few miles south of Holland."

Chain ferry
galleries, gift shops, boutiques
SS Keewatin
Star of Saugatuck

7. Michigan's Sunny Southwest Corner
"The number of brochures declaring this of that vacation spot as an "all-season paradise" could fill the hold of a large freighter. However, the southwest corner of Michigan has a hefty list of year-round getaway goals, from scenic to gastronomic, with U-Pick farms, wineries, wonderful beaches, pretty towns, great fishing, winter sports, fall color, and quick access."

National Blueberry Festival South Haven
Liberty Hyde Museum South Haven
Canoe the Black River [pdf map]South Haven
Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo
Air Zoo Kalamazoo
Wineries
Magic store Colon
Blossomtime Festival St Joseph
Lake Bluff Park St Joseph
Grand Mere State Park
Warren Dunes State Park
Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council

This book seems to be out of print. Booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble may have used copies. I found a copy at my library.

It's All About the Bike

It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels
by Robert Penn
2010

While not a guidebook and not related to Kalamazoo, I couldn't resist mentioning this book on bicycles. Nominally, it's about the author's quest for a custom-built bike. He travels from Wales to workshops and factories around Europe and the United States to observe and report on the manufacturing process of the components-- Brooks saddle, Cinelli handlebars, Campagnolo gears, Chris King headset-- that will complete his bike.

"The torch snapped alight again. We flipped our visors down. Jason picked up a fresh filler rod and the flame roared into action on the seat cluster. He worked methodically round the weld, turning the jig, flipping the cable of the torch from beneath his feet, holding the flame steady at the exact distance from the weld. Ten minutes later, the seat stays were on. The torch went out. Jason pulled off his mask and stepped back, inviting me forward with one arm, like a midwife in a maternity ward introducing an overawed father to his child. The frame of my dream bike-- the diamond soul--- was finished."

"He dropped the spokes one by one through the holes in the flanges of the front hub. Periodically, he gathered all the spokes from one side of the hub together and swept them to the side, like someone tying their hair back. When he'd lined up the label on the hub with the label on the rim-- a nice touch-- he placed the first spoke through the hole on the rim next to the valve and secured it with a blue nipple. All the other nipples would be silver: the blue one was a visual aide, and Gravy's signature. Then he went round the rim once, placing a spoke through every third hole. He flipped the wheel over and laced a second set. Within minutes, the pattern of the wheel began to emerge."

If his visits to these builders are the skeleton of the book, its meat is a wide-spanning history of the bicycle. The time span is wide: from the invention of the first wheeled vehicle in ancient Mesopotamia to the development of the mountain bike in Northern California. Along the way, the reader learns of velocipedes, high-wheelers, the origins of bike racing, Reynolds double-butted tubes, and the connection between bike manufacturing and the development of both automobiles and airplanes.

"By the end of the decade, the bicycle had become a utilitarian form of transport for millions-- the people's nag. For the first time in history, the working class became mobile. As they could now commute, crowded tenements emptied, suburbs expanded and the geography of cities changed. In the countryside, the bicycle helped widen the gene pool: birth records in Britain from the 1890s show how local surnames began to appear far away from the rural locality with which they had been strongly associated for centuries. Everywhere, the bicycle was a catalyst for the campaigns to improve roads, literally paving the way for the motor car."

If you like bikes, I highly recommend this book.

Available from Amazon, other booksellers, and libraries.

Oak Openings

In 1848, James Fenimore Cooper, the author famous for the Last of the Mohicans, published a novel set in Kalamazoo titled Oak Openings. Set in 1812, it describes west Michigan before European settlement:

The woods around were the then unpeopled forest of Michigan ; and the small winding reach of placid water that was just visible in the distance, was an elbow of the Kalamazoo, a beautiful little river that flows westward, emptying its tribute into the vast expanse of Lake Michigan. Now, this river has already become known, by its villages and farms, and railroads and mills; but then, not a dwelling of more pretension than the wigwam of the Indian, or an occasional shanty of some white adventurer, had ever been seen on its banks. In that day, the whole of that fine peninsula, with the exception of a narrow belt of country along the Detroit River, which was settled by the French as far back as near the close of the seventeenth century, was literally a wilderness. If a white man found his way into it, it was as an Indian trader, a hunter, or an adventurer-in some other of the pursuits connected with border life and the habits of the savages.

The title, Oak Openings, refers to the landscape, an ecosystem now called an Oak Savannah. Cooper describes it:

The trees, with very few exceptions, were what is called the "burr-oak," a small variety of a very extensive genus; and the spaces between them, always irregular, and often of singular beauty, have obtained the name of "openings;" the two terms combined giving their appellation to this particular species of native forest, under the name of "Oak Openings."

The story itself is about the adventures of Ben Boden, a "bee-hunter," on the Michigan frontier during the War of 1812. The prose is very different from a modern novel.

The text is in the public domain, so it is available free online from Google books or Project Gutenberg. Amazon will sell you a Kindle version or a print copy.

Michigan Off the Beaten Path

Off the Beaten Path Michigan:
A Guide to Unique Places
by Jim DuFresne
2005

In this book, the author of many outdoor guides turns to other attractions-- museums, restaurants, & festivals-- throughout the state. The book includes plenty of local history and fun facts, along with the descriptions and directions. Like his other books, this travel guide is organized by region. Kalamazoo is in the "Heartland" region and close to the "Lake Michigan" region. Here are some of the author's top picks near Kalamazoo.

Heartland Top Ten

1. Antiquing in Allen
Allen

2. Capitol Tours
Lansing

3. Gerald R Ford Museum
Grand Rapids

4. Gilmore Car Museum
Hickory Corners

5. Hidden Lake Gardens
Tipton

6. Rosie's Diner [closed]
Rockford

7. Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum [Air Zoo]
Kalamazoo

8. Kellogg's Cereal City USA [closed]
Battle Creek

9. Michigan Library and Historical Center
Lansing

10. Van Andel Museum Center
Grand Rapids

Other Heartland Attractions

1. Grand Rapids Art Museum
Grand Rapids

2. Grand Rapids Children's Museum
Grand Rapids

3. Honolulu House
Marshall

4. John Ball Zoological Gardens
Grand Rapids

5. Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Kalamazoo

6. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary
Augusta

7. Kingman Museum of Natural History
Battle Creek

8. Kresge Art Museum
E. Lansing

9. Leila Arboretum
Battle Creek

10. MSU Museum
E. Lansing

11. Michigan Women's Historical Center & Hall of Fame
Lansing

12. Potter Park Zoo
Lansing

Lake Michigan Top Ten

1. Gillette Nature Center
Hoffmaster State Park
Muskegon

2. Hackley and Hume Historic Site
Muskegon

3. Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary
White Cloud

4. Ludington State Park
Ludington

5. Mac Wood's Dune Rides
Silver Lake State Park
Mears

6. Picking apples at Tree-Mendus Fruit
Eau Claire

7. Saugatuck Chain Ferry and Mount Baldhead Park
Saugatuck

8. Shrine of the Pines
Baldwin

9. Three Oaks Spokes Bicycle Museum [museum closed, Three Oaks Bicycle Club contines.]
Three Oaks

10. Windmill Island
Holland

Other Lake Michigan Attractions

1. Curious Kids Museum
St Joseph
2. Fernwood Botanic Gardens
Buchanan

3. Pear's Mill Museum
Buchanan

4. Manistee Fire Hall
Manistee

5. Southwestern Michigan College Museum
Dowagiac

6. SS Keewatin Museum
Saugatuck

7. Trillium Ravine
Niles

My library has the 8th edition; Amazon and other booksellers have the current edition. Jim DuFresne's other books include 50 Hikes in Michigan (reviewed here and here.) Michigan Sand Dunes, Michigan's Best Campgrounds, and Outdoor Adventures with Children.

A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach

A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach:
One Woman's Trek of the Perimeter of Lake Michigan
Loreen Niewenhuis
2011

This book tells the story of the author's walk around all of Lake Michigan. She started on Chicago's Navy Pier and walked through Indiana (Gary sounds like the worst part of the journey), Michigan (the most beaches), Wisconsin (not much beach), and Illinois back to Navy Pier. It took 64 days (spread across eight months), 3 pairs of boots, and 1,019 miles. She stayed in bed-and-breakfasts or motels (with a few nights of camping) and had help from relatives and friends for transportation and logistics.

The book is an engaging mix of descriptions of the lake, of her experiences walking, of the people she meets, and of the lake's environmental problems.

Some quotes from her west Michigan segments:

"A little more than an hour's hike north of Grand haven, I entered the P.J. Hoffmaster State Park. This park preserves several miles of shoreline and over 1200 acres of dunes and forest. This park came about through the efforts of P.J. Hoffmaster and E. Genevieve Gillette, who were friends. He was the superintendent of state parks in Michigan in the 1920s and 1930s, and then headed up the DNR for the next two decades. Gillette was the first woman to graduate from Michigan State University's landscape architecture class. Hoffmaster charged Gillette with scouting out areas that would make good parks."

"North of Portage Lake, it soon gets rather remote and the shoreline becomes rugged with high, wooded dunes flanking me to my right, with the expanse of calm lake to my left. There are miles without any signs of civilization, and I pass curious tracks along a small stream that look like a bobcat made them."

"The slim St. Joseph River separates the cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, but they might as well be on different planets. St. Joseph on the south side of the river is a primarily white community, a lovely tourist town with shops and restaurants and kid-friendly Silver Beach. Benton Harbor on the north side is a primarily black community, with a gutted economic base, and a huge crime and drug problem."

While I don't plan to walk around Lake Michigan anytime soon, the day I finished the book, I was inspired to drive to the lakeshore and walk for several hours along the beach.

You can read more on her Lake Trek blog (which includes photos, while the book is straight text) or in this Kalamazoo Gazette article.

Available from Amazon, other booksellers and libraries.