Al Sabo Land Preserve — Attraction in Texas Charter Township

The Al Sabo Land Preserve has become quite popular over the years, & has suffered for it. Cyclists are not staying on established paths & are biking on sensitive erosion-prone areas. Signs are being ripped up & tossed into the woods/water. Trees are being spray painted with words like "love" & "peace", while slowly damaging/killing the trees via the chemicals in it. People are playing music on wireless speakers because everyone including the wildlife needs to hear it. More people are letting their dogs run with no leash because their dogs apparently never ever chase squirrels/deer or charge people barking. There were small wooden docks near the water with names carved in them from the 1930's & 40's; kids have largely torn most of those dock planks up & tossed them into the water. Those docks are largely non-existent now. Texas Township(?) added asphalt trails into the preserve several years ago & ripped up trees in the process, which raises some questions about what their concept of a "land preserve" is. There is little to no enforcement of the posted rules; most visitors know this, & the land preserve...

I've been here many times and every time I come I don't want to leave.

I am fortunate enough to live just minutes away from this place, so it's barely a drive for me which allows me to visit this place many times a week. For the Portage/Kalamazoo area, this is an amazing area to escape and enjoy nature for a bit. Even during their busy hours, due to how large this preserve is you're able to still avoid people if you want. I bring my dog here as it's a wonderful place for me to train her with so many distractions, but also because she loves adventuring as much as I do. There are some gorgeous lookout points and the trails are just amazing.

While yes, the parking lot is a bit small, rough to get into, and not the best, it's fine for me because I come for the nature. During their busy hours I've had to sometimes park on the street, however, it's no real biggy.

Overall I absolutely love this place and highly recommend this preserve to anyone wanting to escape into...

Al Sabo is a semi natural oasis only minutes away from Kalamazoo that allows one to experience a wide variety of flora and fauna. Planted coniferous and natural deciduous forested areas provide a shady canopy and the mixture of open flat land, rolling hills, and marshy areas offer the opportunity for a pleasant hike. Trail signage can be a little vague or absent altogether, but the preserve is not so big that getting turned around is a big deal. Watch out for dog poop, particularly on the trails near the parking area, and also for the occasional territorial mountain biker that acts as if the trail is their own.However, most of the bikers I've encountered are polite and accommodating and will give audible notice to allow hikers ample time to step off trail. I recommend printing off the trail map and bringing a compass on your first few visits to...