I've driven by this park quite a few times over the past year and always was impressed with how…read moreclean and cool looking it was. I finally had the time to stop in yesterday with my date and his kids to check the place out, and we both were pleasantly surprised with how much fun it was. For starters, the park is really well kept. Grass was cut, parking lot was clean and well maintained and all equipment was in good working order. After walking around for a bit, we both realized there was more to do then meets the eye from the road. There's plenty to do for both kids and adults. The one thing that drew my eye initially was the picture of the fire truck on the wall of the building they have right next to the parking lot. The park itself is named after a fire chief, thus, the fire truck theme going on here. They have tons of stuff to do here. They have a lovely covered pavilion with plenty of seating and well maintained picnic tables. They also have a play area for the kids, soccer fields, a horse shoe area, tennis courts and a sand volley ball area. They also had an area that appeared to be a Bocce Ball court, but no equipment to play the game. Also, there was a building with the fire truck painted on that I assume has bathrooms or a tribute area inside. I can't say for sure because the doors were locked and you couldn't see much through the doors. The only downfall to this park is no obvious place for bathrooms. I assume it's in the building but I cannot say for sure. I also saw a few adults walking with fishing poles and equipment. I guess you can go fishing around here as well. I believe there's hiking trails as well if your interested in that also. This park is a great addition to the community and everything about it was impressive. I am sure I will be back in the future!

The splash pad at Chief Gene Shepherd Park is beautiful. The park is beautiful and clean, updated,…read moreand filled with exciting water features for children. My family loves visiting the splash pad on hot days and I love taking them. This splash pad is perfect!

Holland Ponds is the best place for hiking! My friends and I love coming here with our dogs because…read morethere is a river through the entire place, which means plenty of opportunities for the dogs to swim! The park is also connected to the apple trail, which leads to Yates Cider Mill, so it's honestly the best place to spend an afternoon! The dogs have fun, the humans have fun, you can take a mid-hike break to fuel up with cider and donuts, and then head back through Holland Ponds! The only downside to the park is that it's close to a shooting range of some sort, far enough away that you can't see anything, only hear things, so for dogs that spook a bit towards fireworks and the like, they will be able to hear sounds that might make them a bit jumpy.

I like this park for many reasons, but mainly because it has that true nature feel to it with so…read moremuch to look at and take in as you walk and meander it's trails. The main trail is gravel, but there are areas that veer off here and there along the way that take you off the beaten path and into some 'real' nature trails. With so much to offer, you can venture off and explore the foliage, ponds, wildflowers, rabbits, birds, frogs and the elusive (at least for me so far) Blue Herons. In fact this park is a Blue Heron Rookery and a nesting area for them as well. Look up into the trees while walking along their nesting areas because they build their large 3 foot by 3 foot nests high in the trees out of twigs. There are signs as well warning the public not to enter their sacred nesting areas. It's very quiet, serene and even a tad rustic compared to the other parks in the county. It does have benches along the way, but the grasses in mid summer have grown up and around some of them making them not so easy to sit on. They also have a small pavilion that once had a picnic table, but the table is now gone, so it's 'just a pavilion' hoping for another table one day so it can once again have visitors sit under it's covered and shady rest area. But why not carry one of those fold up chairs and heck, bring a picnic bag lunch and enjoy a quiet meal as you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. Make sure to look up and side to side as you're traversing the trail because there are things to look at all around if you take the time to explore. You're so close to the city, yet so far away when you're in the middle of this park so take the time to enjoy all of it's offerings. There are areas where you can get a nice picturesque glimpse of the lily pads in the water and listen to the frogs croaking their tunes as you meander along the path. If you like the type of setting where you seem one with nature and you like a calm, serene setting, this park is a must to visit. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and see one or more of the Blue Herons. If not, there's always next time because this peaceful park is worth exploring when you want to get away from the city grind.

Bear Creek Nature Park in Oakland Township, Michigan, is a 107-acre park with trails for hiking…read morethroughout hardwood forests, marshes, and meadows. It offers amenities such as a picnic pavilion, playground, and bathrooms. Spring ephemerals include the stunning white trillium. There's plenty of wildlife and it's a great spot for birding.

We have hesitated to stay at Algonac State Park but finally gave in and reserved a spot in the…read moreWagon Wheel... ...aside from the mosquitos and being situated on what seemed to be a giant ant hill, it was great! We made note of a few other sites we'd like to stay at and plan to return. We liked the privacy that the Wagon Wheel offered, compared to the Lakefront (parking lot camping is not our thing). There was plenty of path for us to ride our bikes so we spent most of our time riding. Next time, we plan to bring a bow and arrow so the littles can try some archery. All in all, it was a great visit and we are looking forward to our next one.

This is a very popular state park. It was busy over the weekend with families. Now it's the…read morechildfree camping time. Roads are reverting back to nature (lots of holes and ruts) in the section closest to the St. Clair River, but they are reasonably sized campsites. In the newer section of the park the roads are better, but the sites are smaller. And there are culverts between the sites, which right now are breeding mosquito pits. I'm surprised that there is still a shooting range here at the park, but if you don't mind that noise all weekend, it's not a big deal. I love watching the freighters go by all day long. Its mesmerizing. I think I will try for a river view next time.

I haven't been here since last year and briefly considered a little refresher visit as I was in the…read morearea just before sundown last week. Turns out construction had Clinton River road shut down in the area of this park and honestly it didn't seem like any great loss. I mostly wanted a return visit mainly cause this place wasn't all that memorable apart from the bugs being really bad. I've taken to rolling with bug spray in my ride and thought I had applied it pretty liberally but the mosquitoes were still just feasting on me. I posted some pics of here last year but never bothered to review it til now so you know, what does that tell you? The trails here go quite a long way actually but aren't delineated well at all so it's hard to tell if you're on a trail or not. I mean, the park is a long winding strip of land that basically just follows the river so the trails usually do the same but sometimes they just peter off or look like they branch off in one direction or another with neither looking adequate. Canal Park is a little respite from endless suburbia but if you can drive aways Dodge Park is much nicer with a similar Clinton River setting and less voracious insect life. I kind of envy the person who came here in February. They did say it was a pretty warm day for then so I don't imagine there was a pretty blanket of snow over everything but a winter hike here does sound somewhat appealing. No bugs then! Construction should be done by then, too. If I'm out here when snow makes it look like a winter wonderland I might just give Canal Park another shot.

This is a pretty decent park with trails and a lot of greenery. You have to be very careful though…read more When we went there was some mud issues where I was slipping a bit. Also, right off the pathway I saw tons of poison. If someone was walking towards us, we had to scoot to one side but I did not step i to any of the grassy areas because of all the poison. Another major issue was the tons and tons of mosquitos biting us all over and our dogs. If you do decide to walk through the trails, be sure to pack some spray with you. Another issue we had when we came was this young couple swimming and they had their dog with them. They did not put their dog on a leash. It ran and jumped out of the brush and tried to attack both of my dogs. The couple were too busy making out and didnt even try to grab the dog. Just be aware of your surroundings.

Easy access to Clinton river roadside park. Fishable on the river bank. Lots of car noise. Benches…read morein need of repair and clean up. Lots of poop. And strong smell of dog poop in many areas. Picnic tables and bbq's.

I can't say enough things about this park! It's a great place for the entire family. There's plenty…read moreof pavilions, baseball diamonds, pickle ball, splash pad, several playgrounds, a walking path etc. Theres a restroom area and grills. Great place for all kinds of parties. Across the street is Chrysler beach where you can swim or fish. There's a kayak launch and it's the perfect place to watch the freighters go by. There's also another play set for kids to play on. In the summer months there's a concession stand open, along with the restrooms. I utilize the bay to bridge bike path on a weekly basis for running. The St. Clair River is the perfect spot to watch the sunrise.

Opens at sunrise, closes promptly @ midnight. Steps head down to seawall at water's edge. A couple…read morepicnic tables. Great place to watch all the boat traffic pass by. Drive slowly or you'll miss the driveway in. This park is nestled in with the residential properties that line the shore.

Review #501 October…read more31, 2024 Welcome To The Neighborhood With Macomb's Newest Outdoor Addition called- Pitchford Park ! I finally stopped in this park nearby My home to walk around the sidewalk paths, take photos to help others see so they can visit and enjoy it too. It is located on 49699 Romeo Plank. a 1/4 mile North of 22 Mile Rd. The park was created on 1.4 acres of donated land from a previous resident. It has a unique fenced in area with a membership key entrance called Pitchford Dog Park. The history story of Pitchford Park was named after a family of long time and now deceased residents that generously donated the land in 2021 to use to create a park using their last name of Joe Kay and Pamela Pitchford. Their parents were Bill and Joyce along with brother Todd who loved nature and the community of Macomb Township. Since I drive a few times a week on Romeo Plank Road, it was interesting to watch the reconstruction of the land to create now a community park. There are plenty of parking spots throughout the different areas of activities too. My photos attached show the entrance, trees, shrubs, flowers, tennis and pickleball courts, playscape areas, picnic tables and restrooms too. The newest attraction is a Dog Park for residents and non-residents with a fee and key to enter to use the areas for dogs to run and play with each other or their owners. Coming soon will be a Butterfly Exhibit in the Spring of 2025. For more information and registration to the Pitchford Park call: (586) 992-2900 and ask for director Sal DiCaro x 2800. Dog Park Fee: Residents $40.00 Non-Residents $56.00 Seniors $25.00 Non-Resident Seniors $35.00 Your Dog must have a license first to apply. Rules of the Dog Park are on the sign posted at entrance, and my photo is attached with the information. Hours of the park are Sunday through Saturday Dusk to Dawn. I'm looking forward again to cruise up here to enjoy my walks for exercise plus watch for the areas of nature to enjoy. Sincerely, Karen N. :-) Resident of Macomb Township

Nice park when I went months ago some positives I noticed were the good quality materials of the…read moreplay place which reassures me that my kids are and will be safe to play on this in the future! This place makes any summer day exiting!