Kalamazoo Nature Center, Michigan, United States
4.5 (167 reviews) Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent Ranking #3 in Kalamazoo County Nature & Wildlife Areas
Beautiful location, Trust map ratings
Our first visit was... interesting but that is solely on us. We were looking for an outdoor activity and weren't quite prepared. It was $7 an adult to enter, $6 age 55 up. We were given a map for trails and directed to the parking area and visitor center. Easy to navigate from lot to Center, offering ramp and steps. The dome area is slated for renovations soon. There's a children area and a rotating screen displayed coming events, camps, and a small gift shop inside, and a deck w seating outside. Re the trails: TRUST the difficulty ratings of the trails. We chose a more difficult route and missed a trail marker (or a few), we took a wrong turn and ended up a bit lost so it took longer than expected. Thankful for the benches! Will go again, but will be better prepared... and better watch the trail markings!
Address
7000 N Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49009-6309
Mobile
Website
http://www.naturecenter.org
Working hours
Monday : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday : 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Current local date and time now
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 10:36
User Ratings
4.5 based on (167 reviews)
Reviews
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5Chris L 5:00 PM Oct 7, 2020
An natural oasis
We were blessed with a beautiful fall day to get introduced to this wonderful site. A large variety of trails (would recommend #6) and the trails are well maintained and even the ones classified as difficult can be hiked with a bit of determination. The visitor center is also worth visiting, especially if you have children with you. The gift shop is quite good, especially the selection of books. Do considered visiting both sides of the center. The other side is more rustic, but one section along the wetlands has magnificent hardwood trees that reach to the sky. Only recommendation is that you watch the map carefully as sometimes it seems the signage along the trails don't match exactly with the map. Bring a compass to help. There is an admission, but the price is well worth the experience you'll discover.
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5Indy-ND 5:00 PM Aug 30, 2020
Nice hike on a hot day.
I have been meaning to get to the Kalamazoo Nature Center for years now and I finally was in the area to see family and stopped in for a few hours to do some hiking. The young lady at the entrance circled a few of her favorite hikes since I had not been before, which was nice of her. I headed into the Nature Center first. You have to answer a few questions before entering. Once inside, some things were shut down, but there were some that you could check out. I was there to hike though, so I first did the Beech Maple Trail (#6). It winds down along a creek and is very peaceful. Mind the poison ivy though, there is a bunch of it just off the trail in places. I then turned off to the Raptor Ridge Trail (#9), which started with a long uphill climb. It took me to the Bluebird Trail (#10), which is what I really wanted to do. It's a 2.7 mile loop according to the trail map. It's up and down hills, across meadows, through the woods, and past an old gravel pit. It was hot and buggy, but I loved it. There are a few overlooks along the ridge to stop for the views. Once I was through with the loop, I finished the Raptor loop and then the Beech Maple loop back to the Nature Center. I take a lot of pictures when out hiking and I ended up with 300 or so. The Beech trail creek and the Bluebird valley and overlooks were very nice. There is a creek overlook on the Raptor trail too. I really enjoyed the afternoon there.
