Sierra Club Huron Valley Group

This is NOT an in-person event.

These Exercise Guides are intended to assist and encourage exploration of parks and natural areas in the Huron Valley Group region. Please enjoy them on your own or with others.

This hike spans three of Ann Arbor's premier parks, over glacial hills and the Huron River, right in town. Park in the Barton Nature Area/Barton Dam parking lot on Huron River drive, then cross the road and head uphill into Bird Hills. You'll travel over the glacial hills of Bird Hills and Kuebler Langford, then cross the pedestrian bridge over the Huron River to Barton Nature Area in the Huron River flood plain and finish by walking across the top of the Barton Dam (another pedestrian bridge allows you to avoid the dam if you prefer).

Expect lots of hills through Bird and Kuebler, a fair bit of wet in Barton. With luck, and alertness, you might see a Great Blue Heron along the Huron, or maybe a Red-tailed Hawk or Great Horned Owl. And you're guaranteed many picturesque views along the way (like the one above, overlooking the Huron River and Huron River Drive from Bird Hills).

Our basic route (yellow path on 2nd map below) is a 3.4-mile hike with about 500' of gross elevation gain. Add the green loop in Bird Hills for an extra 1.7 miles and 300' of elevation. The green loop in Kuebler adds 0.6 miles and 130' of elevation gain.

Like many of Ann Arbor's city parks and nature areas, the trails are excellent, with lots of intersections. This makes them good place to practice navigating in woods - they are small with clear boundaries, so getting lost isn't a concern. But getting misdirected is an enjoyable possibility - stay calm, listen for traffic or the river, and enjoy your wanderings.

https://www.sierraclub.org/michigan/huron-valley

This is NOT an in-person event.

These Exercise Guides are intended to assist and encourage exploration of parks and natural areas in the Huron Valley Group region.

Hike along the Saline River, in meadows, and through some small woodlots. It is always wonderful and truly amazing during spring ephemeral season. There are some impressive sycamore, oaks, and elms to see in the woodlots. Wood frogs and others are noisy in the vernal pools.

Frequently you will need to either wear waterproof boots or accept wet feet. Parts of the trail will flood a few inches deep. Sierra Club policy is to walk through the water and mud, rather than around it - do your part to not promote erosion. Water is particularly an issue along the southeast parts of the trail along the Saline River.

The map below, when viewed full size will print at 8.5 x 11. It indicates where the signposts are and the current trail layout, although it doesn't label the trails by color.
Note: the "red" trail on the map below, north of the Saline River, coming off Platt Rd. is unverified.

Warning: the County's PDF map of the trails (https://www.washtenaw.org/DocumentCenter/View/1292) is outdated. The trail colors on the map do not match the signposts. It also shows some trails that no longer exist and omits some that do exist.
The County's interactive map (https://gisappsecure.ewashtenaw.org/public/ParkFinder/) shows correct trail configurations and colors. At provided link, search for "Draper-Houston" in the search box (upper left), click the name when it shows up. The map will center on Draper Houston, but it will be shaded brown; click the 'X' on the search box and the brown overlay disappears, leaving a printable map.

NOTE: as a Washtenaw County Preserve, dogs are not allowed in Draper-Houston.