Red Oaks Nature Center

I really enjoyed my time here. Miles of trails, paved cement mind you, not crowded, dog waste bags and trash cans every once in a while.
It’s not the quietest, there are houses on the perimeters and an elementary school (shudder), but I imagine that will resolve in the summer. There are some peaceful areas though and I thoroughly appreciated the upkeep.

This is a cute/​quaint little nature center nestled in the middle of «Friendship Woods» nature area in Madison Heights (just across 13 Mile from the Red Oaks Water Park entrance). It’s a great place to bring kids for a learning/​enrichment experience, or for adults to go unwind for a few minutes/​hours.
There are outdoor and indoor ponds stocked with fish and turtles. Plus some assorted snakes/​frogs/​turtles/​fish in aquariums inside the nature center. The nature center is also filled with taxidermied critters and games/​activities for kids. There is a classroom where the occasional course/​seminar can be given. There is a small but dedicated and passionate staff on hand that are happy to answer any and all questions you may have.
The real gem of this place is Friendship Woods itself. Containing about a mile and a half of paved hiking trails, it is fully accessible for foot traffic as well as bikes/​wheelchairs and XX Skiing (in the Winter). It is also dog friendly so it’s a great place to take your pooch for a stroll! It’s not uncommon to see fox, deer, squirrels, chipmunks as well as all sorts of assorted birds and fauna while out on these trails.
Note that in order to park here you’ll need to have an Oakland County Parks motor vehicle pass (available for $ 30 to county residents, I believe they are also sold here). They won’t check you for it on the way in but if the Sheriff’s dept happens to swing through on a patrol they might put a ticket on your car. Which would be lame.