A few last warm days before it turns cold so we ventured north to Michigan and visited the Kauffman Nature Sanctuary in Hudson, MI. This is the first Acres Land Trust location in Michigan and was donated by Janet Kauffman. She farmed part of the land before letting nature reclaim it. Today it provides a lovely hike in a field and the woods.
The trail winds through a mowed grass path in a field before entering the woods. Unlike other trails we’ve hiked in fields, the vegetation is low enough that you can see the surrounding area. This provides a nice view of the woods, field, and surrounding area. Shortly after walking in the field you enter an area with a wide trail in the woods. It’s not densely wooded which allows the sun to peak through. This, in combination with the open field portion, might make it a warm hike on a summer day.
After walking in the woods for awhile, the trail opens back up into the field, and then back into the woods. This section of the woods leads to a stream that is one of Michigan’s headwater streams from Lake Erie. Sunny loved getting her toes wet in the water. This section of the trail dead ends at the stream so we made our way back to the main trail and continued. Shortly after that we found ourself back in the open field. After a short distance we saw a pond in the middle of the field. The trail continued back to the trail that leads to the parking lot.
Although there are some trails off the main trail, we just kept taking the trail to the right. This gave us a hike of nearly 1.4M. Most of the trail was flat, but there were some inclines and descents. The trail is fairly wide throughout, but like most trails in the woods would not be good for those with mobility or stability issues.
Our Rating
Sunny and I rate Kauffman Nature Sanctuary 2.5 out of 4 paws up. Although it’s a nice place to hike, about half the hike is in a field, which is not our favorite. We prefer to be in the woods. One of the sections in the woods leads to a creek and Sunny was able to get her toes wet which was a bonus. All in all this is a nice place for a hike, but if you prefer the woods to fields there are other locations that provide that.
How do I get there?
Take 20E and follow into Ohio. Turn left onto 127N/Meridian Rd., a short time after turning you will cross the Michigan border. Continue on 127N/Meridian Rd. for 14.5M. Turn left onto Beecher Rd. After about 2M look for the sign on the left.
For more information check out the Acres Land Trust website.
