"No hunting permitted." That line appears on St. Clair County's one-page information sheet for Woodsong County Park. It sits between the leash rule and a note that the park has "many mountain bike trails and other trails in development." Most of the year it reads like fine print. Starting the weekend of November 15, it carries more weight.
Clyde Township shares the Port Huron State Game Area with Kimball and Grant townships. The Times Herald describes it as nearly 7,000 acres of public land, and the DNR's map lists it at 6,869 acres. It is the biggest stretch of woods anywhere near Clyde, and it is hunting ground. Woodsong is 44.5 acres at the east end of Rynn Road, a small fraction of the game area's size. Over the past few years it has been reshaped into a trail park, and that makes it the obvious walk for November.
The Calendar Around the Game Area
Michigan's 2026 deer hunting regulations summary sets out the fall like this:
| Season | Dates in 2026 | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Archery, early segment | Oct. 1 to Nov. 14 | Statewide |
| Regular firearm | Nov. 15 to 30 | Statewide |
| Archery, late segment | Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 | Statewide |
| December firearm | Dec. 4 to 6 | Lower Peninsula |
| Late antlerless firearm | Dec. 7 to Jan. 1, 2027 | Lower Peninsula |
Bow season has been open since the first of the month. Firearm season opens on a Sunday this year, a little over two weeks from now. After that, some form of deer season runs nearly without a break into the new year.
The game area stays open to everyone during all of this. The St. Clair–Macomb Birding Trail lists it as a birding stop with an unpaved trail and woodland species such as warblers. The DNR's game area map shows parking at the north end off Graham Road, in the center off M-136 near Bryce Road, and at the south end off Dunlap Road. That map was last revised in 2015, so expect conditions on the ground to differ. For anyone recreating near hunting areas, the DNR's hunting safety page recommends hunter orange so hunters can see you. This is general information, not legal advice. The DNR is the authority on its own rules, and the pages linked here are where to confirm them.
A January 2024 DNR order banned target, trap and skeet shooting in the game area. The Times Herald reported that the order left hunting in place. The game area is still hunting land in November, and Woodsong is the woods that was never meant to be.
A Girl Scout Camp Turned Trail Park
Woodsong did not start out as a trail destination. In 2008 the county bought Camp Woodsong from the Michigan Waterways Council of the Girl Scouts for $400,000, using a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant. The stated goal was to keep the land open for nature study, hiking, biking and fishing access to the Black River. Since then, the park's changes have mostly pointed away from the water and toward the trails:
- 2008: The county buys the former camp, with 2,800 feet of Black River shoreline below steep, rustic slopes.
- 2017: A canoe and kayak launch is added with a $50,000 grant from EGLE. The launch itself is accessible, but the steep trail from the parking lot down to it is not ADA accessible.
- 2022: Trail improvements arrive, including new trails for advanced riders.
- 2024: Bluewater Trail Advocates volunteers add a new trail and extend the mountain bike route.
- 2025: The county says it will donate the Woodsong launch to a planned Kimball Township launch site. It also projects that a new 0.25-mile intermediate section will bring the trail system to 4 miles once finished that fall.
- 2026: The county's Summer 2026 newsletter reports that volunteers have added more trail segments.
The 2,800 feet of riverbank are still there, and the county still lists fishing as a use. The investment, though, has gone up the slopes and into the woods.
Where the Paddle Launch Went
The launch is moving because Kimball Township asked for better water access. According to the county's Summer 2025 newsletter, the township secured a Michigan DNR Trust Fund grant toward buying land. The Community Foundation of St. Clair County bought a 37-acre property near Wadhams and North River Roads and is holding it while the township finishes the grant process. The newsletter notes the site sits where two Blueways of St. Clair water trails meet. The Keel reported in February 2025 that the land is on the north side of the Black River, north of I-69, and that planning, grants and development were still needed before the public could use it.
As those reports describe it, the Kimball launch is still a planned project. Paddlers who used to put in at Woodsong can follow its progress through Kimball Township and the county's parks newsletters. Since it is a late-October paddle anyway, the question can wait until spring. The trails cannot.
What the Volunteers Built
Port Huron Parks & Recreation describes Bluewater Trail Advocates as a Blue Water Area biking, hiking and running group whose volunteers maintain existing trails and build new ones. At Woodsong, the county credits them with adding segments and doing routine maintenance, and with working alongside the park naturalist to protect sensitive areas. They also trim brush and clear debris year-round, with help from CRAMBA volunteers at Columbus County Park.
The exact mileage today is uncertain. The county projected 4 miles after the fall 2025 section and then reported more segments in 2026 without a new total. Trailforks, which is user-maintained, lists about 3.5 miles plus an "Extension Loop." In any case, the system is still growing, and it now has a mix of terrain. The county describes the 0.25-mile addition as small climbs and descents for intermediate riders and hikers, while other trails are built for advanced riders. It strongly recommends helmets and urges caution on the natural terrain.
The newest work at Woodsong is not all trail. Avery, Emily and Evelyn of Girl Scout Troop 89607 researched, funded, built and installed three nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds and Wood Ducks for their Silver Award. They also made interpretive signs and brochures. The county pointed out that the project ties the park back to its years as a Girl Scout camp. The bluebird boxes are something to look for on a walk once the leaves are down.
Before You Drive Out Rynn Road
Woodsong is easy to reach, but it does not hold your hand. Parking is off Rynn Road east of Abbottsford Road, and there is a board with park rules and a map beside the lot. The park is not staffed. The rules below come from the county's park information sheet, its 2026 park map and the Woodsong park page.
- Cost: Admission is free.
- Hours: The county's park page and information sheet say year-round, dawn to dusk. The county's 2026 park map says 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In November dusk comes long before 8 p.m., so plan around daylight. With questions, call the county parks office at (810) 989-6960.
- Dogs: Welcome on a leash, and owners clean up after them.
- Trail use: Non-motorized only.
- Terrain: The trails are rustic and follow the natural ground, including steep slopes down to the river. After a wet stretch of fall weather, expect those slopes to be slick.
- Hunting: Not permitted.
The county's own page calls Woodsong a place for watching nature and for views of the Black River valley. Those views are widest in late fall, after the leaves have dropped from the slopes and before snow covers the trail, and that window lines up with the weeks the game area belongs to hunters.
If you're weighing how the trails, the river and the game area fit into daily life in Clyde Township, I'm happy to talk through the corners of the township I know well. Reach out to Lisa Glombowski and let's connect.
