Exercise Guide: Cherry Hill Preserve

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, using appropriate social distancing and masks, with others.

Cherry Hill has a small woods with some very nice trails in it. The meadow up around Marker #7 and the "North Woods" are also quite nice. All in all, it is pretty easy to put together about 3 miles of trail with no repeats

Although we provide a map below, we strongly recommend the official map, typically available at the trailhead. It has all the trails and markers, as well as additional information about the preserve. Trail names used below are from the official map. (We have not found the official map online; if you find a link to a PDF of it, please share the link.) The 2nd map below shows the general area, with Frains Lake Rd on the east, Ford Rd to the north.

For a nice 3-mile walk, from the entrance, go left and then left again on the High Bluff trail. Over the bluff and around, down along the wetland boardwalk on the south side of the wetland, then, at #9, go left again taking the wetland trail out to the power line path on the west side of the preserve. Ignore the powerlines - enjoy the flowers growing there. Follow it north, returning east on the North Trail. Continue east at #7, to #6, to #5. Then go to #4, to #3, then up to #8 and head back into the main woods. The Ash Trail is a little side loop on your right before the bridge as you enter the woods. Then follow the Woodland Trail to #9 and go left back to #1.

If you are comfortable in woods or with your GPS, the North Woods is a nice little detour at #5, but some caveats: 1) there is no trail; finding your way into the North Woods is easy, finding your way out is entirely based on your skill because there is no trail to guide you back; 2) while our map below indicates the Preserve boundaries, I have seen no signs in the woods indicating property lines; the power lines to the west and Andora/Woodhill streets to the northwest form something of a backstop, but you could wander east or northeast for a mile without seeing any waymarkers, or in circles for longer. If you are using your GPS, drop a pin while you are at #5, before entering the North Woods, giving yourself a target to return to.