Three spring hikes in Waterloo Recreation Area

South end of the Spring Pond Trail, near Cedar Lake, Waterloo State Recreation Area. Photo credit: cmadler Wikimedia Commons.

submitted by Patrick Muldoon, Waterloo Natural History Association Program Coordinator

Discover the outdoor world at the Eddy Discovery Center in the Waterloo Recreation Area!

The Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center is located at 17030 Bush Rd, Chelsea, Mich., just 10 minutes north of Sharon Township, in the Waterloo Recreation Area. Another public program sponsored by the Waterloo Natural History Association has been added for April 2025 as well as the two programs for May have been announced. All three programs cost cost: $2/person or $5/family each and are limited to 20 participants.  The building is closed so program will be entirely outdoors.  To register for any these programs, email waterloonha@gmail.com with your name, phone number and number of people attending.

EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL PLANT WALK:  2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Sunday, April 27.  Plant walks are excellent learning opportunities for those with beginning to intermediate foraging skills, and for anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of the local flora. Our discussion will include information about identification, methods of harvest, preparation, and use. We will explore the area and see what edible and medicinal spring plants we can find. 

A WINNER OF A HIKE:  2:00 – 3:30 p.m., Sunday, May 4.  Explore part of the Winn Loop trail with Master Naturalist, Doug Jackson, as he guides you through its rolling, wooded twisty turns spotting wildflower and migratory birds as he shares the mystery of, and up-close encounters with, Michigan’s only wild population of the recently rediscovered chestnut oaks.  Meet at the lower parking lot of the Eddy Discovery Center at 2 pm, we will then caravan to the Winn Loop parking lot to begin our leisurely 1hour hike. 

BIRDS AND FLORA OF WATERLOO:  2:00 – 3:30 p.m., Sunday, May 25.  This 2-mile round-trip hike will take you through a variety of habitat and glacial formations down the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail to an active purple martin colony on Spring Lake.  Master Naturalist, Doug Jackson, will guide you to his private martin colony while you learn of the dazzling spring flora and colorful migratory birds that can be seen along the hike. Binoculars are highly recommended.  

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.