GRASS RIVER NATURAL AREA EVENTS FOR JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
Family Playgroup
Thursday, January 8, 2026
Thursday, January 22, 2026
10:30-11:30am
Free
Families with children ages 0–5 are
invited to join us at Grass River Natural
Area for free, nature-based playgroups
on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays each month.
Enjoy stories, playtime, snacks, and
connection with other families — all in the beauty of the outdoors. No registration
needed! Offered in partnership with the Great Start Collaborative & Family
Coalition of Traverse Bay. Learn more at
https://greatstartkids.com/playgroup-schedule/
Lantern-lit Evening
Friday, January 9, 2026
6:30-8:30pm $5 per person
Lantern light shining through the
trees is a great way to enjoy the
forest in winter. Enjoy a self-guided
lantern-lit hike, or an evening ski or
snowshoe on GRNA’s trails and
boardwalks if there is snow. We
will have a warm campfire at the Center pavilion and the heated building will be
open and staffed. Come any time during the 2-hour, self-guided, "open-house"
style event. Bring a flashlight or headlamp. Skis and snowshoes for all ages are
available for rent at the Grass River Center for an additional $5 rental fee during
the program, or bring your own.
NMC Michigan Trees in Winter
Friday, January 16, 2026
1:00-3:00pm at NMC
Register through NMC Extended Education
Gain the skills to identify
Michigan trees in winter by their
bark, buds, and branching
patterns. We'll use a variety of
real specimens collected from Grass River Natural Area, along with photographs
and guides to learn ID techniques for woody plants, including broadleaf trees,
shrubs, and evergreens. Registration coming soon!
Grass River Shiver 5k/10k Snowshoe
Race Fundraiser
Saturday, February 7, 2026
10:00am start time Grass River Natural Area
Put on your snowshoes and run or walk through the beautiful snow-covered
Grass River Natural Area as a fundraiser for our programs! A prize is awarded to overall male and female 5K/10K winners.
10k participants run two loops of the course. Walkers are welcome, too! An
official clock will start at 10am on Saturday morning for those that would like an
official clocked time to run their race with other runners and walkers, but the
course will be up for the weekend if runners need to run it at a later time.
Registration including a shirt at: Grass River Shiver Snowshoe 5k/10k | Bonfire
or you may preregister for the race only and no tshirt for $25 HERE ($30 for
walk-ins on race day).
Contact: Sarah Simon - sarah@grassriver.org for more information
