Hickory Nature Area

Overview

Hickory Nature Area is a small 2-acre natural area on the north side of Ann Arbor. It is bordered by M-14 to the west and by Dillon Drive to the east. View the Ann Arbor Parks & Nature Areas Map​ for location context. The park entrance is between two houses—​​ be sure to refer to the map to stay within park boundaries. 

Hickory Nature Area is one of a number of city park properties with no trails or amenities. These natural areas represent a unique recreation and conservation feature of the city’s park system. In these relatively few spaces across the city, off-trail exploration is encouraged – a rare opportunity to meander through a wild space in our urban context. Visitors are also invited to reflect on the conservation value and biodiversity of these spaces, where the parks and recreation’s Natural Area Preservation staff and volunteers work to steward, restore and inventory the natural communities throughout the city’s parks.​

The habitat here is dry-mesic forest, which is dominated by oaks and hickories. A small grove of hickory trees on the west side of the park gives this area its name. Other plant species that can be found in the park include trillium, prickly gooseberry, ironwood, and hackberry. The entrance to the park is off of Dillon Drive, but a trail system has not yet been developed.​