Native forests, their history and restoration work are featured on our most popular trail. You'll traverse a remnant floodplain forest disturbed by invasive exotics and see old farm fields being restored as beech-maple, oak-hickory or oak-savanna communities. Learn how to understand and help or native forests.
Birds, insects, and other animals are often seen while walking through Sam Graham Trees. The sign posts with metal rubbing plates work in conjunction with a children's activity book and guide below, as well as point out to adults some of the important organisms in Michigan's forest - including devastating pests. Year round interest, though part of the trail is closed when impassible due to flood water or ice.
To learn more about Sam Graham Trees click on the following links:
Sam Graham Trees for Kids!
If you're up for the challenge, click on these links:
- Sam Graham Trail Map
Are you ready to explore a floodplain, a bog and savannas? Can you find all 22 native trees marked on the Sam Graham Trail?
- Sam Graham Trees Leaf-rubbing Booklet
Kids can explore the Sam Graham Trees Trail with this fun booklet. Bring a crayon and these pages with you. The trail will take you on a journey through woodland, savanna, floodplain and bog. Along the way you will discover fun facts about Michigan trees and where they grow.
The The Sam Graham Trees Trail begins at the information station and parallels Fleming Creek on the west side. As the result of a generous gift from the Graham family, this trail was resurfaced in 2006 to better accommodate users of mobility aids and to improve general accessibility during wet periods. Two accessible decks were built to improve creek viewing and to protect the vulnerable banks. Visitors will find handsome views, be able to observe wildlife such as crawfish, muskrats and birds, and have a rest on the built-in benches.
In a section of trail where the curve of the creek was starting to migrate and threaten the adjacent trail, a bioengineering technique known as rock vanes was implemented. Designed with the help of a retired U-M professor of environmental engineering, these submerged stone structures help direct the force of the current to the center of the channel. They occupy only about a third of the channel, preserving the navigable character of the creek. Vanes also help improve habitat diversity.
The Sam Graham Trees Trail angles west, crossing the wetland via a low boardwalk structure that leads into the Helen V. Smith Woodland Wildflower Garden. The surface of the main path through this area was augmented with compacted decomposed granite, to help address wet surface conditions and some of the steep slopes as you head upland. The final sections of this trail meander through oak opening savannah and re-established prairie, crossing the entry drive to parallel Parker Pond and link up with the Green Trail's Parker Brook loop and Sue Reichert Discovery Trail.
The Sam Graham Trees is at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens site.
Sam Graham Trees and Trail was created with generous funding from Donald and Ingrid Graham and other members of the Graham family. It is a tribute to Dr. Samuel Graham (1891-1967), the pioneering forest ecologist at the University of Michigan. Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum collections and trails need private support and provide donors with many giving opportunities and recognition. For more details, please contact the Development Office at 1-734-615-9475.
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