I would say Provin Trails is one of my favorite trails in Grand Rapids. Some people might find it…read morestrange that I say that, but let me explain! Provin Trails isn't the biggest trail/park out here. It's not even the most glamorous. But to me, it's one of the most interesting. There are 3-4 different routes you can take, and some are of course more challenging. There are some trails that can be quite steep, and others that are actually more sandy! There is a section in the middle of the trail where you can see some mini sand dunes. I was really not expected that, so it was really cool to see them. There were a good number of people walking their dogs here, so maybe something to note as a dog owner. I would come back here!

It's a go hiking in the greater Grand Rapids area. One loop around the perimeter is just under 1…read moremile and it's guaranteed to get your heart rate up. After living in Arizona and hiking the mountains of Arizona for a few years this was a good Michigan comparison. For clarity I'm not calling us a mountain

I spotted a bald eagle hiking along the Grand River while enjoying the Grand Ravines the other day!…read more This is a large park that has a dog park on the south side that is fenced in and well utilized. If hiking, the path has a paved loop, but you will need to cross a suspension bridge. There are also off the beaten trails that take you into the ravines and over 100+ stairs down to the river bed. It looks like they've connected Grand River Park to Grand Ravines and Ottawa county will eventually connect all the parks to make a path all the way to Lake Michigan. That is very exciting! You can easily run or walk whatever you're training for here, and the varied topography of woods, fields, ravines, and rivers makes for a scenic and interesting time. Enjoy!

What a great local park! Many miles of trails through fields and wooded areas. We love to take…read moreour dog here for walks. There is also a dog park and bigger off-leash areas where you can let your pup run free. They have onsite parking as well.

I love walking at Millennium Park. I have been exercising here for many years. There are miles and…read moremiles of paths to explore. I enjoy mixing up my different routes to go different distances. There are several small lakes, one of which has a beach and other activities such as paddle boats. There are two different entrances to the park, which helps spread visitors out on really busy days like weekends. On the Secchia Meadows side, there is a nice pavillon where my friends had their wedding. I highly recommend Millennium Park for anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors, spotting creatures such as deer, turtles, muskrats, eagles, and more.

I've got lots of thoughts running through my head, simultaneously, all the time. So when I stepped…read moreup to the check-in counter at Millennium Park Boat Rentals, the thoughts in my head were: Wow! It only costs $8 per hour to rent a kayak? Sweet! Wow! These people checking me in and telling me safety information are incredibly young! Will they be able to save me and my family if our kayaks flip over and we fall into the lake? Wow! What a beautiful day! But I wonder how often people fall into the lake. I also wonder how deep the lake is. I also wonder if it's possible to be trapped underwater if your kayak flips over. In the end, I decided to kick it on the sandy beach and wave at my family as they happily paddled on the lake. They had a great time kayaking. I had a great time not kayaking. Like Hot Chocolate says: Everyone's a winner, baby. Kayaks are either single-person or double, and we used one of each. There are very few instructions given, which was a little alarming to me. (You mean you just assume we know what we're doing?!) But fortunately, my family knew what they were doing, so they didn't need much instruction to get themselves out on the water. As you paddle around the lake, you pass the Millennium Park beach and splash pad, plus little islands here and there. There is about four miles of shoreline to explore. I was told that the lake was nice and calm, and that it was a pleasant time on the water. We rented kayaks, but Millennium Park Boat Rentals also offers canoes, paddle boats and stand-up paddle boards to rent. Keep in mind that rentals are seasonal -- this place is only open from Memorial Day-ish to Labor Day-ish.

Nice small rolling hills park for 3-5 mile hikes, snowshoeing, or ungroomed cross country skiing…read more No dogs allowed. Unfortunately the gate that forces people to go clockwise is broken so you see people as it is a busy place.

This is a wonderful forested trail that includes a boardwalk over a smallish lake. It's fairly…read moreshort & all level so is perfect for smaller children and adults needing accessibility. There is a good variety of fauna to try to identify, & lots of color in fall. We went mid October on a beautiful fall day & couldn't even get a parking place in spite of ample capacity. But usually there is plenty of space. It's a pretty drive there which makes you forget it's close to large urban area. Very rejuvenating.

Prairie Wolf Park is one of my favorite trails to walk (it's also only a three minute drive from my…read morehouse which is great!). There's a ton of open fields for running, walking, and for your little doggos to roam free as well! One of my favorite things about this trail is the huge field of wild flowers, plants, and apple trees. There's also a few benches scattered all over around the trail as well as small picnic tables too if you need a quick break or wanted to have a picnic with friends and family. My favorite time of the year to walk the trail is during the autumn or summer season when the pretty leaves and wildflowers cover the trails!

We LOVE Prairie Wolf!!! So close to home & easy trails for our pup to walk on. Paved, grass, &…read morewooded trails. We love it & so does our pup!!

This is one of our absolute favorite parks. There are at least three separate playgrounds, one…read morebeautiful stream, several meeting spaces and a beautiful hiking area. This place has it all. We only used one playground and the stream this time as we had friends in from out of town, but we've been all over this park in the past, and we will surely be back!

This is a great park for walks/hikes and taking the kids. There are multiple playground areas, wide…read moreopen spaces, small hills, picnic tables, a creek...a lot to explore with the family. We've come here several times in all seasons. There are public bathrooms in the "clubhouse" (may or may not be open due to covid restrictions)

What a really nice nature center. Four miles of beautiful hiking trails and it doubles as a kind…read moreof sanctuary for wounded animals. I saw more owls then I have in my entire life. They also have a school for kids that seems to be rich in programming. Three bucks to get in and the staff was very helpful. Only thing that would help would maybe more signage around trees. But that's pretty minor. A total gem!

We came on Saturday at 11:00 in the morning. This is a Michigan must do! Going in, we purchased our…read moretickets ($3 per person) and got to visit with some of the animals they are rehabilitating/giving a better life. Our hearts go out to the animals in their center and the struggle they went through, and we are glad to see them living their best lives now in peace and safety. We walked and hiked around-there was so much to see! You will need some good shoes to walk in, but the hike/walk was not a challenging one. We enjoyed our time in nature and exploring the area. We wished we could have stayed longer than 2 hours. Don't forget to visit their gift shop and make them a generous donation. Their merchandise is wonderful and there is something for everybody. We would have happily paid more for admission-the money goes to such a great cause. We WILL be coming back to this.

Very nice, calming afternoon trail to walk. Has a couple options for trail routes, all around one…read moremile long. Big steep hills and rooty paths some spots. Fun, and nice park.

Everyone is flocking to the more well-known parks during the government mandated stay at home…read moreorder, as we can still leave our homes to go outside and hike, exercise, bike, walk, etc. However, it's not always easy to maintain social distance at a packed park! The City of Grand Rapids is recommending you try another park if the parking lot is half full or more in order to safely social distance. My boyfriend and I checked out Aman Park the other night right before sunset as the park closes at sundown. There are a few separate parking areas leading into the park, but the one closest to the yellow gate is the closest to the trailhead. There are several different loops, but we chose the shortest one as we didn't want to be wandering around in an unknown area after dark. The whole area is wooded and I felt very secluded in nature, which was nice. We only saw one other family walking around the trails while we were there, making social distancing easy. The terrain was pretty flat and easy for me to walk. The trails are marked which makes it nice to navigate. I would highly recommend checking out this park if you'd like to be in nature while maintaining social distance.