Exercise Guide - Bog Trail - Waterloo State Rec Area

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.

The ferns are unfurling in the Eddy Discovery Center bog, joining the spring ephemerals. Hike roughly 1.5 miles, mostly out-and-back, on the Bog Trail, with minimal elevation changes. Expect to see lots of fern fiddleheads, marsh marigolds, jack-in-the-pulpit, some trillium. New pitcher plants will be sprouting up soon as well. Plus you walk along an esker, how cool is that?

If you are interested, add one or more other, short, trails. The Lowland Trail (0.8mi) is pleasant, has a 250-year-old American Beech, and is very convenient to add. The Spring Pond trail is about a mile, also easy to add (I saw two rare-ish Blanding's turtles there Sunday).

The Eddy Discovery Center address (for GPS) is 17030 Bush Road, Chelsea. After turning off Bush Road into Waterloo, drive all the way in, to the parking lot just past the Discovery Center. Directions: Take I-94 West to exit 157, Old US-12. From ramp, proceed straight onto Pierce Road. Follow Pierce road 2.3 miles until it ends at Bush Road. Turn left onto Bush Road, approx. ¾ mile, entrance road to Discovery Center will be on your left. GPS coordinates for parking lot are 42°19'18"N, 84°05'12"W or (42.3218, -84.0866).
A current MI State Parks Recreation Passport is required. Can be self-registered at the lot. Or carpool with someone that has one.

Trail map:
http://www.michigandnr.com/PUBLICATIONS/pdfs/RecreationCamping/waterloo_discoverycentertrails.pdf