Lew Coulter:
The Grand Traverse Commons – I enjoy stick walking in the hills at Grand Traverse Commons. Great training for cross-country skiing and good way to enjoy the work we (GTCD), the Youth Corps, volunteers and others have done over the past 10 years.
Rebecca Teahen:
Floating the Boardman – I enjoy exploring many of the parklands managed by the GTCD. But, so far this summer, my favorite outing with our new baby was an easy float on the Boardman. We put our canoe in at the launch at Sabin Dam, near the Nature Center and floated to the landing at the YMCA. We even stopped for a picnic at one of our River access sites along the way!
Ben Purdy
Floating the Boardman River – My favorite outdoor adventure is floating the rapids on the Boardman River. We put in at Beitner and take out at the Lone Pine Landing site at the Natural Education Reserve. The Beaver Lodge (Beaver Pond Trail): The Beaver Pond is the site of an active beaver lodge. You can see signs of beaver activity in the cut aspen trees surrounding the lodge. If you come very early in the day, you may even catch a glimpse of these industrious animals!
Steve Largent:
Grasshopper Creek Trail (Brown Bridge Quiet Area) – This spot is near and dear to me because of the history behind the property. I used to live in a little log cabin on the former Prevo property there — It was great. The property included 70 acres of land and a half mile of Boardman River frontage, including the entire Grasshopper Creek from the headwaters to it’s outlet into the River. The property is now part of the Brown Bridge Quiet Area and the cabin was removed due to deterioration and some great hiking trails have been developed!
Robin Christensen:
Brown Bridge Quiet Area – My favorite hiking adventure on a warm summers day is to do all the trails at Brown Bridge Quiet Area. I start at the boat launch and walk down to Grasshopper Creek. From there I wade across the Boardman River to the north trails. I then take the north trails to the dam and wade the Boardman again at the canoe launch to get back to the boat launch. While the City and District are working to create bridges in these spots one day, for now I take advantage of the opportunity to cool off!
Colleen Masterson-Bzdok:
Grand Traverse Commons – The most special GTCD-managed parkland for me is the Grand Traverse Commons. From our Slabtown neighborhood, my husband and I run with our dogs up to the Commons and through the trails for a beautiful trail run. This has become a special place for me in many ways – memories of our weekly trail runs, the site of our engagement photos, the location of many field trips with my NMC students. It is one of the most well-used parklands in the area, but we don’t mind sharing our ‘special place’ with the rest of the community!
Jon Prins
Kids Creek Park: While this not an epic hike, it is a wonderful spot right in the midst of the hustle and bustle of US-31 that our LMS team recently restored. There is a really nice boardwalk with some benches that I grab a bite on, soak up some sunshine and listen to the water of Kids Creek pass below my feet on my lunch break.
Dan Busby
Grand Traverse Bay salmon/trout fishing with a shorelunch on Power Island and an afternoon swim: I think about the work our own Wally Chappel, Bob Snyder and the Camp Pugsley Work Crew did back in the late 80′s, early 90′s on power island – doing what we do today “inspire exploration, appreciation and conservation of our natural world – and if you have ever been out there, you know what I mean! A very cool place close to town indeed.. This was the start of a healthy, long lived partnership between County, City, GTCD and MDOC.
Leslie Mertz
I like to head over to 1,310-acre Brown Bridge Quiet Area to look for trumpeter swans, bald eagles, skinks and turtles. It’s a good place to take a deep breath of woodsy air and hear the sounds of nature. Our staff and volunteers do a fine job of caring for this property and maintaining its trails – thank you! For a nice experience, park in the lot at Ranch Rudolf Rd. just east of Hobbs Highway.
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