Park Address: 4650 Geddes Rd, Ann Arbor MI 48105
Hours and Rules
Open 8 a.m. until dusk year round. Dogs and bicycles are not allowed on the boardwalk.
Overview
Forest Nature Area is a unique park property — you may have visited without realizing it was city property, or you might not realize that it even exists! Forest is connected to Parker Mill County Park and only accessible by walking through Parker Mill. Both Forest and Parker Mill are managed by the Washtenaw County Department of Parks and Recreation. Forest is a 17-acre woodland and
wetland along the Huron River and Fleming Creek. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context. Fleming Creek flows
through the park with a boardwalk following its course. During your walk, you
will visit a forest community that has a rich layer of woodland wildflowers.
The Hoyt G. Post Trail memorial boardwalk trail leads the hiker through an excellent example
of a wet forest including black maple, hackberry and rock elm and has
interpretative signs throughout. A historic mill and other buildings are
located at the northwest end of Parker Mill. Forest is one of the few Ann Arbor park locations that has hosted the Prothonotary Warbler, which is a species of special concern.
Access and Parking
Forest Nature Area can only be accessed by walking through Parker Mill County Park. Forest is accessed by walking on the Hoyt G. Post Trail— the trail enters Forest when it goes underneath the railroad bridge. The park is sometimes inaccessible in the spring when water levels are high.
There is a parking lot for Parker Mill off of Geddes Rd. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the Parker Mill entrance to get to Forest.
Parker Mill connects to Gallup Park and the B2B Trail to the west via a paved path, which walkers and bicyclists can use to get to the park. There are bike racks in Parker Mill. Bicycles are not allowed on the trail in Forest.
Using a phone? - Click for a GPS Tracker and Wayfinding Map
Amenities
- Wooden boardwalk path
- Bench
Volunteer
There are many volunteer opportunities within the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission. Visit their site to learn more.
History
Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here.
Forest Nature Area was donated to the city in 1937 by notable local philanthropist and industrialist H.B. Earhart. Read an overview of the life and accomplishments of Earhart in his obituary from the Ann Arbor News in 1954. The property still belongs to the City of Ann Arbor, but it has been leased to Washtenaw County since 1984, which manages the property and owns Parker Mill County Park.
