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Oakwoods Nature Area

3100 Barclay Way, Ann Arbor, MI 48105

734.794.6230

Overview

Oakwoods Nature Area is a 55-acre woodland located in the far northeast corner of Ann Arbor. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context. The park is bordered by Green Rd, Nixon Rd, M-14 and the Arbor Hills neighborhood. It is across the street from Sugarbush Park and is a quick walk from Kilburn Park and Arbor Hills Nature Area.

The park is an undeveloped natural area with unpaved trails along the area's rolling hills. The environment features mature oak and hickory trees, along with a wide variety of species. Several small ponds surrounded by wetlands make it a great spot for bird watching or listening for frog calls in the spring. These add up to a beautiful hike in any season. It is a peaceful spot but traffic noise from M-14 can be heard in the northern part of the nature area.

Park Notices

Unless otherwise posted per City Council resolution, when a park is closed, no person shall remain in or enter it other than to quietly sit or walk.

Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules.

Park Hours

6 a.m. – Midnight

Amenities

Nature Trail

Access and Parking

The main trail entrance is at the end of Barclay Way. There is a small parking lot with space for 7 cars at this entrance.

The trails within Oakwoods Nature Area have five access points in total. There is another entrance along Green Road which does not have any parking options but is near public transportation and a crosswalk that connects across Green Road. (Sugarbush Park trails are just to the south.) There is also a trail access point in the northeast corner of the Owl Creek Apartments property as well as two park entrances from the Arbor Hills neighborhood to the east.

There is a bike lane along the westbound side of Green Road and sidewalks on both sides. There are no bike racks at Oakwoods Nature Area.

Public Transportation

There is a bus stop at the park located at Green and Sugarbush, about a one minute walk from the Green Road entrance to Oakwoods Nature Area. Visit TheRide for schedule and route details or check out the parks ride guide.

History

Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here.

The Oakwoods Nature Area property was acquired in several stages from 1984 to 2016. These additions occurred as the surrounding areas were zoned for residential development, during which the land was dedicated to or purchased by the city.

The nature area has undergone restoration efforts by the staff and volunteers of Natural Area Preservation for many years. The first documented restoration work was the cutting down of buckthorn, a non-native invasive shrub species, in January 1996. The first controlled burn was conducted a couple of years later, in the spring of 1998. Controlled burns help to limit invasive plant growth, break down plant debris and stimulate the germination of native wildflowers. The staff and volunteers of Natural Area Preservation continue to work on restoration projects at Oakwoods Nature Area each year. Visit Natural Area Preservation for more details on the efforts to protect and restore Ann Arbor’s natural areas. You can find more information related to Oakwoods Nature Area in a 2014 Natural Area Preservation newsletter:

2014 Park Focus: Oakwoods Nature Area, by Mike Hahn

Volunteer in the parks

Looking to make an impact in a park or nature area? Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation provides volunteer opportunities for almost every interest, ability, and commitment level.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities

Park Finder

Discover parks and find amenities through the City of Ann Arbor Park Finder. This map allows you to search park names or search by amenity type or keyword.

View the Park Finder

A2Fix It - Service request tool

A2 Fix It is an online system you can use to report any maintenance issues or other problems during your park visit. When reporting an issue in a park please include detailed location information in the "details and description" section near the end of the request process. Pictures that provide location context are very helpful.

Submit a request