Hours and Rules
Open 6 a.m.-midnight with quiet hours beginning at 10 p.m. Unless otherwise posted per City Council resolution, when a park is closed, no person shall remain in or enter it other than to quietly sit or walk. Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules. Smoking is prohibited, and dogs must be on leash.
Overview
Traver Creek Nature Area is a 5 acre natural area in northeast Ann Arbor, situated between the Leslie Park Golf Course and the Ann Arbor Railroad. View the Ann Arbor Parks & Nature Areas Map for location context. Trails through this park can be somewhat thick with vegetation, so be prepared with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Traver Creek, the park's namesake, runs through the area, bordered by wetlands. The remainder of the park consists of prairie remnants and thickets. A variety of butterflies can be seen in the park and crawfish can be found in the creek. This area is open to mountain biking.
Traver Creek is part of a large green corridor comprised of a variety of parks and nature areas, including Leslie Woods Nature Area, Leslie Park Golf Course, Leslie Park, Tuebingen Park, Stapp Nature Area, Dhu Varren Woods Nature Area, Foxfire South Park, Black Pond Woods and more. In total these areas comprise nearly 300 acres of greenspace, providing valuable habitat for native flora and fauna. This combined area makes it the largest greenspace in the City of Ann Arbor.
Access and Parking
The trail entrance is located off of Traver Road. Street parking is allowed at the park entrance but the street is a fairly narrow dirt road. There are no sidewalks or bike lanes. The park is accessible for off-road biking. There are no bike racks at the park.
Public Transit: The nearest bus stop is at the corner of Tuebingen Parkway and Lancashire Drive, about a 5 minute walk from the park. Visit The Ride for closest stops and route details or check out the parks ride guide.
Using a phone? - Click for a GPS Tracker and Wayfinding Map
Amenities
- Unpaved trails
- Mountain bike access
Volunteer
There are ongoing and limitless opportunities for volunteering and getting engaged with the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Services Unit. Natural Area Preservation has volunteer opportunities that support their mission to protect and restore Ann Arbor's natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic among within the community. If you are feeling the call to volunteer or give some time, reach out or explore the website above to see what’s upcoming or how to get involved.
Report a Problem - A2 Fix It
To report any maintenance issues or other problem during your park visit, please report through A2Fix It. When reporting an issue in a park please include location details. There is a details and description section near the end of the request process to help you provide this. In addition, users can utilize the pin (website) or X (mobile app) feature to provide specific location information inside the park. Finally, please consider including a wide angle photo or include background landmarks, which helps staff find and fix the problem.
Gifts and Donations
Information on donating to the parks and the Guide to Giving can be found here. For special projects ideas in natural areas, Natural Area Preservation staff will guide you and provide project guidelines unique to natural areas.
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.
Traver Creek is named after Absolom Traver. Traver is the namesake of many places on this side of Ann Arbor, including Traver Road and the Traverwood Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. Traver, born in 1800, was an early Ann Arbor farmer, miller and neighborhood developer who first arrived in the area in 1830. When Traver arrived to Ann Arbor, it was a small burgeoning frontier town with just over 1000 people. Read more about the "forgotten" history of Traver and his family in an Ann Arbor Observer piece by Patrick McCauley.
Read a Natural Area Preservation (NAP) Newsletter highlighting the park and its interesting flora and fauna:
2020 Park Focus: Traver Creek Nature Area by Rebecca Naumenko
Updated March 2023. Email [email protected] for incorrect/outdated information.
