Warren Woods State Park — Attraction in Chikaming Township

Reviewing this park from the south (here) and the north (Warren Woods Forest Primeval) to try and clarify the experience.

This is a really well-maintained park with approximately a mile of easy hiking trail. We came here after a challenging morning hike at Grand Mere and it was a perfect relaxing walk in the woods with the dog.

From the south, there's a nice parking area at the circle with a welcome sign, some info about the park, and a latrine. After about a half mile of smooth second growth woodland, there's a nice informational marker showing the unique trees and birds of the forest.

From here, you can choose to descend the stairs, cross a low-lying wetland (a little dicey), and ascend to the old growth forest (forest primeval). The trees are noticeably taller in this north portion, and there are large numbers of beeches and sugar maple. Another half-mile brings you to the road at the northern edge of the park, an alternative place to park and enter the forest.

If you go here for the right reasons, it's truly a delight - seeing the old growth sugar maple and American beech was more than...

It was a lovely enclosed trail with multiple eco systems. We enjoyed the fact you have multiple trail options and don't really run into people very often, maybe at the beginning of the trail but mostly had the woods to ourselves. There were so many birds out and chirping some I have never heard before, we didn't go to go bird watching just went to hike. We initially started at Chickaming Township Park and did a few miles there but it was super muddy and decided to check this trail out after that, so glad we did, it was a very beautiful trail. It is not marked well so try to remember where you came from to go back to. After running into one group we found out that it connects to another adjacent trail and it is many many miles. We will have to go back because it was fairy tale like. It is dog friendly, not handicap accessible, there is a bathroom but it is on the Elmwood side of this trail not on the trail head we started from. Happy trails go out...

There is parking along the side of the road on Warren Woods Rd. There is also a parking lot with picnic tables and porta-potties on Elm Valley Rd, on the opposite (south) side of the woods.

There are paths into the woods from both sides, but they kind of get fuzzy in the middle. It can be hard to find your way from one end to the other.

The spring near the river, and near the road, on the north side used to have a pipe where you could fill up your jugs with spring water. It was taken out. People opened it up again to get water, etc. It has been going back and forth. Nobody has ever been harmed from drinking the water that I know of.

Warren Woods is a division of Warren Dunes State park, and is kept up by the state park.

Admission is free, but the parking lot closes at night.

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