Dixboro Road (west)

The University of Michigan owns a few hundred acres west of 
Dixboro Road (west of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens) and south 
of Plymouth Road (south and east from the University of Michigan 
Health Center).  I've described the fields adjacent to the Health 
Center in the item "University of Michigan Health Center."  Here 
I describe the area to the south of that, which I call "Dixboro 
Road (west)."

To get to this area take Plymouth Road to Dixboro Road and go 
south 0.45 miles to Garden View Drive.  Turn right.  (If coming 
from the south on Dixboro Road, go just past the entrance to the 
Botanical Gardens and turn left onto Garden View Drive.)  Then 
turn left on Parkside Ct.  Follow this to a turnaround circle at 
its end; park at the curb on the inside of the circle.  You'll 
see a cement sidewalk that goes between the houses at 4701 and 
4703 Parkside Ct.  The cement walk turns into a woodchip trail 
that you can follow into an area that must have been at one time 
a gravel or sand pit.  (This pit can be viewed from a ridge at 
the south-central edge of the Health Center fields.)  The 
woodchip trail soon turns into a grassy trail.  As you walk down 
onto the floor of the pit take note of your location or you may 
have trouble finding your way back out.  The trail runs to the 
east edge of the northernmost of two almost touching, large, 
bare areas where trucks and tractors once turned around.  At the 
entrance to the trail back up to Parkside Court I have placed a 
one-foot diameter pile of rocks to mark the trail. 

Walking southwest through the two large bare areas, you will see 
that the trail continues south and west from the southernmost of 
the two bare areas.  The trail goes on for perhaps a mile and a 
half through varied habitat.  Initially it runs southwest.  It 
eventually turns west and then north and then northeast.  If you 
follow the trail to its end, you will discover that you are 
behind (south of) the University of Michigan Health Center.  You 
can turn around and retrace your route to your car, but you can 
return to your car more quickly by proceeding east to the ridge 
at the south edge of the field on the east side of the Health 
Center.  You'll see the gravel/sand pit below.  South of the 
ridge is an almost shear drop of perhaps 50 feet, so to return to 
your car you'll need to follow the ridge to the east and continue 
as it curves south.  You'll soon find yourself on the floor of 
the pit.  Continuing south to the northernmost bare area, you 
will find the trail that takes you back to your car.  My pile of 
rocks that marks the trail may still be there.  (Feel free to add 
to it!) 

It was late morning in mid June when I took this walk, so I 
didn't see a whole lot (Baltimore Oriole, Wood Thrush, Gray 
Catbird, Northern Flicker, Red-tailed Hawk, others), but it's an 
interesting area that should be explored.

Bruce    6-19-2002