Our Campus

Tallmadge Woods

Thanks to a conservation easement between the City of Saugatuck and Ox-Bow, the Tallmadge Woods has remained undeveloped. For generations, its multitudinous environments have served as inspiration to artists. While walking the Crow’s Nest Trail (open 365 days a year to visitors), you can catch views of forested dunes lush with hemlock trees and marshland filled with spring peepers, alongside the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan.

In 2024, the Tallmadge Woods was inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network as a Community Forest.

Ox-Bow Lagoon

Once the tail end of the Kalamazoo River, the ox-bow long ago turned into a lagoon, earning it the title Ox-Bow Lagoon. This, of course, would eventually impart its name on our campus. The lagoon has appeared in countless plein air paintings, but its waters aren’t just for artistic inspiration. It hosts a variety of wildlife such as muskrats, wild rice, lily pads, and turtles—including, the most infamous resident of the lagoon…  Samson the snapping turtle.

Saugatuck-Douglas area and history

Saugatuck and Douglas are both known for the arts, earning them the name “The Art Coast of Michigan.” This apt title pays homage not just to the vast array of artists and galleries that call the area home; it also recognizes the beauty of the shorelines of Lake Michigan. The cities have also been lauded as top LGBTQ+ vacation destinations by several magazines and news outlets, including an extensive feature in the Washington Post.