Kesling Nature Preserve

Three Oaks Township • Berrien County • 52 acres

With a deep ravine under a canopy of giant beeches and maples, Kesling Nature Preserve is lovely in any season!

52 acres
Three Oaks Township
Berrien County

With a deep ravine under a canopy of giant beeches and maples, Kesling Nature Preserve is lovely in any season!

Quick facts

Click to quickly jump to . . .

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

Parking

• Roadside pull off, 2 car capacity (west loop)
• Gravel lot (Three Oaks Township Conservation Area), 18 car capacity (east loop)

Trails

Length: 1.25 miles

Kesling’s shady trails begin along the banks of the Galien River then up a long, gradual rise. At the top, a forested loop takes hikers through a beech-maple woods which overlooks a lovely wooded ravine. The trail can be muddy near the river, especially in spring or after heavy rain.

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, fishing, hiking, paddling, scenic views, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, 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 Kesling Nature 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!

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

Approximate street address:
8500 block of West Forest Lawn Rd, Three Oaks, MI 49128

GPS:
41.77688021765073, -86.66361007482159

Driving directions:
From I-94, take exit 4A onto US-12 East. Go about 2.5 miles east on US-12 and turn south onto Basswood Road. Go 1.5 miles south on Basswood Road and turn west onto Forest Lawn Road. Follow Forest Lawn Road about .75 miles. The preserve is on the north side of the road, just east of the bridge over the South Branch of the Galien River.

Natural features

The preserve protects both sides of a quarter mile of the South Branch of the Galien River as it flows through the preserve. It contains a floodplain forest and very scenic steep ravine along a tributary with rich mesic forest.

Forested areas contain a diversity of trees and spring wildflowers including State-listed prairie trillium, sessile trillium, and Jacob’s ladder.

It is one of the best bird watching sites in the county during spring migration and is a nesting site for State-listed yellow-throated warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, and cerulean warbler — and may also be a nesting site for State-Listed hooded warbler and red-shouldered hawk.

The South Branch of the Galien River is a popular fishing destination as trout and salmon make their runs from Lake Michigan. During the right time of the year, giant steelhead are a common site in the shallow waters of the river.

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

Kesling Nature Preserve was donated to Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy in 2004 by Dr. Peter Kesling and his family.

Three Oaks Conservation Area (owned by Three Oaks Township) is across the street from and adjacent to Kesling Nature Preserve. Together with Kesling Nature Preserve, these properties create 95 acres of protected wildlife habitat and natural areas for the community to enjoy.