Kalamazoo Nature Visitor Center

Visiting the Kalamazoo Nature Visitor Center

During your visit to the Kalamazoo Nature Center, enjoy nature exhibits inside the Interpretive Center. Outside, trails covering miles of varied habitats from ponds to prairies, fens and forests are waiting to be explored. In the Arboretum and Glen Vista Gallery, art abounds. The Kalamazoo Nature Center also offers a gift shop, carrying nature-themed gifts and keepsakes.

Interpretive Center

Start your visit in the Interpretive Center. The Nature Center’s award-winning Nature Up Close exhibits will present a new perspective on the world around you. Explore the inside of oversize model trees, experience a rainforest ecosystem in the Center’s tropical greenhouse, or see live turtles, snakes and other critters.

Kalamazoo Nature Center Trails

The Kalamazoo Nature Center boasts 14 trails covering 10 miles that wind through some of the most magnificent habitats in Michigan. Trails include: the Pioneer Woods, a mile trail of young forest, evergreens and farm fields; Prairie Pathway, a 0.5 mile open restored prairie; Raptor Ridge, a 0.4 mile path that overlooks Kalamazoo Valley; Ridge Run, a 0.6 mile trail offering an overlook of the Fen; River Walk, a 0.2 mile boardwalk along the Kalamazoo River; Source Pond, a 0.7 mile trail through the growth of an old forest and past a large pond; Trout Run, a 0.4 mile secluded trail along a stream; Barn Trail, a 0.2 mile path through an old field and new forest; Beech Maple, a 0.7 mile path that winds through a beech and maple forest; Bluebird Trail, offering 140-acres of restored prairie; Cooper’s Overlook, a 0.2 mile trail that leads to a ridge overlooking Trout Run; Fern Valley, a 0.7 mile path featuring sugar maple trees and a secluded pond; Green Heron Ravine, a 0.7 mile track through fields, a young forest and past shallow ponds; and Habitat Haven, an easily accessible trail with overlooks of the Center’s wildlife habitats.

Arts at the Kalamazoo Nature Center

Art abounds at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. Stroll through the Arboretum and explore the Kalamazoo Nature Center’s sculpture collection, from the beautiful marble Snowy Owl by Paul Keeslar to Robert Cumpston’s Squirrel. In the Kalamazoo Nature Center’s Glen Vista Gallery, changing exhibits showcase works of art made by local artists.

Travel Tips

- The Kalamazoo Nature Center is ADA compliant.

- Nationally recognized certified interpretive hosts will help you make the most out of your visit to the Kalamazoo Nature Center.

- Be sure to pick up a copy of the Sculpture Tour brochure from Guest Services, located in the Interpretive Center.