9. Saginaw Forest + Dolph Nature Area

Photos from the Saginaw Forest:

Comments: The Saginaw Forest is a University of Michigan property open to the public. It is a hidden gem -- amazingly uncrowded, considering what it offers and how close it is to Ann Arbor.

The initial trail segment runs through tall grass in a prairie-like setting to a picnic shelter  on high ground. Beyond the shelter you will find a trail network that surrounds Third Sister Lake and passes through a variety of environments, including marshes, dense woods, and a lakeside grassy area with a picnic table and a small pier. Be sure to visit the northern portion, featuring a cathedral-like stand  of pines and hardwoods with an extremely high canopy. Even after repeated visits I am still stunned by its beauty.

The route I prefer involves traversing the outer loop counterclockwise.

The OpenStreetMap has been updated recently, and now provides a more complete picture of the trail network. I've saved a copy of my preferred route on MapPedometer . As a result, the following paragraph describing how to navigate the route may no longer be necessary.

On the western portion of this route you will be headed south. Once the trail begins to turn to the east, there is a fork that offers the option to head farther south and slightly uphill . Take that right branch. After about 500 feet, the trail again turns to the east, and again there is a fork offering the option to continue farther south . I recommend that you again take the right branch, bearing in mind that it is not on the trail map and easy to miss. This branch takes you all the way to the Liberty Road entrance across from Westview Way, and then turns northeast along a trail (back on the trail map) that eventually joins the service road. Follow this road north and turn right at the next opportunity to get back on the outer loop.

The length of this hike, including the return to the trailhead and parking lot, is about 2.1 miles.

But wait there's more!

You might expect that Third Sister Lake should have sister lakes. She does. And it is easy to extend your hike into the woods of the nearby Dolph Nature Area where the other two Sister Lakes are situated.

Starting from the parking lot near the Saginaw Forest trailhead, walk north past the 2|42 Church to the third driveway on the west side of Wagner north of Liberty. While the trailhead and parking lot for the Dolph Nature Area is about 200 feet farther north on the east side of Wagner (opposite Jackson Plaza), there is another point of entry directly across Wagner from this third driveway. In fact, once you dash across Wagner and continue due east, you will immediately encounter Second Sister Lake .

Heading north from there you will reach the Dolph trailhead . The network here is complex, and the old 2017 trail map is only of minimal help -- it is incomplete and does not even show the locations of the Sister Lakes. The OpenStreetMap is noticeably worse, although it does show the lakes, as well as a pond  located north of the trailhead. Fortunately the park website has a new ArcGIS map that provides a more complete view of the layout. In addition, there are strategically located trail markers that will help guide you to various destinations, including the lakes and access points on Rhea Street and Parklake Avenue. If you exit at Parklake, you will find benches and a small pier at First Sister Lake  about 0.2 miles to the north.

An exploratory hike through the Dolph Nature Area is likely to add 1 to 1.5 miles to your hike. Combining it with the Saginaw Forest loop and the round trip between them, you can expect a 3.7 to 4.2 mile hike. And if that's not enough, there's another nature preserve nearby....

The Lakewood Nature Area:

When you exit Dolph at Parklake Avenue on your way to First Sister Lake, an alternative is to instead turn right and walk south on Parklake to the Lakewood Nature Area . You will see the curbside entrance  after about 0.1 miles, shortly after Parklake turns to the east and becomes Sunnywood Drive. While the park may be small, it has dense woods, modest hills, a ravine, and a stream  running through it. An exploration of the area is likely to add another 1/2 to 1 mile to your hike.

The initial pathway heads south through a narrow strip of park property to a fork in the trail. The left branch leads to another entrance  (at the end of Central Avenue), and continues south from there into the woods. The OpenStreetMap shows very little of the trail network here; probably the best resource for making sense of it is the ArcGIS map available on either the Lakewood or Dolph websites.

The right branch at the initial fork is a short spur that exits at the end of Lakeview Avenue. A gate-protected driveway  leads from there down to a secluded spot  on the east side of Second Sister Lake. Its shade trees, picnic tables, lake view, and broad expanse of grass make this the perfect location for a quiet summertime picnic.

Leashed dogs are allowed throughout.

Directions: From downtown Ann Arbor, head west on Liberty for about 2.5 miles to Wagner Road. Turn right (north) onto Wagner and enter the first driveway on the left. This is the parking lot of the 2|42 Church. The Saginaw Forest trailhead is at the southern end of this very large parking lot. There are two other access points on Liberty: a gated entrance for service vehicles, and a footpath directly opposite Westview Way.

If you prefer to start your hike at the Dolph Nature Area, the main entrance and parking lot is on the east side of Wagner Road, about 0.4 miles north of Liberty.

Excerpts from the websites: Saginaw Forest is an 80-acre parcel of land comprising about 55 acres of plantations, Third Sister Lake, and surrounding wetlands. Located 5 miles west of the university campus on Liberty Road, Saginaw Forest lends itself well to the study of forest and sustainable ecosystem management. It serves as a setting for research on diverse topics, including woody plants, forest ecology, freshwater ecology, and soil properties and processes.

One of Ann Arbors most beautiful parks, [Dolph Nature Area] includes open water, wetland and marsh habitat, as well as forest and shrubland. The park is home to First and Second Sister Lakes, the only naturally formed kettle lakes in Ann Arbor. The floating vegetation mat on First Sister Lake comprises the only bog in Ann Arbor's parks system.