Pumpkinvine Nature Trail

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in northern Indiana is about an hour's drive south of Kalamazoo.  Last summer we rode a section near Goshen.  A few days ago, we rode from Middlebury to Shipshewana,  in the heart of Indiana's Amish community.

In Middlebury, there was plenty of parking available at the Town Hall and some spots available at the neighboring Dairy Queen.  The trail segment started from the Dairy Queen parking lot on a gravel path marked only by the restaurant's "Drive Thru" sign.  Except for a short gravel section at the beginning, the trail was smoothly paved with asphalt.

The ride to Shipshewana was relatively short, about six miles, through pretty countryside.  Windmills and draft horses signaled an Amish farm.  Most of the non-Amish farms seemed to have satellite dishes.  All of the farms were small scale, so the scenery changed frequently as we rode past: some cows, some corn, horses, woods, and pastures.  One farm even had camels.

The trail ended just before Shipshewana, so we rode the few blocks into town on County Road 250 which had a separate lane for buggies and bikes.

Shipshewana itself is a big tourist destination, so there were plenty of options for a mid-ride snack.  Shipshewana does have a parking lot designated for the Pumpkinvine Trail with small signs directing riders through town to the trail.

The Maple City Walk, on the Pumpkinvine Trail out of Goshen, will be Saturday, September 29, 2012

Fall 2012 events

Fall in Kalamazoo can be beautiful.  Cooler weather, changing colors and harvest time.  It's generally warm enough for biking or kayaking or a walk in the woods.

Fall events around Kalamazoo

September 1-3 Lawrence Ox Roast Lawrence

September 9-11 Paw Paw Wine and Harvest Festival Paw Paw

September 15 Apple Fest Coldwater

September 21-23 Grand Haven Salmon Festival Grand Haven

September 29 9am Fall Birding Trip Kellogg Biological Station Augusta

October 5-7 Harvest Fest St. Joseph

October 6-7 Scotts Old Tyme Harvest Festival Scotts Mill County Park Scotts


October 7 Fall Color Cruise [pdf] Kalamazoo River Valley Trail Kalamazoo

October 13-14 Cranefest XVIII Bellevue

October 13-14 Fennville Goose Festival Fennville

October 21-22 Arts and Eats Tour  Hastings, Middleville, Hickory Corners, and surrounding areas

Also consider:

All Things Autumn from West Michigan Tourist Association

September Events from Pure Michigan and October Events and November Events

Fall recommendations from 52 Michigan Weekends

a Fall Color Tour or an Apple 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

Duck Lake State Park

Duck Lake State Park is about 2 hours from Kalamazoo, on Lake Michigan north of Muskegon.  The park protects about half of Duck Lake's shoreline and the woods beyond.  Most of the rest of the lake is developed with private homes although Fruitland Township maintains two small parks on Duck Lake.  At around 300 acres, the lake is relatively small; I was able to paddle the circumference in about an hour at a very leisurely pace.

The park offers a canoe and kayak launch, down a short woodchip trail from the main parking, or a concrete boat ramp with its own parking lot.  A separate parking area serves a picnic shelter and a small beach on Duck Lake.  The park doesn't have a campground. 

A low spillover dam separates Duck Lake from its outlet into Lake Michigan.  It's easy enough to lift a kayak over the dam and continue paddling.  The stream gets very shallow as it crosses the beach and it's easier to get out and wade.

The beach on Lake Michigan was the most popular attraction in the park when I visited.  A boardwalk leads from the main parking lot under the Scenic Drive bridge and over the dunes to the beach.

Duck Lake State Park

4650 N Scenic Dr

Fruitland, MI 49461
(address is approximate)

Recreation passport (or daily fee) required.

Musketawa Trail

The Musketawa Trail runs 25 miles from the outskirts of Muskegon to Marne, just west of Grand Rapids.  It's a little over an hour's drive from Kalamazoo.  Its surface is asphalt smooth enough to Rollerblade, with the occasional wooden bridge. 

I biked the western section from Muskegon to Ravenna (about 12 miles each way) earlier this week.  Like many rail trails, the Musketawa was fairly straight and level.  Most of the ride was through open farmland.  At the Ravenna trailhead, a railroad water tower and other RR artifacts celebrated the trail's heritage.  Just east of Ravenna, the high trestle bridge, over Crockery Creek, was the most scenic part of my ride.


Muskegon trailhead (approximate address)

2800 E Broadway Ave

Muskegon, MI 49444
(US-31 take exit 112 to Sherman Rd (County Rd B72).  Go east on Sherman for 1 mile following the curve south to Broadway.  Turn left on Broadway at the light.  Continue east on Broadway for one mile.  Trail parking is on the left.)

Ravenna trailhead (approximate address)

3716 Blackmer Rd

Ravenna, MI 49451
(The trailhead is in the southwest corner of the village

West Lake

West Lake, in Portage just south of Kalamazoo, doesn't have a public boat launch, but kayaks and canoes can put in at the channel at Lakeview Park and enter West Lake through a tunnel under Oakland Drive.  The shores of West Lake are mostly developed, with only a small natural section of shoreline protected by the West Lake Nature Preserve.  That area does have some interesting bog life, including pitcher plants.  The rest of the lake is mostly homes with docks, most with both a pontoon boat and a speedboat.  West Lake can be a great spot for sunsets.

West Lake: 335 acres

Sugarloaf Lake

Sugarloaf Lake in Portage, just south of Kalamazoo, is a reasonably large lake for paddling and has a substantial amount of undeveloped shoreline (protected as part of the Gourdneck State Game Area).  The southwest shore does have several houses.  A public boat launch, off Shaver Road, provides access and parking.

A winding channel connects to Little Sugarloaf Lake.  Little Sugarloaf appears more developed, with homes and docks along one shore and US-131 visible along the other shore.

Sugarloaf Lake
10764 Shaver Rd.
Portage, MI
(address is approximate)

Hall Lake

Hall Lake in Yankee Springs State Recreation Area, about a 45 minute drive north of Kalamazoo, offers opportunities for hiking and paddling.  We walked the Hall Lake Trail on a hot summer day and enjoyed the cool shade of the woods.  The trail started at the intersection of Gun Lake Road and the dirt road for the Long Lake Outdoor Center and then skirted the western edge of Hall Lake, sharing the route with the North Country Trail, and then loopsedback to the trailhead.  The entire loop took just under an hour to walk.  In winter, the Hall Lake trail is part of the Yankee Springs ski trail.

After our hike, we put our kayaks in at the Hall Lake boat launch (a few hundred yards east on Gun Lake Road).  The lake was small but mostly natural.  There were no structures along the lake, just the occasional car visible on the road.  Three small islands added interest.  A Great Blue Heron fished in the shallows while Turkey Vulture circled overhead.  The lake itself was too small to make the drive worthwhile but it combined nicely with some of the parks other attractions.