Brooks Nature Area — Attraction in Marshall

It nice but watch for ticks thay are really bad out there me and my wife was just there 5/5/2018. We spent about 90 min there and pulled off 20 to 25 ticks and we even put deep wood off on im not trying to tell you not to go there but i would not take your pet there and if you got kids i would not take them there till you go and see if the ticks have chilled out we go walking all over and never had this happen my oldest is 14 and i think one time we found one on. Usin the 14 year i know thay saying its bad this year for them but we didn't stop walking or go off the trail and don't go in the woods so that is what scared me the mostlyi could understand it if we was in woods so please check you your pets a kids...

Was a beautiful and easy walk. Flat, open meadow and meandering through woodlands next to Stuart Lake. Like how they have the different trees along the path labeled. Bonus was seeing a nesting Swan on the lake very close to the wooden look out, only to look closer and see a nesting Sandhill Crane not more than a dozen feet away! You can see them both in the photo attached. Sandhill partner came flying in, gliding low directly over the swan on its nest. Didn't even ruffle a feather on the swan. Beautiful to watch....

Some says there are ticks. I didn't find any, but I only went for the observation deck near the lake. The main trail has more traffic than other trails, which may potentially have more bugs. The trail is actually on grass. Although it was mowed pretty low when I was there, I can imagine that it can grow high between mows. I am nervous with any trail with grass from my past experience. Some also says it's boring and hot, which is kind of true. It's open field or prairie with no shade. The view of the deck...