Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve Loop

This hike utilizes the 3.1 mile (5km) route that most 5k races at Coffee Creek use each year. The recommended starting location is at the pavilion near the parking lot. The route encompasses all the best areas of Coffee Creek.The Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy is a private, non-profit preserve that is open 365 days a year and is free to the public. The preserve has 157 acres and was created to protect Coffee Creek, a regionally significant stream that still supports spawning salmon and steel-head trout from Lake Michigan. Coffee Creek is biologically diverse with over 500 plant species in prairies, wetlands and woodlands. The preserve is close to the Lake Michigan Flyway bird migration route and offers excellent birding opportunities. For more information, visit the preserve's website at www.coffeecreekwc.org.

Much of Coffee Creek was farmed in the early and mid 1900s. The preserve continues to go through extensive restoration that began in the late 1990's when the preserve was created.