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Anderson Woods Nature Preserve

County: Muskegon Established: 2015 76 Acres
Features
  • Cross Country Skiing
  • Hiking
  • Interpretive Signs
  • Wildlife Viewing
Amenities
  • Accessible
  • Leashed Pets Allowed
  • Parking

At a Glance

  • Approximate Street Address: 3901 Simonelli Road, Whitehall, MI
  • Anderson Woods Nature Preserve is a forested natural area near Muskegon, Whitehall, and Montague. A wheelchair and stroller accessible trail system leads visitors through a towering oak and white pine forest, interspersed with glades lush with blueberry and wintergreen.
  • Trail length: 2 miles (See Trail Map)
  • Before you visit, check out our preserve guidelines. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Visitor Information

The trailhead can be accessed from a parking area on the west side of Simonelli Road, between Bard Road and Duck Lake Road. The parking lot has two handicapped-accessible spaces. There are no restrooms at the preserve. 

Anderson Woods Nature Preserve is a Category 1 LCWM nature preserve. Category 1 preserves have designated parking and well-marked trail systems. Most feature interpretive signs, overlooks, or other points of interest, and see fairly high levels of public use. If you’re new to exploring nature, these are great places to start. 

The two-mile Sandy Hansen Birding Trail guides visitors through the dappled shade of the forest.  The Land Conservancy worked closely with Disability Network/West Michigan to design an accessible trail and parking lot so that more people have the opportunity to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of a forested natural area. The South Loop is fully accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, while the rustic North Loop offers opportunities to explore more secluded areas of the preserve. Birds, deer, turkeys, and other wildlife are often seen along the trail.

Trail Information

The trails at Anderson Woods are marked with blue blazes on the trees and consist of two loops. The South Loop, accessed from the trailhead, is a wheelchair and stroller accessible, 36” wide, crushed limestone path. This loop is 1-mile long and includes periodic passing spaces as well as two accessible benches. There is an interpretive sign located on this loop. The max grade of this loop is 2%, the average grade is less than 1%, and the cross slope is 1%. 

The more rustic North Loop connects with the South Loop at two points. It is a mile-long, 1.5-foot-wide natural surface trail with a max grade of 1%, an average grade of less than 1%, and a cross slope of less than 1%. 

The volunteer Anderson Woods Trail Monitors visit this preserve regularly to tend to the trails and ensure they are free of obstruction. 

Conservation Value

Anderson Woods Nature Preserve protects nearly 80 acres of mixed hardwood forest in an area that is increasingly pressured by development. The forest at Anderson Woods is structurally diverse. It has both large and small canopy gaps and has good vertical stratification, with trees that provide habitat in the canopy, midstory, and understory of the forest. 

Located near the lakeshore, the preserve provides important nesting and feeding habitat for migratory birds and supports resident birds that require large tracts of unbroken forest, such as the ovenbird and scarlet tanager. The Land Conservancy’s management of the preserve has focused on keeping invasive species at bay and conducting prescribed burns to maintain the health of the forest. 

History

Humans have shaped the landscape in the vicinity of Anderson Woods Nature Preserve for thousands of years. Native Americans altered the landscape around the preserve by hunting, farming, burning, and the establishment of villages and trails. European settlers arrived and extensively logged forests in the area at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Like the vast majority of forests in the surrounding area, the property which is now the preserve was clear cut for timber in the late 1800s. 

In 1929, the property was purchased by Theodore Anderson, who appreciated the natural beauty of the land and allowed it to naturally reforest. An aerial photo shows that by 1938, most of the property was covered in second-growth forest except for some areas in the southwest portion of the property that were mostly open with some scattered trees. 

Theodore’s daughter Judy inherited the property after her parents passed away. As a legacy to her father who cherished the land, she donated it to the Land Conservancy in 2013 for the purpose of protecting it forever as a nature preserve. In 2015, the Land Conservancy improved the visitor experience at Anderson Woods with the installation of an accessible trail system, small parking area, and interpretive signs. Anderson Woods was made possible through the generosity of our community. 

Features
  • Cross Country Skiing
  • Hiking
  • Interpretive Signs
  • Wildlife Viewing
Amenities
  • Accessible
  • Leashed Pets Allowed
  • Parking