#CountdownToHalloween2026 - the Great Skeleton Scavenger Hunt

Spoilers ahead!

I don't know if any of my readers are in the White Lake, Michigan area, but the Indian Springs Metropark is offering the Great Skeleton Scavenger Hunt!  I took the grandkids there this past Saturday. 

After a quick stop at the Environmental Discovery Center (which deserves it's own time to be checked out!) to get a form, we parked the car and got our bearings looking at the map of the area.  

We had to find 10 skeletons and write down who they were or what they were doing.  Then we could turn in the form and get a little prize.  

As someone who volunteers on a search & rescue team and trains regularly with maps and hand-drawn trail systems - it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out where we needed to go!  Ok, maybe only 2-3 minutes but I got us there. 

Outside the EDC. 

The hand arrows were very useful!

A weather station.

#1!

a birdwatcher

Chuck & the grandkids

#2 - a turtle!

#3

Pretty sure he was sketching the wildlife?  

Or taking notes about the trees?

#4 - was fishing!

#5 = appeared to be studying a "deer"

This guy had an ears & antlers headband on. 

#6 - Tiny Tim was giving a lecture about snakes. 

Which is useful since this area is the habitat for the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, aka Michigan's only venomous snake. 

It was a beautiful day out, but we didn't see any snakes. 

#7 - has a Nature Photography for Dummies book and a camera

#8 - campers - there's one both inside the tent and one out by the "firepit"

#9 - has a butterfly in it's net

I'd like to know what these wall sections were from.  They were kind of neat. 

Back farther was a sundial that was actually pretty accurate. 

#10 - probably a member of the gardening club!

It was here that we ran into the actual gardening club and the lady in charge gave us a hint about a "hidden" skeleton and to go into the basement of the EDC.  

Back into the EDC....

Not the hidden one. 

There was a super cool tunnel and done out under the pond.  

There's a small bass fish just to the left of Chuck here.

We were expecting to see another skeleton from the dome, but we didn't.

But as soon as you came out of the tunnel, there was another hallway that had 4 large windows.

That's where we found it! 

It was very cool!

They have this going on all during October and was very fun. 

When we turned our form in - we could choose a pocket-sized notebook with pretty flowers stamped on the cover, a butterfly pin, stickers or bubbles, etc. 

Me & the granddaughter got notebooks and the grandson got a butterfly pin, which was surprisingly nice quality, with colored enamel on the wings. 

Of course, since I saw this event on Facebook and sent it to the Spawn, I've seen all sorts of things put on by various Metroparks in SE Michigan - maybe something else to check out!