Bird Hills Nature Area

Amazing hiking, running area with hilly ups and downs. Several options for parking.
The only negative thing is proximity to the highway. Hope they move the high way (lol jk)

This is a really great area to go hiking. The shade is a comfort on those super hot days. You can spot deer at times. There are a variety of different trees and plants due to this area’s history. You can spot the areas where there have been controlled fires to prevent the non-​native plants from over running the area. As large as these woods are, you will still run into a few joggers and people walking their dogs here and there. Some paths are narrow and quite steep so be careful. I am clumsy so I tripped on something at least 6x when I’m there.
The only negative was that the freeway is heard throughout. FYI there is no porta potty at the parking lot so don’t drink too much water while you’re in there.

I live close to the park and have been there many times. The best trails are at the east end. They are less traveled and a little bit more up and down. If you are looking for birds, go to thr end of bird road and enter the park across the street. There isn’t much wildlife in bird hills due to the high amount of people and dogs.

I feel like a jerk only giving this 3 stars, as it is a lovely bit of woods to wander through. Well kept, meandering, hilly, shaded trails. Close enough to civilization that I could figure out where I was on the trail map with my cell phone’s GPS. (what? I never earned my orienteering badge)
Negatives (or, not negatives so much as slightly less positive things…)
(1) The aforementioned GPS had no idea where the parking lot was, so getting there was trickier than anticipated.
(2) There is quite a bit of traffic noise. Hardly the fault of Bird Hills Nature Area, but you don’t feel like you are really *in* nature until you have hiked quite a ways.
(3) There is no big payoff. You go from the fence on one side to the fence on the other side. Not a deal breaker, but since other parks in the area include great city views or follow the Huron River or what have you, I thought I would mention it.

The second best part of Thanksgiving weekend, following the delicious feast, is the Morning-​After-​Pie-​Atonement-​Run. Normally I take out my pie-​induced energy on the switchbacks behind my parents’ house, but this year I spent the holiday in the freezing depths of Michigan. That’s where Bird Hills came in.
Jogging through the trees was pure bliss and the fact that the trail wasn’t crowded was an added bonus. I didn’t see any birds (or hills for that matter), but there was plenty of nature to be found. When I’m looking for a change from runs through the Arb, Bird Hills is just close enough to satisfy my need for variety.

This park is one of the largest in the city of Ann Arbor. The hilly woods and unpaved trails are a hikers’ dream. There is a parking lot on Newport Rd and a smaller one on Bird Rd.
161 acres of hills, ravines, and sugar maple, and flowering dogwood. It was bought by city from the Graves family in 1967, where its prior use was as a cattle pastor. Henry Graves planted a variety of trees and the city maintains the non-​native species of plants and trees with controlled fires.
Reasons I like this place:
Unpaved narrow trails
Uncrowded
Large
Hills
beautiful canopy of tree tops
you don’t feel like you are in the city anymore
my dog can run along my side safely
spiritually grounding