Another beautiful day means another adventure. This time we found ourselves in Kalamazoo, Michigan to hike in the woods at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum. Although it was nearly a two hour drive for us, it was well worth the trip and we highly recommend it.
About Lillian Anderson
After our visit my first question was who is or was Lillian Anderson and why did someone create this arboretum in her name? A quick look at the website provides the answer. Her grandfather, Duncan, was one of the first pioneers of Oshtemo Township. He owned some land near the arboretum property and farmed it until his death in 1935. His son, Edward, purchased his own land, which is now the arboretum property, and farmed it with his wife, Mary Elizabeth and daughter, Lillian. They continued to live on and farm the land with Lillian rejoining them after college.
Even after her parent’s passed, Lillian continued to live at the family homestead until the mid 1970’s while working at the Kalamazoo Public Library. In 1982 she donated the arboretum land to Kalamazoo College and the First Presbyterian Church. And in 1998 the college obtained ownership of all the land with her approval and established the Lillian Anderson Arboretum. Lillian passed in 2001 leaving this beautiful property as a tribute to her family.
Our Adventure to Lillian Anderson Arboretum
Once we entered the trail we came upon a sign with a map of the arboretum. I took a picture of it and although the trails are marked well, I referenced it a few times to determine which trails to explore. I don’t know who named the trails, but they certainly chose names the described what was on each trail. They also had a sense of humor. The trails we explored, in order, were the Pavilion Road, Pine Connector, Magnificent Pines, Batts Pond, Gathje Hill, Marsh Woods, Bernie’s Landing, Poweline, Not so Magnificent Pines, Monarch Way, Meadow Run, and Pavilion Road toward the parking lot.
After reviewing the map we started our adventure by taking the trail in front of us. After a short distance of hiking in the woods we came to an opening and the Batts Pavilion. The pavilion does not have any picnic benches, but does have cement blocks for seating. After a quick rest, a.k.a photo opportunity, and look around we took the trail on the left side of the pavilion which led to the Magnificent Pine Yrail. This trail was aptly named as the pines in this area are truly magnificent.
We continued through the pine forest enjoying the beautiful and oh so tall trees. At the end we came to the Powerline Trail which is a trail through a grassy area with the power lines running through it. At this point we turned around and followed the Magnificent Pine Trail until we came to the Batts Pond Trail. Although there were pine trees in this area, they were not nearly as magnificent as the ones on the previous trail. We eventually came to a section that gave a view of the pond on the left side. The pond was quite still and covered with green so I was glad that we could not get any closer to it. A section of the trail appeared to lead to a bridge across it, but we opted not to take this route. Instead we continued until the trail crossed the Power Line Trail and led to the Gathje Hill Trail.
The start of the Gathje Hill Trail was similar to the other trails and after a shot distance turned into the Marsh Woods Trail. This seemed to be the most popular trail as we encountered several other hikers. The trail followed the marsh and although we were much closer to the marsh than the pond, Sunny still could not get her feet wet. She enjoyed looking at the water while contemplating how to get down to it. The Marsh Woods trail wound through the woods and then we came to Bernie’s Landing Trail on the left. After a short distance this led to the Power Line Trail. We took a right onto the Power Line Trail and then got on the Not So Magnificent Pines Trail.
We continued through the Not So Magnificent Pines, which are lovely, but not as magnificent as the others. When we came to the Pine Connector Trail we continued to the left and found the Monarch Way and then Meadow Run trails. These led back to the Pavilion Road and the car. It was a rather windy hike on a variety of trails, but we covered a large portion of the arboretum. Although we did not hike on every trail, we saw a large portion of the arboretum. Our total distance was just under 3M.
Sunny’s Perspective
Okay, so this place is fantastic. It was mostly in the woods and the smells were fantastic. I loved seeing the pond and marsh, but really wanted to get down to them. No such luck. That didn’t damper my spirits. This place so many different areas to explore – the woods, marsh, pond, and a field. My favorite was probably the trail along the marsh because it overlooked the water and we ran into several other people and dogs. I love people and dogs! This really was a fun place to visit. It’s a kinda long trip to get here, but it really is fun and I hope we go back.
Our Rating
Sunny and I rate the Lillian Anderson Arboretum 3.5 out of 4 paws up. It’s truly a treasure and a wonderful place to visit. It has all the things we love – miles of trails that with some that are a little more challenging, good trail markers so you don’t get lost, beautiful views of trees and water, areas to rest and enjoy the scenery, and good parking. The only thing we did not find was a restroom and there was no way to get down to the water. The water was a little green and murky so I would not have let Sunny put her toes in it even if we could get down to it.
How Do I Get There?
The hardest part of getting to Lillian Anderson Arboretum is the entrance is somewhat hidden with the sign not visible from the road. Other than that it’s fairly straight forward. The address is 7787 W. Main Street, Kalamazoo, MI. From I-94 take exit 74B to US-131 N toward Grand Rapids. After nearly five miles take exit 38B to M-43 W toward South Haven. After about .3M look for an asphalt driveway surrounded by trees on the left. This is the entrance. You will not see the sign until you drive into the driveway. Continue on the right and you will find the parking lot. The entrance to the trails is just off the parking lot and there is a trail map at the start.
Want more information? Check out the Lillian Anderson Arboretum website.