When January hits and the snow is piling high, there is no place I like to visit more than Hidden Lake Gardens.  The indoor Desert and Arid environments help to cleanse the soul on a bitterly cold winter’s day.

But Spring is also a good time to visit Hidden Lake Gardens.  The Gardens are a 775 acre celebration of flowers, plant and trees.  There is a plant conservatory, nature center, gift shop and special collections of conifers, hostas and evergreens.  All are administered by Michigan State University.

The Gardens have a very nice scenic driving loop, but what I love the most are the trails.  The Gardens have about five miles of hiking trails within four trails.  I usually link all of the trails together to make one grand five-mile loop.

A visitor needs only keep to the right after turning into the park from M-50.  Follow the signs to the “Entrance to Trails” parking area and begin hiking North.  You’ll see an oak upland forest and wonderfully constructed trails.  The trails follow the edges of glacial hills and skirt the “Hidden Lake.”  You’ll see deer, squirrels and other small mammals and birds.  At several places, you’ll dart close between trees and over pleasant rocks.  And there are several nice hills.

Of course, it is possible to shorten the hiking mileage.  And it is also possible to lengthen a hike by using the pleasant park roads.  I’d highly recommend a visit to the Hidden Lake Gardens.  Admission is $3 per person, except on the first Monday of each month.

For more information, including trail maps:

http://hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu/

Here are some hike notes that I originally posted on several internet forums:

http://extremesouthmichigan.blogspot.com/2007/07/hidden-lake-gardens-hike-notes.html

This is an article I wrote about the gardens for Lenawee Magazine.  I have links to a good map and pictures:

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate/?p=831

This is a blog post about Hidden Lake Gardens “secret” trails:

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate/?p=244

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