From the Elm Valley Road parking area, the trail begins as a wide, wood-chip path just east of the display map. It skirts a wooded ridge, and in 0.3 mile arrives at a pair of benches that sit on a bluff overlooking the Galien River and a wooden bridge across it. Steps descend to the bridge, and on the other side the trail splits.

Head west (left), so that the blue DNR pathway triangles face you. The trail follows the bank of the river for a short spell, then ascends a bluff for an overview of the water. These stretches along the river are where birders look for warblers and thrushes and Warren Woods is one of the best in Michigan to see a yellow-throated warbler, a small, gray bird with a distinct yellow bib. 

A half mile from the start, the trail takes a sharp swing north and enters for the first time the rare stand of virgin hardwoods. At Mile 0.7, you arrive at the junction with the return trail to the bridge. But don’t skip the quarter mile to the trailhead at Warren Woods Road. This is where the largest trees are seen and it's mind-boggling that at one time all of southern Michigan was covered by a forest like this. Most trees are so large that two people can’t link their arms around them. 

The return trail is a level walk that follows a ridge from the junction and in a quarter mile comes to a view of the Galien River, which most of the year, especially in the summer, is a slow-moving and muddy waterway. Eventually the trail descends the low bluff and hugs the riverbank for 0.3 mile before arriving at the bridge at Mile 1.7, which is crossed to return to the parking area.