Nichols Arboretum

Credit: Jen Bizzotto

Distance

.75-2.0 miles on Arboretum trails; about .5-1.0 miles to an entrance, of which there are several, all delineated on the map.

General Attributes

This route - or these paths, rather - is a popular destination for students, making the Arboretum one of the more populated parks in Ann Arbor. Trails mostly consist of bark or dirt; the terrain is variable, crossing from peony gardens to meadows, meadows to woods, woods to riverfront, riverfront to lawns - et cetera. It's a diverse terrain. The trails in the Arb are mostly hilly, but they can range from being long and slight to short and steep, and that's largely something you can control: the shorter, steeper ones will tend to get you through the wooded areas, where you can also spend a fair amount of time on a basically flat ridge line.

Navigation

The Arb can be approached from Geddes Avenue, Washington Heights Road (near the University of Michigan Medical School Building and Markley Dormitory), a University of Michigan Hospital parking lot that opens into a long staircase, and Gallup Park. All entrances (excepting the last, which crosses railroad tracks) are well-marked and easy to find, particularly with the help of a map.

Amenities

Nichols Arboretum offers not only water but also a portable outhouse by the Huron River. If the Environmental Education Center (positioned at the Washington Heights entrance) is open, bathrooms are available inside; outside, there will be a drinking fountain and an information board with a map. Note: access to portable outhouse and drinking fountain during winter months is unconfirmed.

During the Winter

I wouldn't advise visiting the Arb during the winter. Snow will likely have not been plowed or pressed down by others' traveling; it tends to get very deep, especially on the smaller (more interesting) trails because it builds up without ever melting down. Furthermore, it's difficult to get very far into the Arb without finding a hill (unless you enter from the hospital parking lot and continue running by the river), making it a complicated and dangerous endeavor to find a foothold.

Source

Gallup Park

Distance

1.0-2.0 miles; 2.0 miles to get to the park.

General Attributes

Gallup is another popular area, not only for runners, but for bikers, walkers, and families. It has two paths: a straight, paved trail that follows the Huron River and extends from Fuller Road to the main Gallup Park area, which is near Geddes Ave; and that main area, which is a loop that crosses the river, going through playgrounds, picnic areas, and a bark-path-ed grove of trees before the Border-to-Border Trail* continues on next to the river. Gallup is almost completely paved and is entirely flat. Note: look out for the butterfly garden. I've never seen a butterfly there, but...you never know.

Credit: Jen Bizzotto

Navigating There

The park may be approached (and departed) from a variety of angles. Coming from downtown, Geddes Avenue is hilly but scenic; it will take you to a point where you'll have the option of turning down the paved path toward Fuller Road or turning right to do the park's loop (or to continue down the Border-to-Border*.)

Fuller Road, obviously, is another way to get to Gallup. If you're coming from or going to North Campus, it's especially convenient to use this approach. (It goes right by Mitchell Field, where, incidentally, there are bathrooms and a water fountain.)

A final way to reach Gallup is through Nichols Arboretum. The path connecting the parks is unlabeled but clearly visible; it's situated about in the middle of the paved trail going between Geddes Avenue and Fuller Road. This path offers a way to enter the park (and extend the run, perhaps) without having to go on pavement for too long.

When Winter Comes

Gallup is paved and flat. If you're going to be running in the snow on trails, this is one of the better parks at which to do so. Using Geddes Avenue in the winter is a bad idea, however: the sidewalk is inconstant (rough, sometimes nonexistent, and an unreliable barrier to cars) even in temperate months, and during the winter it's infrequently plowed and often icy, which becomes especially treacherous due to the hills.

In addition to the Border-to-Border* and Nichols Arboretum, Gallup connects to Furstenburg Park*.

*See "Other Areas of Note."

University of Michigan's North Campus

Credit: Jen Bizzotto

Distance

1.0-3.0 miles; 2.0 miles from downtown Ann Arbor.

Note: North Campus is frequented by free University of Michigan buses that run within minutes of each other. They will take you to and from downtown Ann Arbor.

General Attributes

Scenic and hilly, these paved roads and sidewalks make one of the shorter routes in Ann Arbor - if you're both starting and ending in North Campus, that is. Deer sightings are likely; high concentrations of pedestrians (of the student breed) and cars are almost certain. While people can potentially be obstructing and pavement can become boring, these aspects provide a service: North Campus is an easy and safe night-route, and it doesn't even require a handheld light because the roads are well-lit.

Credit: Jen Bizzotto

Amenities

If you want to make North Campus a stop along a longer run (or if you simply want facilities to use after or before a shorter jaunt), university buildings provide consistent opportunities for water and restrooms. Also, note the bus routes: you don't have to run to North Campus to run North Campus.

Navigational Tips

Getting to North Campus is easy: the turn off Fuller Road is well labeled. Even so, the roads inside North Campus - roads that loop around and interconnect and are surrounded by confusingly indistinguishable buildings - can be confounding. Here are easy and helpful ways to not get lost:

1. Purchase a permanent marker. Trace the provided map (or, if you're aesthetically challenged, written directions) onto your elbow. Profit.
2. Abandon pride and/or embarrassment and ask a nearby pedestrian for directions. (Don't fret: freshmen, engineers, and art students, all specimens you would be likely to find in this area, aren't as off-putting as they look.)
3. Keep running until you find a familiar area. Or until your muscles seize.

Source

Argo and Bandemer Parks

Huron River, from www.michigan.org

Distance
1.0-3.0 miles; 2.0 miles to arrive.

General Attributes
These paths are some of the most popular running trails in Ann Arbor, so on nice days you're likely to be running with company. It's easiest to see how they're linked together by viewing the map; Bandemer may be reached from North Main Street after turning on Lake Shore Drive just before Main Street turns into M-14; Argo is easily reached by turning onto Swift from Broadway Street. A combination of paved trail (part of the Border-to-Border*), bridges, boardwalk, bark, and dirt paths, these trails make for an easy loop around the river.

Argo Dam, from www.annarbor.com

Terrestrial Details
The paved segments of these trails are flat. Only when you get to the dirt path (on the Argo side of the river) do the hills emerge, and even then, they consist of less than a mile, and they're short and not too steep. Watch out for roots and one muddy area, where a stream crosses the path just before stairs go up to the boardwalk. The boardwalk itself makes up less than half a mile of the loop; it's a nice half-mile, though, offering a view of the river and passing a stunted waterfall. Similarly nice to look at is the bark trail in Bandemer, which cuts around a disc-golf course and is surrounded by woods. It ends up in the same place that its paved counterpart does, and though it does add on some additional distance, it's a softer, quieter, more natural alternative. Note: keep an eye out for interesting graffiti in this loop!

Seasonal Side Notes
The paved, flat sections of these parks make for decent winter running - if you have shoes that work with the snow. It's unlikely that enough runners will use the paths to melt the cover down to the ground. Avoid the dirt portion of the path, though.

In the case of heavy rain, watch out for the bark: stray pieces will float to the tops of puddles, making them look shallow when they really can be anywhere from an inch to twelve inches deep. (In other news, if you don't mind soaking your shoes, this can be a hugely hilarious surprise.) The dirt path on the opposite (Argo) side of the river can also become difficult in the rain; it forms the sticky, squeltchy kind of mud that pulls at your shoes and flecks you liberally with thick brown speckles. (Really, if you don't mind getting dirty, this is probably the funnest [sic] route to do in the rain.)

In the hot months, Argo and Bandemer are intermittently shaded. More coverage exists on the dirt and bark paths, but watch out for the muggy, cloying air that builds humidity as temperatures rise.

Argo Park, entering from Broadway; Jen Bizzotto

Amenities
During the summer months, Argo and Bandemer can both be depended upon to having working drinking fountains and bathrooms - the ones in Argo by the boat launch are even plumbed! Running water will cease to be supplied during winter months, however, and bathrooms are likely to be locked, mostly because the rowers in Bandemer no longer come out to practice and the boat-renters are for some reason disinterested in traversing the iced-over river.

Connecting These Trails
Argo and Bandemer are interlocking trails all around the Huron River by M-14, but they aren't only close to each other. Easy ways to extend these runs are to use them to get to (or from) Barton, Bird Hills, Bluffs, and the footpaths off Whitmore Lake Road and behind Bandemer*. (To get to Bird Hills, Bluffs, and Barton, cross the railroad tracks by the bridge that extends over the river. You'll end up on Huron River Drive; left will take you to the Kuebler-Langford Area and Main Street*, while right will take you to Barton and, eventually, Bird Road. Review maps for further details.)

In addition to those trails, the Border-to-Border* makes up part of the Argo-Bandemer loop.

*See "Other Areas of Note."