A girl wearing rubber boots and carrying binoculars bends over to look closely at a plant. — Girl Looking at Plant A young girl explores wildlife at the Nan Weston Nature Preserve at Sharon Hollow. © Michael D-L Jordan/dlp

Enhance Your Preserve Experience

Find new ways to explore our preserves—at home or in the field.

Last updated May 09, 2022

Ways to Explore Michigan Preserves

Looking for an adventure off the beaten path? Explore different types of habitats across the state while taking in the beauty of Michigan's lands and waters at one of TNC's preserves.

The activities below will help you explore these areas from the comfort of home or out in the field. Tag us on social with #TNCMichigan to share your adventures and for a chance to be featured on our page!

Guided Audio Tours
Geocaching
Events and Work Days

Explore Our Audio Tours

Take a tour through floodplain forests, wetlands, bluffs and marshes right from the palm of your hand. Our guided audio tours include stories, fun facts, historical notes and natural sounds to deepen your connection to place. Access the tour from the comfort of your home, or onsite as you hike! Explore our available audio tours on the interactive map below.

Grassy shoreline along Big Trout Lake at TNC's Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve.

Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve at Dudley

This audio walking tour has 2 walking options, each taking an out-and-back journey that is 2 miles in total with a few small hills and rises.

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Echo Lake surrounded by tall green trees under a blue, cloud-filled sky.

Echo Lake Nature Preserve

This tour takes you on a 1-hour round-trip journey to the peninsula overlook. You can add in some steeper hiking to an overlook with stunning views of forestland and Lake Superior.

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Helmut and Candis Stern Preserve

About 6.5 miles round trip, this tour will take you to the very top of Mt. Baldy and back, so allow at least 3 hours for your visit.

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Ancient bedrock sits along a tree-and-sand-lined shoreline.

Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor

If you are on location, you can begin your tour at the trailhead across the two-track dirt road from the parking lot, walking 5-10 minutes toward the lake shoreline.

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Lush, green tree canopy with sunlight peeking through the branches.

Nan Weston Nature Preserve at Sharon Hollow

This walking tour takes you along a 1.5-mile route. Depending on how many stops you take, it will be about 1 hour until you reach the River Raisin.

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Mushrooms growing out of greenery-covered ground.

Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve

This tour follows a 3.5-mile route that loops through the southern two-thirds of the nearly 1,500-acre preserve. It has an option to add another 1.5-mile loop near the end.

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Aerial image of a beaver lodge in the middle of McMahon Lake.

McMahon Lake Preserve

This tour is a 2.7-mile loop. It begins with a flat trail to McMahon Lake. The return journey is more challenging, with a ridge that includes some steep up-and-downs.

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Take the Tour at the Preserve

What should I do before I visit?
- Download the free TravelStorys app to your smartphone or tablet from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android).
- Search for the preserve you want to tour.
- Click on the tour when it pops up, then click on the blue circle with the white arrow to download it to your device.
- In your device settings, make sure GPS and location services are set to "allow all the time".
- Charge your device and grab a pair of headphones (if you prefer).
What should I do when I arrive?
- In the preserve's parking area, open the TravelStorys app, and select the tour to begin (data service/internet is not required).
- As you hike, the audio will play at pre-programmed GPS points. It’s like a personal tour guide that you can carry in your pocket!

Take the Tour at Home

How can I take the tour from home?
- Visit travelstorys.com/tours and search for the preserve you’d like to tour.
- Click on the tour page and scroll to the green button “Explore this Preserve Remotely”.
- From here, toggle your way through the interface at your own pace. Enjoy all the sights and sounds from the comfort of your home (or classroom!).

Treasure Hunt with Geocaching

Geocaching is an exciting way to explore the landscape, to discover something new and share special places with outdoor enthusiasts. Players seek to locate hidden containers, called geocaches or earthcaches, using a smartphone or GPS. It gets the whole family outside to explore the natural world and teaches kids about navigation with the fun reward of finding real hidden "treasure."

Geocaching is a regulated activity at TNC. In order to protect sensitive habitats and maintain a fun and safe activity, anyone wishing to place a geocache within our preserves must complete a permit application first.

Geocaching 101 (1:16) Before you start geocaching, make sure you know which TNC preserves in Michigan permit this outdoor activity.

How to Start the Hunt

Where do I start?

Log on to geocaching.com to set up a free account and start the hunt.

Once back home, you can share your stories and photos of the adventure online.
Which preserves have geocaches?
Official geocaches can be found at the following preserves:
- Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor, Keweenaw County
- Maxton Plains Preserve, Chippewa County
- Nan Weston Nature Preserve at Sharon Hollow, Washtenaw County
- Paw Paw Prairie Fen Preserve, Van Buren County
- Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve, Van Buren County
How do I place a geocache on a TNC preserve?

Geocaching is a regulated activity at TNC. In order to protect sensitive habitats and maintain a fun and safe activity, anyone wishing to place a geocache within our preserves must complete a permit application first.

Field Trips & Webinars

Our chapter offers many events throughout the year including guided hikes, educational webinars and field trips. Visit nature.org/mievents for more information on upcoming guided hikes, educational webinars and field trips offered throughout the year. Find recorded webinars in the video gallery below.

Webinars and Staff Features

The sun sets and the colors are reflected in the surface of the water. — **Reclaiming Nature for Saginaw (1:03:02)** Learn how we helped partners flip 334 acres of a former General Motors site to its natural glory. From lumber to coal mining to a malleable iron factory, this area has played a vital role in Michigan’s industrial history and now becomes its first and only county park.

A body of water surrounded by tall grass and other foliage. — **Explore McMahon Lake Preserve (47:49)** Visiting this preserve with its more than 4,000 acres of undisturbed wildlife is like traveling back in time. Discover meandering moose, soaring marsh hawks and creaking pine trees on this “behind the scenes” tour of McMahon Lake Preserve.

A closeup of a frog peering out from the water. — **Take a Walk with Kim and John at Sharon Hollow (11:22)** Enjoy this mini-tour hosted by TNC restoration staff.

A field of tall grass, flowers and other plant life. — **Restoring and Protecting Tecumseh: Great Lakes Now Connect—Wild Places (6:47)** Enjoy this DPTV episode on the super volunteers restoring native prairie at Ives Road Fen Preserve in Tecumseh.

Light shines through a lush, green forest. — **Preserve Webinar: Spring into Nature at Sharon Hollow (56:34)** Staff from TNC and Washtenaw County Parks & Rec share the unique history and natural features of the Nan Weston Nature Preserve at Sharon Hollow and Sharon Mills historical site.

Closeup of orange mushrooms growing on the forest floor. — **Preserve Webinar: Resilient at Ross (58:35)** Experience the conservation of a rare Lake Michigan marsh at the Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve located in Van Buren County, Michigan on this virtual hike with staff from The Nature Conservancy. Learn about the land’s unique history, from Indigenous tribes to the local Ross family.

A snowy cliffside covered in ice and trees. — **Preserve Webinar: Experience the Wild of Echo Lake (1:02:54)** From wolves to dramatic granite cliffs, learn more about the pristine Echo Lake Nature Preserve located in Marquette County, Michigan with staff from The Nature Conservancy.

Rocks are dotted along a shoreline. — **Preserve Webinar: Lake Huron Nature at Gerstacker (1:00:37)** Nestled along the shores of Lake Huron, the Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve at Dudley Bay located in Mackinac County, Michigan features a spectacular limestone bedrock shoreline and a variety of wildlife and songbirds. Learn more on this guided tour with staff from The Nature Conservancy.

Volunteer

One of our most popular volunteer opportunities is at our at Ives Road Fen Preserve in Lenawee County. Enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds as you remove garlic mustard in the floodplain next to the River Raisin and cut honeysuckle in the upland prairie. As a volunteer, you'll experience parts of the preserve that most visitors never get to see!

Work days take place on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET in the months of April, May, September and October. To participate, contact Chuck Pearson at ivesroadfen@gmail.com or call 615-500-8229.

Explore other volunteer events in Michigan below.

Stay in the Loop

Read about TNC Michigan's volunteer events in our newsletter.

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