Every Park in Macomb County, MI

Chesterfield [upcoming]

Chesterfield Nature Preserve [upcoming]

Veteran’s Memorial Park/Kingsberry and Community Drive [upcoming]

Clinton Township

George George Memorial Park [upcoming]

Nicholson Nature Center

Partridge Creek Park

Tomlinson Arboretum

Macomb Township

26 Mile Road Nature Preserve

Macomb Corners Park

Mt. Clemens [upcoming]

MacArthur Park/Jack Prescott Arboretum [upcoming]

Shelby Township

Wilcox-Warnes Nature Sanctuary 

Sterling Heights 

next we went to Lakeside Island Park which, as you might have guessed, is right by Lakeside Mall. unfortunately, getting to the park requires driving into a local subdivision, with the park entrance located across the street from an apartment building. we ended up parking on the street to visit which worked out just fine.

the first part of the park is just an open area good for picnics in the summertime or frolicking year round. the rest is connected by a bridge and is what gives the park its island name. the island itself is surprisingly sizable with a forested center and an open perimeter ideal for making a loop around.

there is also a single forked trail through the mini forest. on this trail we found a partially built shelter and some good trees for hugging. on the island there are only two (2) benches, both of which are right by the bridge, and one of which is located on the edge of the water on a bit of a dropoff. although it was winter, we did see some birds and squirrels, and we were able to find cottonwoods and sycamores in the forest section.

our first winter park visit was to the Wilcox Warnes Nature Center. be sure to watch closely as you look for the entrance; you won’t see it until you’re right on top of it. the parking lot here is super small, only fitting maybe 6-7 cars.

this nature center is another trail-heavy one with 3 loops denoted by colored diamonds on the trees, which makes it pretty easy to navigate. The trails themselves are pretty well kept, although the boards of some of the walkways further in are in need of repair.

there is a stream running through the nature center and a couple of interesting informational signs for those of you who also enjoy learning about nature. We saw some cool plants here in spite of the cold weather, spotting some swamp birches, paper birches, and staghorn sumac as well as some fungi, and a few winter birds too.

for this adventure we went to Nicholson Nature Center! it might be a little hard to find this park as there is no park sign by the road. instead you turn in at the Macomb County Public Works Department. the nature center itself is mostly a series of trails starting in the back corner of the Public Works parking lot.

by the sign is an impressively large rock (water bottle shown for scale) perfect for perching and eating a snack. for those not inclined to climbing, there is also a picnic pavilion with tables at the start of the trails. while there is a spot for a trail map, the map itself was missing when we were at the park, so make sure you have someone with a good sense of direction with you. also towards the beginning of the trails is a watchtower perfect for birdwatching!

there are a lot of fun little backtrails heading off of the main trail that were fun to explore, but be careful where you step, as the park has a lot of poison ivy in the ground cover and there’s stinging nettle as well. we’re not sure of the exact mileage but the trails here are fairly extensive, including forested parts and field trails as well. on the trails was a very cool naturally formed archway, and there are a couple of access points down to the North Branch Clinton River, which is a lot of fun to explore.

we got to see lots of flora, fauna, and fungi, including deer, squirrels, a variety of bees, chicken-of-the-woods, a northern flicker, wild cucumber (not edible), and american jumpseed.

next up we have the Partridge Creek Park! your best bets for parking are either at partridge creek mall by the movie theater or in the parking lot of the walmart on the corner of romeo plank and hall.

the park is decently large, reaching from the edge of partridge creek blvd behind the mall all the way along romeo plank to the italian-american cultural society building. there is a sidewalk running along the park down the west side of romeo plank.

this park is actually a habitat restoration project, which is super cool, but it does mean you are a lot more limited in how you can interact with it. you can walk along the outer edge and take in the fantastic collection of plant life that is thriving here, but there are no paths to get around within the site itself.

as always, where there is an abundance of plants, there are also some super cool bugs to be found, and, if you get super lucky, you might even see a deer or two!

our third park was the Tomlinson Arboretum, which was a two (2) day excursion. there are two (2) different entrances to this park, the east entrance is directly across from the Clinton-Macomb Public Library Main Branch, so you can use the library parking lot, and the other is at the end of 18 Mile east of Garfield, you just park on the gravel at the dead end.

there is a main walking path from the library entrance through most of the arboretum, but there is also a lot of open space to explore! the arboretum runs through a local subdivision and at one point crosses a subdivision street.

it’s a pretty big park with an excellent variety of native tree species being cultivated. there are signs telling you which species you’re looking at as well. there are benches located throughout the arboretum and there is a large hill with a larger seating location offering a great view of the park, which is perfect for a picnic!

there were also a lot of wildflower gardens and some spaces dedicated to completely natural native flower and grass growth. this is an amazing place to go for bee/bug photography! we saw a huge variety with minimal effort. this is also an excellent location for birdwatching.

hidden away in the corner of the park is a little section of stream with a willow tree and a seemingly random chair.

we were lucky enough to visit the park during a collaboration they were doing with the library so there were nature-themed poems posted throughout the park!

our next park is Macomb Corners Park of Macomb Township!

this is a pretty sizable park with a lot to offer. there are two (2) soccer fields (which easily double as a frolicking location when there’s no soccer happening), a baseball diamond, a playground, a paved ~mile long walking path, and a path that leads to the sidewalk outside the park and then loops back in.

there was plenty of flora and fauna to be seen along the walking path and a cute little bridge perfect for photos too!

for our first park, we have the 26 Mile Road Nature Preserve in Macomb Township! It’s located on 26 Mile east of Card. look out for the township sign because it’s literally the only way you’ll be able to find it. yep. there’s no park sign. 

so this park just opened up on 8/10/20 and seems fairly unknown. you’ll likely only see an occasional car or two when you visit. 

this park has a dirt road that goes through a gate towards the parking lot. there is a road to the right past the gate that loops and connects to further down the road in case two people are trying to drive opposite ways down the main road. there are two ponds. one near the parking lot and one along the trail. there is one gravel trail that loops around the park, which is 38 acres. the trail is about 7/10 of a mile. the majority of the park is wooded. there is one port-o-potty toilet.

there is quite a variety of nature packed in what seems a very small area. without much effort, we have found a variety of flora and fauna.

overall we would say this is a nice park good for going for a stroll with opportunity for observing local flora and fauna. we recommend taking a visit!