Ski Pigeon Creek

I first read about Pigeon Creek Park in the guidebook Michigan Winter Trails but I didn't have a chance to ski it until yesterday.  Pigeon Creek is an Ottawa County park between Holland, MI and Grand Haven, about an hour's drive northwest of Kalamazoo.  The park offers over 10 miles of ski trails.  All the trails are groomed for traditional, diagonal-stride skiing and some trails are also groomed for skate-skiing.  About three miles of trail are lit for night skiing.  The park features a separate snowshoe trail and a lighted sled hill near the lodge.

Pigeon Creek is close enough to Lake Michigan to get lake effect snow, much like Love Creek County Park to the south, so it's worth checking when Kalamazoo's snow is insufficient.  The county regularly updates trail conditions on their Winter Sports Hot Line: (616) 738-9531.  Yesterday, their snow seemed just as deep as Kalamazoo's.

The trails are well-marked and there are many inter-connections making it easy to create loops of varying distances.  I skied for about an hour which certainly didn't exhaust all of the options.  The loops I took were very beginner friendly, with no steep hills or difficult sections.  There are steeper, more challenging, sections and these are well-marked.  Easier alternative routes are always available.
The county provides an online trail map (pdf).  Physical maps were posted at most interesections, making orientation simple.

The park's lodge is open weekday evenings and all day on weekends.  They have ski rentals available during those times and a concession sells snacks, like hot dogs, chili, and hot chocolate.  I didn't have a chance to try it since I visited in the morning.

There were only a handful of people in the park on a snowy Tuesday.  I imagine it's more popular on weekends and evenings.

Pigeon Creek is named for the now extinct Passenger Pigeon that used to flock to the area.  The trails pass through mature maple-beech forest, hemlocks, and planted pines.

directions: From US 31, north of Holland, take Stanton Road east three miles to the park entrance.

Pigeon Creek Park 
12524 Stanton Street
West Olive, MI 49460

Free

Winter Events 2013-14

Shorter days, longer nights, and colder weather signal winter in Kalamazoo. The season of snow brings opportunities for skiing, sledding, skating, and lots of local festivities.


Winter Events near Kalamazoo

November 9, 2013 The Annual Kalamazoo Holiday Parade 11 am Kalamazoo

December 2, 2013 Marshall's 49th Annual Christmas Parade 7:00 PM Marshall

December 3, 2013 Parade of Lights 6:30 PM Holland

December 6, 2013 Sinterklaas Eve Procession 7:00 PM Holland

December 14, 2013 Free Admission Day and Local Gift Fair  9 am -4 pm Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo

December 14, 2013 - January 5, 2014. Christmas Bird Count

December 14?  Santacon Kalamazoo 6pm Kalamazoo

December 31, 2013 New Year's Eve Fest Kalamazoo

January 10-11 2014 Ice Sculpting Competition Holland

January 11-18 2014 Kalamazoo Beer Week Kalamazoo

January 17-19  2014  Hunter Ice Festival  Niles

usually around January 18 Schrier Park Winter Sports Fest.  Portage

January 23 - 26, 2014 Winterfest 2014 Grand Haven

January 30 – February 1, 2014 Muskegon Snowfest Muskegon

January 31 – February 2, 2014  Icebreaker  South Haven

February 7-9, 2014 Magical Ice Carving Festival Saint Joseph

February 14 -17,  2014  Great Backyard Bird Count

February 15 - 16, 2014 Free Fishing Winter Weekend throughout Michigan

February 22, 2014 Winter Beer Festival Grand Rapids

March 1, 2014 Quietwater Symposium East Lansing

Ongoing events

International Festival of Lights Battle Creek November 23-December 31


Holiday Kerstmarkt Fridays and Saturdays Nov 23 - Dec 14, 2013 Holland

Millennium Park Skate Rink opens in December  Portage

See also

Discover Kalamazoo's event listing

Monthly Events Roundup from Pure Michigan
 
Outdoor Athelete's Winter Sports events

Gazelle Sports Races and running calendar

Kalamazoo in Winter from CommunityLink

West Michigan Winter Weekends

Sarrett Nature Center's Weekend Programs Benton Harbor

The Department of Natural Resources has events in the State Parks in November,  December, and January

Peak Color in Kalamazoo?

This week looks like it will be close to the peak time for Fall colors in Kalamazoo, which is in line with Michigan's average fall color dates.  Some predicted a slightly longer Fall color season this year, although I'm not sure how this week's snow will affect that.

It should be a nice time for a drive through the countryside.  Pure Michigan recommends a Grand Rapids - Grand Haven - South Haven - Kalamazoo Color Tour and a New Buffalo - St. Joseph - Benton Harbor - Paw Paw Driving Tour. The West Michigan Tourist Association has a description of several recommended color tours in the region.

It should also be a great time for a walk in the woods, a ride on a bike trail, or-- if you dress warmly-- a paddle on a river or even a Fall camping trip.

The Michigan Nature Association posts on  Why do leaves change in the fall?
The US Forest Service has a page on the Science of Fall Colors.

Eliason Nature Reserve

Earlier this week, I visited the Kalamazoo area's newest park, the Eliason Nature Reserve in Portage, just west of Bishop's Bog Preserve.  The property was donated by the Eliason family, to protect the natural area.  The park opened to the public this summer.

The main attraction in the reserve is a walking trail that runs from one end of the preserve to the other; it's just over a mile long (making the round trip about two and half miles, in all).  Since the Reserve protects a bog, I expected a wet walk but the trail runs on an elevated ridge through an Oak Hickory forest.  In places, it crosses open grassy areas (perhaps an Oak barrens) with some nice patches of Little Bluestem grass.  The trail's loop at the southern end of the preserve was dominated by maples, suggesting moister soils.

The range of habitats seemed to support a fair amount of wildlife.  I saw three deer on my short visit, along with a number of squirrels, Robins, and Blue Jays.  From certain sections of the trail, cars on Shaver Road are visible as well as the railroad tracks.  An old silo on the preserve signals its agricultural heritage.

Long-term plans for the Reserve include extending the Portage Bikeway through the park (bikes are currently prohibited) and developing more trails and recreation areas.  It's already a nice place for a short walk, particularly in autumn as the hickorys turn golden and the sumacs crimson.

Access: while there's a large sign for the Reserve on Shaver Road, which is the park's official address, access to the park is from Portage Industrial Drive. This little street, fully developed with light industry and office buildings, isn't the typical setting for a nature preserve but a small sign near the end of the cul-de-sac marks the entrance to the trail.  A paved path winds between the buildings and past a cell phone tower to reach the forest.

You could also reach the Reserve by parking at Portage's South Westnedge Park/Bishops Bog and going west on the bike trail.  


Eliason Nature Reserve
9202 Portage Industrial Drive
Portage, MI 49024
[address is approximate]

Fall Events 2013

Cooler weather, migrating birds, and colorful leaves mark Fall in Kalamazoo.  It's a great time for a walk in the woods, a paddle down a river, or a ride on a bike trail.  Many towns in the area have festivals to celebrate the season.  Enjoy!

Fall events around Kalamazoo

September 6-8  Paw Paw Wine and Harvest Festival Paw Paw

September 21 Apple Fest Coldwater

September 13-15 Grand Haven Salmon Festival Grand Haven

September 27-28 Fall Festival St. Joseph




October 5 Bangor Harvest Festival Bangor

October 5-6 Scotts Old Tyme Harvest Festival Scotts Mill County Park Scotts

October 13 Fall Color Cruise Kalamazoo River Valley Trail Kalamazoo

October 12-13 Cranefest Bellevue

October 12-13 Fennville Goose Festival Fennville

October 19-20 Arts and Eats Tour  Hastings, Middleville, Hickory Corners, and surrounding areas

Also consider:

All Things Autumn from West Michigan Tourist Association

8 Ways to Celebrate Fall from Pure Michigan

September Events, October Events, November Events from Pure Michigan

September events in Kalamazoo

Michigan Apple Festivals

Fall recommendations from 52 Michigan Weekends

a Fall Color Tour

Fresh apple cider from VerHages Cider Mill.

West Michigan Tourist Association has a list of Harvest Time Festivals, a Weekly Color Report, and more Color Tours

Fall walks and rides on the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail

Event listings from Discover Kalamazoo

Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races and Running Workshops

League of Michigan Bicyclist's Michigan Ride Calendar

West Michigan Coastal Kayaker's Association Event Calendar

Outdoor Athlete has lists for Michigan running, biking and triathlon events.

The Department of Natural Resources has calendars of events for State Parks and Recreation Areas: September, October, November

Kalamazoo recreation map

View Larger Map

Here's a map showing some places to enjoy nature near Kalamazoo.  I made the map using ArcGIS Online as an assignment for a Coursera MOOC.  Clicking the icons gives a little more information about the location and sometimes a photo and link to a relevant blogpost.

Wren

I'm not an avid enough birder to recognize every species at a glance.  I have better luck identifying  big birds (like herons, cranes, or ducks) or colorful birds (like orioles or scarlet tanagers) than with small brown birds.  Fortunately, this House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) had nested in a birdhouse above a friend's deck and it was shuttling back and forth with food for its babies.  This brought it close enough to identify and because it followed the same path from bush to bush to tree made it possible to capture a picture.

These wrens migrate to the southern US during the winter and return to Michigan in April to breed.  [Michigan Bird Atlas pdf].  They prefer an edge habitat with a mix of woods, brush, and open space.  Suburbs and small towns often offer this kind of environment giving the House Wren its common name.