Grass River Natural Area

Grass River Natural Area 7 miles of trails open dawn to dusk in Bellaire, MI. Grass River Center open 10-4 7 days/wk May-Oct & Sat/Sun Nov-Apr

7 miles of trails & boardwalks, open year-round, 365 days, from dawn to dusk. The Grass River Center is open 10am to 4pm 7 days a week from May through October and 10am to 4pm Sat & Sun from November - April. Nestled in the hills of Antrim County in Michigan's northwest corner of the lower peninsula, the Grass River Natural Area (GRNA) encompasses lakes, a meandering river, rushing streams and cry

stal clear creeks — a haven for plant and animal life, including both rare and endangered species. This natural area project lies midway on the renowned Chain of Lakes waterway, a connector of Torch and Clam lakes, and Lake Bellaire. Grass River Natural Area is open seven days a week from dawn to dusk. Stop by to see what’s happening at the Natural Area, peruse the informative displays, and browse the bookstore. Educational classes for children, adults and school groups, emphasizing the environment and water and land protection are at the core of the popular outdoor curriculum. A network of trails with observation platforms and boardwalks traverse an educational area providing easy access to upland, wetland and aquatic habitats. A portion of this seven mile system is wheelchair and stroller accessible. Grass River Natural Area is publicly owned and managed by a local volunteer board of directors dedicated to water and land protection and environmental education. Visitors are welcome year-round from dawn 'til dusk. GRNA is free to visitors, who are encouraged in return to become volunteers and contributors.

09/01/2026

In the book, "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, she recounts being fascinated by the Yellow Goldenrod and Purple Aster being frequently found growing alongside each other. She wondered if the fact they are complimentary colors had anything to do with it.

There is an old Cherokee legend of The Two Sisters... told to us briefly here by our Wildflower Walk volunteer docent, Lyn Petty... This is pretty cool, and you won't view these two wildflowers the same again, after hearing it.

You can start to feel a chill in the air.  That means its September! Check out one of our upcoming fall events.  More pr...
08/31/2026

You can start to feel a chill in the air. That means its September! Check out one of our upcoming fall events. More programs will be added soon!

Hi everyone... it's Chris, the new guy (or new old guy... whatever...) It is Monday morning and time for another episode...
08/31/2026

Hi everyone... it's Chris, the new guy (or new old guy... whatever...) It is Monday morning and time for another episode of "Where's Keeb?"

At this point, I've hiked just about all the trails & boardwalks here at GRNA, and I honestly don't know if I could pick a favorite... I have several. Anyway - if you are the first to correctly and specifically identify where this photo was taken - you will win 10% any 1 item in our gift shop. Anything! And we just go some cool new stuff too...

So... Where's Keeb?

BIG NEWS!Mark your calendars now because you won't want to miss this. We are celebrating the grand (re)opening of Michig...
08/30/2026

BIG NEWS!

Mark your calendars now because you won't want to miss this. We are celebrating the grand (re)opening of Michigan's longest ADA-Accessible Boardwalk. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11 at 10:30 am, and then, on Saturday, Sept. 12 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, a fun, interactive open house-style event.

Keep an eye our social media pages and local news sources for details, but trust us - you'll want to be here!

The week in review.Grass River Natural Area - Yours to explore. Yours to protect.
08/29/2026

The week in review.

Grass River Natural Area - Yours to explore. Yours to protect.

Animals are masters of disguise. See if you can spot the frog in the first photo and the  heron in the second...GRNA - Y...
08/28/2026

Animals are masters of disguise. See if you can spot the frog in the first photo and the heron in the second...

GRNA - Yours to explore. Yours to protect.

08/28/2026

Who are the folks that work at the Grass River Natural Area? Stay tuned to our Social Media channels to find out - next up is Mitch Pietryga!

We've never really liked how the Woodland Loop trail just sort of dumped hikers out at the access road. So - we have rer...
08/27/2026

We've never really liked how the Woodland Loop trail just sort of dumped hikers out at the access road. So - we have rerouted the end of that trail!

It now "ends" at a place where hikers can simply walk across the road and hook up to the Chippewa Loop trail to either continue hiking, or head back to the main parking lot or Nature Center.

Grass River Natural Area... as always; Yours to explore. Yours to protect.

Something's brewing...It's gonna be big! It's gonna be fun! And you're gonna wanna be there!Stay tuned.
08/27/2026

Something's brewing...

It's gonna be big! It's gonna be fun! And you're gonna wanna be there!

Stay tuned.

08/26/2026

Your weekly Moment of Zen... presented to you by;

Grass River Natural Area - Yours to explore. Yours to protect.

Address

6500 Alden Highway
Bellaire, MI
49615

Opening Hours

Monday 6:30am - 8:30pm
Tuesday 6:30am - 8:30pm
Wednesday 6:30am - 8:30pm
Thursday 6:30am - 8:30pm
Friday 6:30am - 8:30pm
Saturday 6:30am - 8:30pm
Sunday 6:30am - 8:30pm

Telephone

+12315338576

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