Hayden Park: The Playground in our Backyard

Written by Brennan Berryhill

Hillsdale College’s campus takes up only a couple of blocks, but it has a 190-acre playground in its backyard. 

From the center of campus, it’s only a 20-minute walk down Barber Drive before you reach the wide gates of Hayden Park. Beyond that, there are sand pits, grass fields, a stadium, and a large swath of Michigan forest. Students have easy access to amazing facilities and rugged terrain a stone’s throw from some of the best professors in the nation. 

It all starts with the clubhouse. With a throwback yellow facade, the Hayden Park clubhouse is the hub for students and faculty looking to enjoy the great outdoors. There are couches to relax on, sports equipment to freely check out, and plaques commemorating Chargers sports accolades. Years ago, it served as a guest house. Now, it is the office of Coach Bill Lundberg, who is known affectionately around campus as “Wild Bill.” He has worked for Hillsdale College in different capacities for 40 years, and one of his roles is director of Hayden Park. 

Coach Lundberg sat down with me in the clubhouse to talk about his work and the amenities available to students in Hayden Park. Student health and fitness has always been a passion of his. He was the head coach of Hillsdale College’s cross country and track and field programs for 27 years before transitioning to his current role. Coach Lundberg has been a longtime member of the College faculty as well. Most semesters, he has taught two sections of the College’s required Physical Wellness Dynamics core course, and he also teaches some exercise science courses. After serving the school for such a long time, Coach Lundberg plans to retire in the spring of 2025. He emphasized how blessed he feels to have taught and coached students and to have served as Hayden Park director. 

While park maintenance settles down in the wintertime, there’s still always work to be done. Coach Lundberg works with staffers like Mike Wiseley, director of grounds, to groom trails with chainsaws, weed whackers, and shovels. Coach Lundberg also coordinates with Campus Security to oversee park safety, and he organizes events in Hayden Park with student-led clubs and sports coaches. His goal is to “just avail myself to students, staff, faculty, and family,” and to be a presence for the College out in the park. From his deep knowledge of the area’s history to the warmth with which he greeted a student checking out equipment, it was clear that Coach Lundberg was the perfect man to meet those goals. 

Beyond the clubhouse, the central hub of Hayden Park has four sand volleyball courts, a grass field, and a turf field, the last of which has stadium seating and a new track. Coach Lundberg said this new venue hit the ground running in 2024 as a place to host regional meets. During the warm months of the school year, there is almost always a volleyball game happening in the sand pits, whether it is an intramural competition or just a group of friends playing a friendly match. On the grass field, intramural sports like rugby host matches with other schools. Established clubs like ultimate frisbee put on tournaments. The turf field sees a plethora of activity as well. Flag football is played in the fall, soccer comes in the spring, and even lacrosse is trying to get its foot in the door. These well-irrigated fields provide an excellent playing surface for college students. 

Farther out from the center, Hayden Park has hundreds of acres of forest with walking and mountain biking trails. Students can check out mountain bikes from the clubhouse barn for free, and there are also complimentary helmets. Coach Lundberg told me there are 15 bikes in the barn with different frame sizes. For the winter, there are eight pairs of cross-country skis that students can check out from the clubhouse and 12 pairs of boots in a variety of sizes. Clubs and outdoor classes use amenities like these, and individual students looking for a workout in nature use them as well. 

Thatcher Montgomery, ’28, says that he goes out into the park three times a week. It’s a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the solitude of nature. When the ground is dry, he enjoys checking out a mountain bike and lapping the trails. He said that there are about seven miles of trail, mostly smooth dirt singletrack. There are a couple paths with features, like small jumps or steep dropoffs, but most of it is not technical, making the trails accessible to people of all skill levels. Because of the small quantity of students that are out cycling at any given time, Thatcher enjoys using the trails as walking paths when he is calling his parents or just wanting to spend time in nature. He also told me there are great sledding spots in Hayden Park— including a new hill that was created when the College finished putting in the track around the turf field. 

Student organizations also spend time in Hayden Park. The Outdoor Adventure Club, which gives students opportunities to explore nature, often tabs Hayden Park for their events. Anna Coln, ’25, is president of the Outdoor Adventure Club. She said that the club does not have a strict membership requirement and anyone is welcome to attend their events–their goal is to get people outside by giving them new outdoor experiences. They had 30 people attend their first hike of the school year, and 15 students joined their fall break camping trip. Hayden Park was the venue for both of those events. Anna said that the club hosts weekly hikes in Hayden Park every Wednesday morning. Last semester, the club took students mountain biking in the park. Under the tutelage of Dr. Doug Dobrozsi, the chemistry lab director, students performed drills around cones to learn the basics of mountain biking before racing down the trails. 

Anna said that the club did an intro to orienteering event in February, led by James Golden, ’25, and Jihye Kim, ’26, where students learned to read a map and a compass to orient themselves in the woods. In March, the club wants to teach students how to do Dutch oven cooking, a method of baking using an iron pot and a campfire that can yield precise temperatures akin to an oven. 

Overall, Anna loves hanging out with friends in Hayden Park, whether that is by camping, building fires, playing frisbee, going on runs, or tramping through the snow. Her favorite thing about Hayden Park is that it does not require a drive–she can get there from her residence with only a short walk. She encourages students to explore the whole backside of Hayden Park. “Most people know about the part between Barber Drive and Mauck Road,” she said, “but the park keeps going. It’s much bigger than what most people use.” 

Besides the fields and trails, there is also a disc golf course for students to enjoy. While it is not yet an 18-hole course because the stadium covers part of the old course, Coach Lundberg said that he cleared some trails and wooded areas to let students work through different areas. Associate Professor of Economics and Wallace and Marion Reemlin Chair in Free Market Economics Dr. Michael Clark is an avid disc golfer according to Coach Lundberg. Even as students enjoy the current setup, Dr. Clark is redesigning the course to utilize the space’s full potential. The new course, named the “Great Rebellion Disc Golf Course,” is an homage to the Hillsdale College students that fought for the Union in the Civil War. It will be split into two sections of 9 holes: an easier, northern side with lots of open space, and a more difficult southern side that weaves in and out of the woods. Dr. Clark said the most important aspect of the redesign is marking five different sets of tees, so there is an appropriate challenge for novices and experts alike. 

The College offers ways to learn skills in Hayden Park. Joe Kellam, the executive director of Campus Security, offers wilderness survival classes. Hayden Park’s countless acres of wooded terrain offer the perfect location for practicing these important skills. Coach Lundberg mentioned that there have been hiking classes in the past; overall, there are many opportunities for students to enjoy the wilderness if they keep their eyes open. 

While Coach Lundberg plans to retire, he believes the future looks bright for Hayden Park. He said there are plans to eventually build new locker rooms and restrooms at the turf field and stadium. The College intends to add more to the central area as well. Whatever projects come to fruition in the coming years, Coach Lundberg emphasized how rewarding the work has been for him. His love for the College and its students is evident. 

Whether an avid outdoorsman or a dorm room recluse, every Hillsdale College student should find time to explore Hayden Park. It is a blessing that, right next to our fortress of learning, is a large slice of wilderness to enjoy at any time. 

Brennan Berryhill, ’27, hails from Denver, Colorado, and when he isn’t writing or obsessively taking notes, you can find him playing trombone, debating, or nerding out over football.

Published in March 2025