Lake Wilderness Park

Lake Wilderness Arboretum is an approximately 42-acre tract with about half the space as a cultivated arboretum, and the other half as a "wild" nature preserve. There are about 3.5 miles of trails in total. The Green to Cedar River Trail divides the two sections of the arboretum. Adjacent to the arboretum is Lake Wilderness Park, which includes many amenities, including a playground, disc golf course, picnic areas and tennis/pickleball courts. Open seasonally, the lake also has a swimming area with canoe and kayak rentals. The lake is also stocked with fish. 

The cultivated arboretum has a large number of paths crisscrossing it, but near the parking lots is an information booth with signs and brochure maps. A lack of significant underbrush helps make navigation reasonable. Among the paths to explore include a 0.5-mile outer loop, a children's story walk and a path known as the Tribal Life Trail. Like most arboretums, there are placards identifying the trees and plants throughout, and on the Tribal Life Trail, the placards identify how various native plants were used by local Native American tribes as food, medicine, clothing and other parts of life. 

Along the north edge of the cultivated section, there are 3 accesses to the Green to Cedar River Trail. That trail is an old railroad grade and maybe 10 feet higher than the surrounding ground. The arboretum property continues beyond the trail as a nature preserve, and trails can be accessed from several locations. There are a number of well-traveled trails crisscrossing here as well. However, there are no signs, and large amounts of underbrush means that it is easy to get turned around with what trails go where. None are especially long, but if you are trying to finish your hike on a timeline, using a mapping app on your phone would be helpful. On the other hand, if you are looking to get a taste of being out in the woods without going far from home, this can satisfy your need for a quick nature fix.