Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve Loop

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This hike is a tour of the best areas of Coffee Creek on flat and well-maintained trails.

No access fee. Free parking is located on Sidewalk Road along the north end of the preserve. The northwest part of the preserve offers accessible trails consisting of boardwalks and brick pavers. This is a great trail system for cross country skiing. Bikes are allowed. There are modern restrooms and a drinking fountains at the pavilion.

This hike utilizes the 3.1 mile (5km) route that most 5k races at Coffee Creek use each year. The recommended starting location is at the pavilion near the parking lot. The route encompasses all the best areas of Coffee Creek.

The Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy is a private, non-profit preserve that is open 365 days a year and is free to the public. The preserve has 157 acres and was created to protect Coffee Creek, a regionally significant stream that still supports spawning salmon and steel-head trout from Lake Michigan. Coffee Creek is biologically diverse with over 500 plant species in prairies, wetlands and woodlands. The preserve is close to the Lake Michigan Flyway bird migration route and offers excellent birding opportunities. For more information, visit the preserve's website at coffeecreekwc.org.

Much of Coffee Creek was farmed in the early and mid 1900s. The preserve continues to go through extensive restoration that began in the late 1990's when the preserve was created.