DeYoung Natural Area — Attraction in Elmwood Charter Township

My father’s uncle owned this farm. As a small child I remember visiting there. My father was born in 1925 and remembers visiting his uncle and aunt and cousins when he was young. It was an all day train ride from Newaygo MI area. Took my father here a year ago (92 years old) and he said the house looked the same. The old water wheel is still there but not running. He remembers the creek running the wheel and generating electricity. His uncle was quite an inventor. He built his own tractor, cut down a cherry tree and used the wood to make grandfather clocks, made his own wood planks for floor in the house, etc. Visit to step back in time when families used what they...

Dr. David DeYoung was the Principal of Ealy Elementary in West Bloomfield in 2007-08, when I was the Music Teacher there. Dr. DeYoung grew up in Leelanau County. His Grandparents had a farmhouse on Cherry Bend Rd and owned many, many acres of land here and by Cedar Lake. They donated it to the Leelanau Conservancy and it's now called the DeYoung Nature Area, which is where Winston, my mini bernedoodle, and I hike 1.25 miles every day... and almost always meet a few dogs. We park on Strang Road and enter that way. Remember...traffic flows counter clockwise. Many edible berries: black raspberries, red raspberries, blackberries, mulberries. Great way to...

Great little dock area to fish off of with kids. You are not going to catch "monsters" or the like, so if you are a hard core fisherperson, not the place for you. However for younger kids and people just looking to catch some fish and have fun- it is a great area. The path is well marked and there appears to be a lot of other things in the area to walk to, which I did not get a chance to explore. However, one of the best places to fish with kids...