Peace Park Loop

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Wildflowers · Wildlife

For anyone looking to escape the noise and busyness of the city, look no further. Just 20 or so minutes from downtown, this loop hike provides a three-mile tour for new visitors or a new variation for returning folks to explore the quiet wooded corners of Peace Park.

This aptly named parcel of protected land has a handful of gently sloping trails that wind through dense forest, by a floodplain marsh area, and across an open meadow. All the more reason to come back, this land changes with the seasons, sometimes dramatically, providing something new throughout the year.

Closed to bikes. Be aware of bugs during warmer, wetter months. Long sleeves or bug spray can be helpful. Trails can be muddy after rain.

From the parking area off Grand River Drive, find the GR Dr Entrance Trail near the main driveway as it ducks into the woods heading southwest. This loop heads clockwise, staying left at all intersections, starting with a gradual climb onto the Main Trail before a brief loop onto the Lookout Trail passing one of many benches to enjoy.

Continue south onto the Main Trail, as it bends to the west along a stream drainage, continuing to climb toward the high-point of the loop. For folks looking to shorten this hike, there are lots of opportunities to loop back, simply refer to one of the many posted trail maps or check out the Hiking Project mobile app for on-trail navigation that shows your GPS location in relation to the surrounding trails.

Staying with this loop, stay left and south on the Main Trail down to the South Loop Trail for a flat tour of the southernmost boundary of the park before returning to the Main Trail for the second half of the hike. Continue to stay left at all intersections, keeping an eye out for the posted trail map at the junction with the Bolt Dr Entrance Trail, just over two miles from the start, where the Main Trail heads east back into the woods.

Pass the Middle North Trail on the right, before looking for the final loop on the North Loop Trail to the left, which will come out further up the Main Trail toward the Grand River Entrance.

Migrating neo-tropical birds (warblers, tanagers, hummingbirds, etc.), hawks, owls, deer, butterflies, turtles. Mature oak forest.