Black River Preserve

Geneva Township • Van Buren County • 121 acres

Black River Preserve’s deep ravines, beech-maple forests, streams, rolling uplands, and views of the big Black River provide the visitor with a wide variety of southwest Michigan habitats in which to hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, look for birds, or just enjoy being outdoors.

121 acres
Geneva Township
Van Buren County

Quick facts

Click to quickly jump to . . .

• Maps
• Getting there
• Natural features & conservation
• Preserve history
• Photo gallery

Parking

Gravel lot
12 car capacity

Trails

Length: 3.8 miles

Dirt hiking trails are color-coded, with some hilly sections. There is one mile of frontage along the Black River and another combined mile of frontage on three tributary streams. Bridges and boardwalks have been constructed by the dedicated volunteer group, the Black River Stewards.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a 6-foot leash at all times. Dog waste must be packed out. Click to learn more.

Restrooms

None

Recreation

Cross-country skiing, fall color, fishing, hiking, scenic views, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, summer wildflowers, trail running, wildlife viewing.

Maps

An interactive trail map that allows hikers to follow their progress through the preserve is available for free download from the Avenza Map Store!

1. Add the Avenza Maps App to your phone (available for free on iOS and Android).

2. Download the Black River Preserve Trail Map to your phone.

3. Take a hike!

Click here for interactive maps for other SWMLC preserves.

Need help? Visit the Avenza Maps Support Page.

Prefer to have a paper map?

Click on the map image for a PDF that you can print or leave open on your phone while you hike.

Getting there

The approximate street address is:
69400 block of 8th Ave, South Haven, MI 49090

GPS:
42.38934500535658, -86.21798877819138

From M-43: At the traffic circle at Maple Grove Corners, take CR-689 north to the T-stop at 8th Ave. Turn right (east) on 8th Ave, and look for the preserve on the south side. If you get to 68th St, you’ve gone too far.

From I-196: Exit east onto Phoenix Rd. (exit #20). Take Phoenix Rd. about 1/2 mile to 71 1/2 St. Turn south onto 71 1/2 St. and go 1 mile to 8th Ave. Go east on 8th Ave, about 1 mile and look for the preserve entrance on the south side of the road.

Natural features

Black River Preserve has 120 acres of heavily rolling southern mesic and southern floodplain forest with pockets of wet meadow and fallow upland fields that were once farmed.

The property contains significant nesting and breeding habitat for a variety of waterfowl and waterbirds. Tributary ravines provide habitat for Louisiana Waterthrush and Hooded Warblers, and southern floodplain and mesic forest provides breeding and foraging habitat for prothonotary warblers, wood ducks, American woodcock and green herons, among other species.

Botanical census finds that Black River Preserve has 400 plant species, 85% of which are native to Southwest Michigan!

The preserve’s 60 acres of wetlands rank among the top wetlands in Van Buren County for the variety of water quality and wildlife habitat functions they provide. As a result, it is identified as a parcel of ‘greatest impact’ for water quality and quantity in the Black River Watershed Management Plan.

Nature has our backs.

Let’s return the favor.

Our public preserves remain free and open from dawn to dusk – and your support helps keep them that way!

please donate

History

The property was protected in 2011 through a bargain sale with former owner Dan Garvey, supported through the generous efforts of Mary Wachman and Paul Devitt, and through grant support from the Joint Venture Initiative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

SWMLC’s overarching goal for this preserve is to protect and restore vital riparian, wetland, and adjacent uplands along the Black River corridor.

Since 2011, SWMLC has invested an enormous amount of time and relied on substantial volunteer effort to initiate restoration work. This includes removal of over a dozen dilapidated structures and foundations, completion of the first round of major restoration on the north ravine, and management of the preserve through the following practices: removal of woody invasive species, treatment of herbaceous invasives species, prescribed burns, selective thinning of overly shaded woodlands, erosion control prevention and repair, supplemental sowing of marginal upland pastures, and cleaning of old dumping areas.