---

Nature In Stages

If you are by any chance visiting the Detroit, Michigan area this holiday season, please be sure to visit Troy, Michigan. Even if you are just coming into town and leaving in a day's time, do be sure to take a hike and walk off the stress at our wonderful Lloyd A Stage Nature Center, a city attraction since the before Troy became a city!

A word of disclaimer here: I live in Troy, therefore I have been to Stage and know some of its details. Thus I feel authorized to write this travelogue of the park, and hereby disclaim any involvement with advertising nor promotion. I am not promoting the park, I do not work for it, and I have no financial or profit interests in its continued existence or any expansion hereof. I am merely writing a travelogue.

The Lloyd A Stage Nature Center is located in the Northwestern area of the city, and is home to acres upon acres of pristine yew and coniferous trees, several nature trails, and quite a few protected insect species native to the Michigan area.

Stage has a visitor center, renovated as recently as 2005, as well as a mess hall for those whom seek hot cocoa during the winter months, lemonade during the summer, or just to grab a sandwich and then hit the hike.

Stage also has low-rise hills, good for hiking and relaxing, but if you're a mountain climber, I'd suggest visiting up north, such as Munising or the Grand Traverse area, because Troy isn't known for being a hillbilly town (and we're proud of that - we're civilized, to some degree).

Stage is within jogging distance of Troy High School, home of the Troy Colts state champions wrestling team and also of a large auditorium which frequently hosts cultural events organized and held by various cultural, interfaith, and ethnic associations in the Greater Detroit area. If you are lucky to pop into Detroit on one of these days, you can hit the trails at Stage and then watch a rendition of The Butterfly Lovers, ancient China's Romeo and Juliet, performed by a touring troupe visiting the Detroit area and organized by the CAGD (Chinese Association of Greater Detroit).

Finally, of all the reasons to visit Michigan, the trees are never enough. If you come in during maple sugar collection season, remember to bring a cup. No, scratch that, bring a pail! You can take all the maple sap you want for free or have it bagged for you on certain years for a low fee.

So what are you waiting for? Hike today! See you on Stage's trails tomorrow!

Blessed be.

This articled will also be mirrored sometime soon at Traveling Friends of Drake Snow. Inspired by a note I left on Facebook a half hour ago.

---