When it comes to parks and trail systems, Leelanau County offers an embarrassment of riches. Many of the best areas are maintained and protected by the Leelanau Conservancy. But since this organization is steward to over 16,000 acres of land across 28 locations, it can be difficult to know where to start. And so, the newspaper reached out to the Conservancy to ask them which areas were the best of the best.
CLAY CLIFFS
When asked about the most Leelanau Conservancy’s most popular trails, Conservancy Communications Specialist Brighid Driscoll identified three “must see” natural areas. The first one was Clay Cliffs, just north of Leland, overlooking Lake Michigan to the north and west and Lake Leelanau to the southeast.
“You get this gorgeous view of Lake Michigan,” Driscoll said. “You walk up this wooded portion of trail to get to the viewing deck. It’s on a fragile bluff. It’s a cool natural feature of something special to northern Michigan. After viewing from the bluff, you’ll go down the cliff and through this open field. You’ll have this gorgeous view of Lake Leelanau. Something special about this hike is that you’ll get a view of both lakes.”
The Clay Cliffs Natural Area preserves 104.5 acres of land in total, including 1,700 feet of shoreline. The parcel can be viewed from a 1.5-mile-long trail system starting on hilly, wooded terrain and looping through a soft-sloped field. The viewing platform is located on one of the trail’s higher points at 200 feet above Lake Michigan.
This area is named for its clay bluffs, an infrequently occurring geographic feature around Lake Michigan. These bluffs are off limits to visitors and should be viewed at a distance, as they are quite fragile. The area was preserved by the conservancy in 2013 and is officially owned by Leland Township.
DEYOUNG NATURAL AREA
Since it’s located in Elmwood Township and not far from Traverse City, Driscoll said the DeYoung Natural Area is the first Leelanau Conservancy trail that many people visit.
It can be accessed by vehicle from Cherry Bend Road or via the Traverse Area Recreation Trail, which bisects the area. Both ways lead to a parking lot outside a historic farmstead barn, parts of which date back to 1855. There is a second parking lot across the street from the barn on Strang Road.
This 191-acre parcel is “one of the largest (projects) the conservancy has taken on,” according to the conservancy website. It includes a shorter half-mile universal access trail leading to Cedar Lake, as well as a longer 1.5-mile upland trail near the Strang Road parking lot. A third trail is in the works, the website says.
“The first trail has a view of Cedar Lake and a fishing deck,” Driscoll said. “There are two streams on the property, so depending on which part of the trail you’re currently on, you can hear the battling streams.”
The area is named after Louis DeYoung Sr., who passed away in the early 2000s at the age of 104, and who wished to see his land preserved. The DeYoung family first tended cattle and later grew cherries. By protecting the wetlands around Cedar Lake, the Leelanau Conservancy helps ensure the long-term health of this inland lake.
PALMER WOODS
At 1,075 acres, the Palmer Woods Forest Preserve is the Leelanau Conservancy’s largest natural area. This area is accessed on Wheeler Road in Maple City. The reserve is just northeast of “big” Glen Lake, and about five miles of conservancy land border the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Since it was acquired by the conservancy in 2016, the public trails in the reserve have continuously expanded. According to the website, there are 17 miles of mountain bike trails as of summer 2023. Driscoll describes the mountain bike trails as “world class.” A 10-mile hiking/cross country skiing trail system is still being worked on, but a 1.7-mile one-way hiking trail is already open.
This path, known as the Price Valley Trail, leads to the Helen and Dan Palmer Fern Garden in the central part of the forest preserve. A boardwalk through the garden includes signage about unique fern species found on the property.
“It feels like a land before time,” Driscoll said. “Under this forest canopy, I really feel like I’m out in nature and deep in the forest in Palmer Woods. And the fern garden is like a destination within a destination.”
