Trails

Trekking for Turkey Tails

Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment
Turkey Tail

THE WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Turkey Tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) are fantastic forest fungi that are easily located in the dead of winter and in the sultry heat of summer. As forest foliage thickens during the early days of summer, these extremely common mushrooms may be eclipsed momentarily by the shadows created by dappled sunlight. If you want to photograph them, simply bring along a nature-inquisitive child on a trailside turkey tail hunting foray. It won’t take long until the excited cry of, “I see one!” is followed by an outpouring of enthusiasm to explore nature’s way at the dawn of summer.

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Getting Lost in Nature at Camp Agawam

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments
Camp Agawam

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Camp Agawam, located in the heart of Orion Township is one of the newest kids on the “nature block” when it comes to easily accessible multi-use parks enriched with heavy doses of natural wildness and existing infrastructure. Agawam is on the south side of Clarkston Road between Joslyn Road and M-24 and was previously owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America. In 2014, Orion Township took ownership and it’s now managed by Orion Township Parks and Recreation. Upgrades and improvements are underway and this very attractive park won’t be a secret much longer.

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Secrets of Cranberry Lake Park

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Cranberry Lake Park

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

On sultry summer days the beautiful wooded swamps and protected wetlands of Cranberry Lake Park occasionally transform into short term havens for blood-thirsty mosquitoes and squadrons of dive-bombing deer flies. That is nature’s way all across the Wilder Side of Oakland County. I still remember a hot and humid late summer day when I meandered into that Oakland Township Park on a hunt for a few blackberries. I raced back to my vehicle a few minutes later with my arms flailing after becoming an involuntarily blood donor for what felt like millions of mosquitoes.

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Hawk Woods – Not Just For The Birds!

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments
Hawk Woods

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

The distant din of traffic from M-24 and I-75 was barely audible when I heard a rather odd sound. It seemed to come from a small pond nestled away on the west side of Bald Mountain Road in Auburn Hills. It sounded something like a hoarse frog struggling to sing an unknown melody. I knew it wasn’t a spring peeper, wood frog, or chorus frog, the three species most likely to have been singing in the last weeks of April. I tried to peer through a thick wall of invasive phragmites for a better view of the hidden songster, but had no luck. As I advanced off trail, my steps made a crunching noise on dried sticks. Then, in a burst of speed and flurry of wings the “frog” and his companion erupted into flight. That’s how my unforgettable and most delightful early morning exploration of the 80-acre Hawk Woods Nature Center began.

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See Spring in Bloom on an Oakland County Trail

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

Oakland County and its surrounding areas offer miles and miles of trails for your fitness and enjoyment! Now that the snow is gone for good (fingers crossed), it’s a splendid time to get outside and take in the much-needed sights and sounds of spring. Whether you want to take a quiet stroll, jog through a park, bike with friends, or saddle up on a horse, there’s a trail for you.

View a partial list below to find a trail in your area. If you love maps, visit our Trails Page for an interactive trail viewer map. The map will allow you to sort by parks and trails, take note of a trail’s surface area, and view a trail’s elevation by clicking on it.

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