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!
Coon Hollow Preserve
Fabius Township • St. Joseph County • 9 acres
The site of the original Coon Hollow, for which the scenic Coon Hollow Road is named, this small preserve is the perfect place to relax, catch your breath, and tune in to nature.
9 acres
Fabius Township
St. Joseph County
The site of the original Coon Hollow, for which the scenic Coon Hollow Road is named, this small preserve is the perfect place to relax, catch your breath, and tune in to nature.
Quick facts
Click to quickly jump to . . .
• Maps
• Getting there
• Natural features & conservation
• Preserve history
• Photo gallery
Parking
Roadside pull off
2 car capacity
Trails
Length: o.05 mile
Coon Hollow Preserve features a 300-f00t woodland trail, a bench that overlooks the wetland, and a boardwalk that extends into the marsh, providing good birdwatching opportunities and up-close views of water plants.
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
Fall color, wildlife viewing.
Maps
Track your progress in real time as you hike through the preserve with the interactive Avenza Maps App (available on iOS and Android for free)!
1. Click to add the Avenza Maps App to your phone.
2. Click to open the PDF of the Coon Hollow Preserve Map.
3. Copy the URL at the top of the page.
4. In the Avenza Maps app, click the ‘plus’ (+) symbol at the top of the page. Then choose ‘Tap to enter a URL of a map.’
5. Paste the copied URL and the trail map will automatically load into the app.
6. Take a hike!
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
Natural features
Coon Hollow Preserve contains an impounded, spring fed segment of Kerr Creek, a headwater tributary for the Rocky River. The preserve’s relatively pristine marsh wetland boasts a multitude of seasonal wildflowers, and provides nesting and feeding habitat for great blue herons, sandhill cranes, and wood ducks.
The surrounding upland areas and adjacent wooded slope hold good quality oak forests.
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!
History
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy acquired the property in 2007, through a donation from the Fabius Township Citizens Coalition; two parcels were later added.
In 2007, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy partnered with the Fabius Township Citizens Coalition (FTCC) and created Coon Hollow Preserve to protect wetlands along scenic Coon Hollow Road, which had been identified by the FTCC as a critical natural and cultural resource that needed to be safeguarded.
Purchasing this property involved broad-based effort between local government, non-profit organizations, and businesses – with strong community involvement. Many of the private donations for the purchase were made in memory of the late Judy Johnson, a former president of the FTCC.
