Warren Woods State Park (Blog Hike #1026)

Trails: (unnamed)
Hike Location: Warren Woods State Park
Geographic Location: northeast of New Buffalo, MI (41.83450, -86.62438)
Length: 1 mile
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2024
Overview: A short lollipop loop past large trees of many kinds.
Park Information: https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=505&type=SPRK
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=972525
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming August 19)

Directions to the trailhead: In extreme southwest Michigan, take I-94 to Union Pier Road (exit 6).  Exit and go east on Union Pier Rd.  Union Pier Rd. becomes Elm Valley Road after the first intersection.  Drive east a total of 2.7 miles from I-94 to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park and drive the narrow dirt road to the parking cul de sac at its end.  Park here.

The hike: Like the nearby much larger Warren Dunes State Park, Warren Woods State Park sits on land once owned by Edward Kirk Warren, a local industrialist and inventor.  The park consists of 311 acres that contain one of the last virgin beech/maple forests in Michigan.  The land is leased to the State of Michigan by private owners for use as a park; the park was established in 1949.

            While the woods lack the scenery of Lake Michigan's sand dunes at Warren Dunes State Park, they are nice woods that offer lots of serenity and solitude: I passed only 1 other person when I came here on a nice afternoon in mid September.  The park has no amenities other than a short trail system and a picnic table.  The hike described here forms a lollipop loop through the center of the park's best woods.

Trailhead area

            From the parking lot, walk through the wooden posts that are designed to block vehicle access and head north on the single track dirt trail.  Trails at Warren Woods State Park are unmarked, but the path was wide and obvious on my visit.  Immediately this park's appeal becomes obvious: you are surrounded by mature forest with large oak, silver maple, and beech trees.  Forests this old are rare in the eastern United States, so take your time as you hike to enjoy the surroundings.

Bridge over Galien River

            At 0.2 miles, you reach a wide area with benches and interpretive signs.  Continue straight to descend some wooden steps and cross the Galien River on a wooden bridge.  The Galien River looks like a large creek at this point.  The river follows a winding course with slow flow as it heads southwest toward Lake Michigan, which it empties into at nearby New Buffalo, MI.

Galien River

            After crossing the river, you reach the trail intersection that forms the trail system's main loop.  I chose to angle left and use the trail going right as my return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.  The trail undulates gently through an area with slightly higher elevation as you pass some of the largest beech trees in this forest.  Thus, the spectacular woodland scenery continues.

Hiking through mature beech woods

Hiking along the Galien River

            0.4 miles into the hike, you reach another trail intersection just as the Galien River comes back into view on the right.  The trail going straight leads to another parking lot in the north end of the park, so you want to turn right to continue the loop and begin hiking south with the river to your left.  The riverside area contains more large trees, and some landslide areas can be seen across the river.  At 0.8 miles, you close the loop.  Turn left to re-cross the river and hike back out the entrance trail, thus returning to the trailhead and completing the hike.

Aztalan State Park (Blog Hike #1025)

Trails: (unnamed)
Hike Location: Aztalan State Park (43.06341, -88.86238)
Geographic Location: west of Johnson Creek, WI
Length: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2024
Overview: A loop hike around a village dating to 1000-1300 AD.
Park Information: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/aztalan
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=972445
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming April 24, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: Between Madison and Milwaukee, take I-94 to SR 26 (exit 267).  Exit and go south on SR 26.  Drive SR 26 south 0.8 miles to Milwaukee Street and turn right on Milwaukee St.  Milwaukee St. becomes Aztalan Street and then CR B as you drive west out of Johnson Creek.  Drive a total of 4.9 miles from SR 26 to CR Q and turn left on CR Q.  Drive CR Q south 0.3 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park and drive the main park road to the large parking lot at its end.  Park here.

The hike: When most people think of the ancient Middle Mississippian Mound Builders, they think of their amazing center they built at Cahokia Mounds across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis.  Yet the Mound Builders' civilization extended north through most of present-day Wisconsin, and around 900 A.D they settled along the Crawfish River in the southern part of the state.  Over the next 300 years the Middle Mississippian people built some of the largest pyramid/platform mounds in present-day Wisconsin, and they also built a stockade near the mounds by placing logs vertically into the ground.

            The site was abandoned between 1200 and 1300 A.D., possibly due to a mini ice age making food sourcing in Wisconsin difficult.  The ruins were discovered by Timothy Johnson in 1835, yet the land was still sold and farmed afterward.  The mounds and stockades that had stood the test of time for hundreds of years did not fare as well against the plow: the mounds were flattened and the stockades destroyed.

            In 1921, the Wisconsin Archaeological Society purchased a 3 acre plot of land that adjoined what remained of the stockade and contained 8 conical mounds.  In 1948, the Wisconsin State Legislature authorized the purchase of 120 acres that would constitute the main part of the site, and Aztalan State Park opened in 1952.  Today the mounds and stockade have been restored, and a system of hiking trails takes you through the site.  This hike forms a grand loop past all of the mounds and stockades, thus offering a thorough exploration of the ancient site.

Leaving the parking area

            Three mowed-grass trails leave from the main parking lot; you want to take the one in the middle that heads northeast to the "southeast mound," which is also known as the Gravel Knoll.  In fact, this "mound" is not a constructed mound but a naturally occurring kame deposited by retreating glaciers.  The kame still makes an interesting stop on your mound tour even though it represents natural history rather than human history.

Stairs to top of Southwest Mound

            To get from the kame to a real mound, turn left and head due west to the Southwest Mound, a 2-tier platform/pyramid mound.  Constructed wooden stairs lead to the top of the mound.  You can survey the entire site from the top of the Southwest Mound, which is this site's biggest mound.  Archaeologists think this mound had a large structure on its summit, and it was probably used for communal and ritual activities.  No evidence of burials have been found in this mound.  Also, notice the reconstructed stockade to the west; it is one of 2 such stockades in the park today.

View of Gravel Knoll from Southwest Mound

View of plaza to the north from Southwest Mound

            After taking in the view, descend to the base of the mound and head north following another mowed-grass trail that goes through the sunny prairie.  At 0.4 miles, you reach the Northwest Mound.  This mound is another platform mound.  Although it is smaller than the Southwest Mound, archaeological evidence indicates numerous burials in this mound compared to none at the previous mound.  There are no stairs or trails leading to the top of the Northwest Mound, and I do not recommend that you climb it.

Northwest Mound

            To continue your tour of the site, turn left and climb slightly to approach a secondary parking area that is very close to CR Q.  Before reaching the parking lot, turn right to begin hiking north along a row of conical mounds.  Archaeologists think these mounds were built to commemorate important events, and the row used to extend much further north than it does today.

Conical mound

            At 0.65 miles, you reach the park's north boundary and the highest elevation on this hike, which is about 70 vertical feet above the trailhead.  To begin your return route, turn right and descend steeply for a short distance along the north perimeter of the prairie.  Goldenrod was in full bloom in this prairie when I came here on a warm evening in mid-September, and the return route focuses more on this site's natural scenery than on its human history.

Crawfish River

            When you reach the exterior of the stockade, turn left to head for the Crawfish River, which you reach 1 mile into the hike.  The river was this site's original main entrance road, and down here you view the site the way ancient peoples would have approached it.  Turn right to begin hiking downstream with the river on your left.  Angle left when you reach the Gravel Knoll for a second time, and a short descent and climb returns you to the parking area to complete the hike.