Fort Custer State Recreation Area is a State Recreation Area located between

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

and

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The area features lakes, the

Kalamazoo River The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch.U.S. Geologic ...

, over 25 miles of multi-use trails, second growth oak barrens and dry-mesic southern (oak-hickory) forests.

History

The land was acquired in 1917 by the Federal Government and used as an induction and military training center for the US Army. Despite the history of military use that has taken place on and around the property, there was never a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

on the land. During World War II, the property was named Camp Custer. The

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appoint ...

(DNR) acquired the land in 1971 as part of the Nixon administration's Legacy of Parks program. Today, the

Fort Custer Training Center Fort Custer Training Center, often known simply as Fort Custer, is a federally owned and state-operated Michigan Army National Guard training facility, but is also used by other branches of the armed forces and armed forces from Illinois, Indian ...

of the Michigan National Guard borders the recreation area. In 1974, several ditches were modified and naturalized into creeks by the H. W. Kacey Company. The longest of these, which today is a naturally flowing stream, was named "Kacey's Creek," though that information has since been left off maps. The trails were designed beginning in 1993 and were used for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding until trails were separated in November 2011. Over 15 miles of equestrian trails were added as well as a separate parking area.

Facilities and activities

Fort Custer is a popular destination for

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

, and dog mushing. The park has developed a set of trails covering the majority of the area, designed for mountain biking / hiking and a separate trail system for horseback riding. They surround each of the lakes: Eagle, Whitford, Lawler and Jackson. The trails also connect to a camping area adjacent to Jackson Hole. In October 2008, a disc golf course in the Eagle Lake area was completed (it is no longer there). Fort Custer Recreation Area has a campground with 219 lots. There is a camp office and small store. Firewood, ice, and some other convenience items can be purchased. Two of those lots are mini cabins. The lots vary in size, some big enough for a tent, picnic table and fire ring, while some lots can accommodate up to a 50-foot RV. The Fort Custer mountain bike trails are divided into two levels of difficulty: blue being easy, green and red being difficult. There is

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

in the winter. Mini cabins and rustic cabins are available for rent, one rustic cabin fronting the

.Ft. Custer Army National Guard Base
GlobalSecurity.org ;Fishing There are three easily accessible lakes: Eagle Lake, Jackson Lake and Whitford-Lawler Lake. The

also runs along the western of the park. Several types of panfish found within the area including bluegill ('' Lepomis macrochirus''), pumpkinseed ('' Lepomis gibbosus''), redbreast sunfish (''

Lepomis auritus The redbreast sunfish (''Lepomis auritus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Centrarchiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to the river systems of eastern Canada and the United Sta ...

'') and yellow perch ('' Perca flavescens''). There are a few species that are sought after as sport fish such as the largemouth bass (''

Micropterus salmoides The largemouth bass (''Micropterus nigricans'') is a carnivorous, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico. It is known by a v ...

'') and smallmouth bass ('' Micropterus dolomieu''). There are also abundant common carp (''

Cyprinus carpio The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

'') in Eagle Lake and the

. During the winter ice fishers can often be seen on all three lakes.

Wildlife

Because of the large amount of land and restoration projects in place at Fort Custer, there are countless species of plants and animals. Abundant water sources make Fort Custer a safe haven for many types waterfowl. Not only has the land become a safe haven for the waterfowl but a safe haven for other

threatened A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

and

least-concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

of the area. ;Birds * American bittern, '' Botaurus lentiginosus'' * Trumpeter swan. '' Cygnus buccinator'' * Cooper's hawk, ''

Accipiter cooperii Cooper's hawk (''Astur cooperii'') is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. This species was formerly placed in the genus ''Accipiter''. As in many birds of prey, the male is small ...

'' * Common moorhen, '' Gallinula chloropus'' * Cerulean warbler, '' Dendroica cerulea'' * Prothonotary warbler, '' Protonotaria citrea'' * Louisiana waterthrush, '' Seiurus motacilla'' * Hooded warbler, '' Wilsonia citrina'' * Grasshopper sparrow, '' Ammodramus savannarum'' * Henslow's sparrow, '' Ammodramus henslowii'' * Wild turkey, ''

Meleagris gallopavo The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. domesticus''), w ...

'' ;Reptiles * Eastern box turtle, '' Terrapene carolina carolina'' ;Amphibians * Blanchard's cricket frog, '' Acris crepitans blanchardi'' ;Plants * Leadplant, ''

Amorpha canescens ''Amorpha canescens'', known as leadplant, downy indigo bush, prairie shoestring, or buffalo bellows, is a small, perennial semi-shrub in the pea family (Fabaceae), native to North America. It has very small purple flowers with yellow stamens whi ...

'' * White false indigo, '' Baptisia alba'' * Yellow harlequin, ''

Corydalis flavula ''Corydalis flavula'' (yellow fumewort, yellow harlequin, fume-root, yellow fumitory; syn. ''Capnoides flavulum'' (Raf.) Kuntze, ''Fumaria flavula'' Raf.) is an herbaceous perennial plant native to the eastern United States. Its natural habitat ...

'' * Downy sunflower, '' Helianthus mollis'' * False boneset, '' Kuhnia eupatorioides''

Invasive species

There are also several types of

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

that can be found throughout the area. Because of the current issues with the emerald ash borer ('' Agrilus planipennis''), visitors are not allowed to move fire wood in or out of the park. Visitors are also prohibited from bring in any fish from other waters due to the growing common carp (''

'') problems; often these carp come from the

which runs along the western border of the park. Other known invasive species include garlic mustard (''

Alliaria petiolata ''Alliaria petiolata'', or garlic mustard, is a Biennial plant, biennial flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to Europe, western and central Asia, north-western Africa, Morocco, Iberian Peninsula, Iberia and the ...

'') and purple loosestrife (''

Lythrum salicaria ''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...

''); these species are being dealt with by using controlled fires.

Getting there

Fort Custer State Recreation Area is located north of

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

between

and

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

at exits 85 or 92. The park is just east of Augusta on M-96.

References

External links

Fort Custer Recreation Area

{{authority control State recreation areas of Michigan Protected areas of Calhoun County, Michigan Protected areas of Kalamazoo County, Michigan Important Bird Areas of Michigan Mountain biking venues in the United States Tourist attractions in Calhoun County, Michigan Tourist attractions in Kalamazoo County, Michigan Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in Michigan