Glacial Hills Pathway and Natural Area
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Other Protected Land Activities
- Biking is available
- Birding is available
- Fishing is not available
- Hiking is available
- Hunting is available
- Kayaking is not available
- Sanctuary is not available
- Parking is available
- Skiing is not available
- Scenic is not available
- Running is available
- Swimming is not available
- Volunteer is not available
Before You Head Out
Please review the preserve rules and the hunting rules, which very by preserve. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Support Our Work
To support this protected land, preserve or any other initiatives:
The extreme ecological diversity found at the Glacial Hills Pathway and Natural Area speaks to its statewide significance. The property contains 12 distinct habitat types, including two hardwood forest types, three wetland habitats, and the shrub thicket and wet mesic forest types that support more than 20 species of trees, over 100 species of flowers, and over 100 species of birds, including great-horned owls, eagles and the threatened red-shoulder hawk.
The protection of natural land parcels, like these, within Forest Home Township and Antrim County is critical to safeguarding the quality of Torch Lake, Clam Lake, Lake Bellaire, and Intermediate Lake–forever. Additionally, preservation of this property permanently protects the headwaters of Grass Creek. Not only does this effort ensure the continuance of high water quality in the Chain of Lakes, but it preserves a critical wildlife corridor containing both east-west and north-south links.
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy assisted Antrim County and Forest Home Township in acquiring 345 acres of property which consolidated fragmented holdings into a contiguous 763-acre publicly-owned block. Although the parcels are owned by separate units of government, the Natural Area will share a combined trail system which will be well-suited for hiking, biking, cross country skiing, hunting and wildlife viewing. Located only 1/2 mile northwest of the Village of Bellaire, the successful protection of this land coupled with an exciting trail plan will allow for the numerous, widely-recognized economic benefits of trails and greenway corridors to impact the entire Bellaire community.
GTRLC is designing the trail system at Glacial Hills as well as overseeing a substantial volunteer effort to construct the trail. View the Trail Map and learn more about the volunteer efforts and our community partnerships in the Landscript article “A New Trail System for Glacial Hills” Landscript. If you would like to pitch in and learn how to build sustainable trails sign up for a Trail Building Day on the Events Page.
Antrim County. 345 acres.
