Michigan Trail Tuesday: KLH Dunes Preserve, Grand Haven

Michigan Trail Tuesday is our attempt to showcase a different trail or trail segment each week. The Mitten State is home to thousands of miles of trails, including the new Iron Belle Trail that runs from Detroit in the southeast to Ironwood in the western Upper Peninsula and more miles of the North Country Trail than any other state.

Most visitors to Grand Haven end up on the south side of the Grand River, checking out the shops and restaurants downtown, walking the pier out to the lighthouse, or stopping by Grand Haven State Park. While most of the land on the north side of the river is privately owned, there are a few spots the public can access. We recently visited the KLH Dunes Preserve for the first time and loved the trails at this 115-acre hidden gem. The Kitchel Lindquist Hartger Dunes Preserve is a great place to get out and enjoy the outdoors, do some birdwatching, and learn about dune ecology. Today we will take a look at our visit and share some pictures of the trails and the wildlife we encountered.

There is a small parking lot off of Berwyck Street, just before you reach the North Shore Marina. From here you can access two of the trail starting points. We chose to begin with the Connie Lindquist Trail, which heads into the dunes after passing by the outdoor classroom and restroom building.

The trail here is beautiful and we were immediately greeted by the sounds of birds. A handful of pileated woodpeckers were extremely active in the trees near the marina buildings, and chickadees, warblers, sparrows, and dark-eyed juncos flew around the smaller trees near the trail. This trail continues through an open area as it follows the western side of the Kitchel Dune, eventually making its way into hardwood forest.

We then followed the Hartger Trail as it made its way through pine trees, before intersecting with Vandenberg Trail.

The Vandenberg Trail makes a figure eight as it passes through rolling dunes, past interdunal wetlands (seasonal), and through Great Lakes barrens.

Due to our visit taking place in the fall, many of the wetland areas were dried up and leaves covered many of the pathways. Signs and maps were posted frequently and made things easy until we hit the Vandenberg Trail, where it was much easier to lose track of the trail. It will be amazing to return here in the spring and see this place full of wildlife and plants!

As we looped our way back to the Hartger Trail, the quiet was broken by the sound of something bigger than a bird that had been startled by our presence. A whitetail buck strolled through the pine trees before pausing and looking back at us, for the most part unbothered by our presence.

The Marjorie Hendricks Trail can be reached from a parking area that is east (through the marina) or by connecting from the Lindquist Trail. The five trails here are not long (Hendricks .48 miles, Hartger .56 miles, Lindquist .47 miles, Vandenberg .71 miles) but they combine to offer more than two miles of beautiful scenery in Grand Haven. While you won’t be far from the busy state park and downtown areas, you’ll feel like you’re in a different world when you visit the KLH Dunes Preserve!