Barry County: Nature Trails and Automotive History

Barry County offers several distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: trails through forests and prairies, lakes and wetlands, birdwatching, and automotive and regional history. If you’re looking for a hotel, it helps to first decide which of these themes you’d like to shape your days. Nature destinations range from trails through diverse landscapes and lakes offering opportunities for fishing and paddling to a glacial formation. Culture and history highlights include museum collections, a historic bridge, and Indian Landing.

Trails, waterways, and habitats

Historic Charlton Park covers 310 acres on Thornapple Lake and has more than three miles of hiking trails. They pass through forests, restored prairie, field margins, and wildlife habitats, offering a variety of landscapes along the way. The public trails at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute are on a different scale: there are more than nine miles, which can be used free of charge year-round from dawn to dusk. Access and usage details may change; check current information before your visit.

The Institute gives visitors access to wetlands, forests, prairies, and agricultural habitats. Its landscape was shaped by the melting of the Saginaw lobe of the ice sheet. If you’re comparing trail lengths for planning, Historic Charlton Park has more than three miles, while the Institute has more than nine miles of public trails. These figures indicate two different scales for an outdoor visit.

Nature and water are also central at Bailey Nature Preserve: its lake covers 30 acres, and fishing, canoeing, and kayaking are available there. A conservation easement permanently protects the Preserve’s natural features. For birdwatching, the Thornapple Birding Trail offers another perspective. Visitors can also explore numerous bird-rich habitats in state wildlife areas covering more than 22,000 acres, in many parks, and around more than 250 lakes.

Devil's Soupbowl in Yankee Springs Recreation Area is a glacial formation. Its name adds a geological dimension to the nature-related themes, setting it apart from the trails, waterways, and habitats that define other destinations. If you plan your trip around your interests in nature, you can weigh trail distances, water activities, birdwatching, and a glacial landform.

Automotive history and historic sites

The Gilmore Car Museum is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the American automobile. It displays more than 400 vehicles across over 209,100 square feet of exhibition space. The 90-acre Historic Campus includes seven partner museums on site. Hood ornaments and automotive mascots are also a focus: the museum has one of the largest collections of its kind in North America. Collection figures and campus composition may change.

The “Vintage Rides” program includes rides in a classic car with a trained museum docent. The museum also offers basic on-site campsites for longer stays. These two offerings complement a museum visit in different ways: one adds a distinctive activity to the program, while the other concerns overnight stays on site.

The McKeown Road Bridge was built in 1903 and is the last surviving metal truss road bridge in Barry County. McKeown Bridge Park is accessible to wheelchair users. This site therefore combines a specific engineering history with important information about the park’s accessibility.

The history of Indian Landing also reaches far back. The area was inhabited by the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwa; in 1835, villages stood in Sections 24 and 25 of Hastings Township. Indian Landing was added to the Michigan Historical Register in 1972 in recognition of its first Indigenous inhabitants.

The Paul Henry–Thornapple Trail offers a longer-distance perspective: it is being developed as a 42-mile multi-use recreational route from Grand Rapids to Vermontville, and some sections are already complete. The described route passes through farmland, forests, and small towns, along and across rivers and streams, and close to the Thornapple River. The planned total length and the state of development go hand in hand: the entire route is not yet complete.

A good first step in choosing a hotel is to decide what you’d like to focus on during your stay: nature and trails, automotive history, or historic sites. Then you can compare hotel options for your travel dates and tailor your search accordingly.

Discover more destinations: Rutland Charter Township, Orangeville Island, Luce County, Bay, Jackson, Roscommon County, St. Clair County, Cheboygan County.

For the broader travel overview: Michigan.