The ‘Land of Lost Things’ At Texas Township’s Al Sabo Preserve

Over the semi-cool weekend, my significant other and I decided to venture out to find another nature trail or park we've yet to explore. After all, there are so many right here in southwest Michigan. Finding a new trail to hike is not difficult.

We settled on Al Sabo Land Preserve that sits in Texas Township. That's when I discovered that the Al Sabo Land Preserve has a land of lost things. Or, at least, that's what I'm calling it.

The Al Sabo Land Preserve

The Al Sabo Land Preserve was established in the early '70s to,

 protect the groundwater supply of the Atwater wellfield.

Over 700 acres were originally purchased to protect that groundwater supply. Now, the public is welcome to explore the 25 miles of trails that make up the preserve. You can read more here.

The preserve itself was gorgeous. Trails are a bit sandy but stretch for what feels like miles through wooded areas. There are also marked bike paths for the more athletically inclined (more than me at least).

Get our free mobile app

Obviously, with it being a nature preserve, keeping the trails clean is a priority. That could be the motivation behind setting up this little, again as I call it, land of lost things. Take a look:

Whether it's trash, keys, even a sonogram...people can bring back things found on the trails to leave for the original owner to find. Which, to me, is genius. Because, what could be worse than losing your KEY on a nature preserve with miles of trails?

Things to Know Before Visiting Al Sabo Land Preserve

A couple of things I wish I knew before visiting:

• The parking lot is tiny and tends to fill up quickly. There is, however, overflow parking at Texas Drive Park which is just a block or two away from the preserve. There are signs posted at the preserve as well as on the road pointing you towards the park
• The preserve is sandy. My significant other and I made a vow to come back to the Al Sabo Land Preserve to explore it properly but, after about a mile both of our shoes were filled with enough sand to make walking uncomfortable. Keep that in mind when picking out your footwear.
• There are marked and unmarked trails. If you want to explore the unmarked trails it's recommended that you bring a compass and a map. This place is vast.

Otherwise, have fun exploring this nature preserve. It was absolutely breathtaking and we barely scratched the surface with our one-mile walk.

And don't forget, if you happen to lose something on this trail check back with the land of lost things to see if it magically reappears.