Fawn River Nature Preserve is part of the Acres Land Trust which protects land in northeast Indiana, southern Michigan, and northwest Ohio. This property is on the border of Indiana and Michigan. It provides a view of Fawn River which is a tributary of the St. Joseph River.
Despite the name of the preserve you wouldn’t know there is a river until about the halfway point when you get a view of it. Unfortunately unless you climb down a couple foot embankment and land in the river, you can not access it. This was a great disappointment for Sunny, but we still enjoyed our time at Fawn River Nature Preserve.
The hike starts with a quarter mile walk on a mowed grassy path before entering the woods. Once in the woods, the trail winds around providing views of beech and maple trees. There’s also a covered shelter just before the short trail to the river overlook. After the river the trail loops around back through the woods to the entrance. The trail is fairly wide and flat for the first half, but the path to the river and back to the entrance is narrower and has more inclines and descents. It also has more roots making it more challenging for those with stability issues.
Our Rating
This is a nice trail in the woods with a view of the river. There is one main trail with a short loop down to a view of the river for a total distance of just over 1.5M. Other than some deer and a few other critters we had the place to ourselves when we visited. It made for a peaceful hike in the woods. We give this trail 3 out of 4 paws up. The main disadvantages are no restrooms, not being able to get down into the water, and only being able to hike 1.5M. We still recommend this spot for a nice hike in the woods.
How do I get there?
Take the Lagrange exit (#348) off I-69 then turn onto 20 W. Stay on 20 W for about 7M. Take a right onto 327 N and stay on 327 for about 8M. Turn left onto W 800 N/Greenfield Rd, which is a gravel road. Follow this for 3M. This road is on the border of Indiana and Michigan and you will enter Michigan for a short period of time. I only knew this because my GPS welcomed me to Michigan and then back into Indiana. Stay on W 800 N until there is a fork in the road, veer left which looks like you are driving into someone’s driveway. Follow that until you see the Acres Land Trust sign on the left and veer left again into the parking lot.
For more information check out the Acres Land Trust website.