What we’re about
Welcome to Explore the Coast - Southwest Michigan Sports, Outdoors, & Social Group. The purpose of this group is to give individuals/couples the opportunity to meet and connect with others with the same interests. Most events will be in Berrien and Van Buren Counties. We will be focusing on 3 areas: Sports will include: 1) Volleyball 2) Road Races: 5K, etc 3) Golf Outings 4) Watching Football 5) Etc. Outdoors will include: 1) Hiking 2) Camping 3) Canoeing 4) Cycling 5) Etc. Socials will include: 1) Dining 2) Festivals 3) Picnics 4) Comedy Clubs 5) Concerts 6) Game Nights 7) Wine Tastings 8) Etc. We have no membership dues. So why not join us and see what the SW Michigan have to offer. If you have an idea for an event, please email us. Tell a Friend!
Fall Colors Mega Hike @ Swan Creek - Allegan SGA (11+ miles)
October 11th, 9:00 am
This is a great hike to train for! If you can't average a 30 minute mile (2 mph) this is not a hike for you.
We will start off with the North Swan Creek Loop. It is about 5.1 miles long. The we will do the South Swan Creek Loop which is about another 5.8 miles.
We will meet at the trail head parking lot on 118th avenue just west of the bridge over Swan Creek (or just east of the Park Headquarters.)
The much more scenic route is to the south, where a 5.8-mile loop skirts Swan Creek Pond and then the creek to 116th Avenue. To the north is a 5-mile loop along the creek to the edge of Koopman Marsh. Although the area is not hilly, both trails follow the base of a river bluff at times and contain a surprising amount of up-and-down hiking. They also pass a number of marshes.
After the hike, we head to Root's Café in Fennville.
About Southern Loop:
https://www.michigantrailmaps.com/member-detail/allegan-sga-south-swan-creek-loop/
South Swan Creek Loop is best done during the off-season—either in early May when fiddleheads are popping through the forest floor and the flowering dogwood is in full bloom, or in the fall, when one can witness one of the largest migratory gatherings of waterfowl in the state.
About Nothern Loop:
https://www.michigantrailmaps.com/member-detail/allegan-sga-north-swan-creek-loop/
Lightly used North Swan Creek trails are located on the north side of the 118th Avenue Bridge dam and form a 5.1-mile loop. The east side trail stays closer to the creek and involves more climbing as it skirts the bluffs. The west side of the loop remains mostly on the edge of the bluff and is an easier hike. In places the west side trail parallels two-tracks that doubles as a ski trail in the winter and can be used as an alternative route back to 118th Avenue. Ski trails are marked with blue blazes, the hiking trail with yellow blazes.
This is a great hike. I hope you can make it.
Kevin
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Let's Bike: The Kal-Haven TrailKal-Haven Trailhead, South Haven, MI
Let's Bike: The Kal-Haven Trail
We will meet at the Kal-Haven trail head. We will ride out and back. I am hoping to do 12 miles total. We will stop at bumbleberry acres on the way back.
Since this is an out and back ride, you may turn around at anytime.
We will out afterwards for ice cream/bite/drinks.
I hope you can make it.
Kevin
- Fall Colors Hike @Fernwood then Eats/Drinks at River St. Joe BreweryFernwood Botanical Garden, Niles, MI
Fall Colors Hike @ Fernwood Botanical Garden then Eats/Drinks at River St. Joe Brewery
We will hike about 2 miles or so at Fernwood then head to River St. Joe of a bite and/or drinks (Optional).
General Admission: $12
We have a passes for us plus 4 to get into Fernwood for free.
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FYI: Fernwood membership is $55 for 1 and $65 for 2 (same household). With is comes a Reciprocal Admissions to many other gardens and nature centers (including Meijer's Garden, which is $20 for regular admission, and the Kalamazoo Nature Center.)Here are links to the included gardens and nature centers:
https://ahsgardening.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AHS-Garden-Network-List-8.14.25.pdfhttps://natctr.org/membership/reciprocal-program
--------------About Fernwood Botanical Garden:
A favorite of all who love nature—flora and fauna, Fernwood Botanical Garden is situated on the St. Joseph River in Niles, Michigan, near Buchanan in picturesque Berrien County. Fernwood is only minutes from South Bend, Indiana, and Southwestern Michigan’s famous wine country and shore communities. Fernwood comprises 105 acres and protects at least 10 ecosystems and is a birder’s paradise. Visitors may enjoy natural areas with miles of walking and hiking trails, a reconstructed prairie, an arboretum, and cultivated public gardens that include an herb garden, Japanese garden, perennial border, rain garden, railway garden, nature adventure garden, hardy fern collection, and other special collections and gardens.
Fernwood Website: https://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/
About River St. Joe Brewery:
On a beautiful and rolling organic farm in Buchanan, Michigan, in the heart of Southwest Michigan, "River Saint Joe" is a unique grain-to-glass brewery; farm-to-table restaurant; and event, community, and learning venue, open for beer & food.
River St. Joe Brewery Website: https://www.riversaintjoe.com/
I hope you can make it.
Kevin
