Oh my, I love this park! There was free yoga tonight, and it was bustling, a lovely spot to relax…read moreand enjoy a view of downtown Grand Rapids.

Decent view at one of the highest point in GR. It would be better if city trim some of the bushes…read moreoff at the edge to provide more opening to look at downtown. Not remove the plants, just trim the tops a little bit. I don't know if it is the same park but if you walk down to the end of the street, pass all the new built houses. You will arrive at another lookout.

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.

Waterfront Park ⁣ ⁣…read moreIf you know, you know. This park is one of our oh-so-favorites in the summertime, and it's a popular place on a Friday night. ⁣ ⁣ I absolutely love walking around downtown EGR, and one of my favorite places to walk is Waterfront Park. If you follow the path to water, there is a beautiful lookout of Reeds Lake. You can admire the sun shining on the water or you can have a seat and read a book! In the summer, I love to grab ice cream at Jersey Junction and walk to this lookout. ⁣ ⁣ It's a great place to take kids, as there is always plenty of fish, tadpoles, frogs, and turtles to see! It's a great area to walk and run! You can often find people fishing at the end of the dock too! ⁣

I found this when looking for something free to do. It's a really beautiful setting wrapped…read morearound Reeds Lake. You can walk all the way around the lake or venture into the adjoining Hodenpyl Woods. There are some nice floating boardwalks, wild flowers and birds.

Both lil ones and big kids have so much fun here. Heck throw in the parents too. Sometimes I see…read moredads playing on the hanging roundabout and moms going down slides! There's enough room to be socially distant from others and enough play spaces to keep kids entertained for a good chunk of time. There are plenty of parking spaces (unless there's an event then it could get limited). There are four basketball courts, one beach volleyball court, and three baseball fields. Plenty of grass for the fur babies to roll and roam, or you can keep it legal and follow the paved trail on a leash. Great park!

Super clean park, located off if east beltline and right next to the 63rd district court. They have…read morean infant/toddler section, as well as a section for older kids. Both play areas are well maintained and structures are very clean. There are also picnic pavilions and hiking trails, as well as tennis courts and basketball courts. I don't believe they have runs for dogs, but they are dog friendly!

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!

I LOVE this park. Safe and well kept trail. I love seeing dogs and strollers and so many people out…read moreusing the park. It feels like I'm in the forest when I go here. I sometimes walk and run here and it's always so relaxing being in the woods near the river. There are also benches for taking breaks along the path. Parking is easy and there is plenty of it. There is a building at the start of the trail and you can rent it out for events - I might do that sometime! Love love love going here

I have many memories of Spring Grove Park from my childhood- my church uses to have church picnics…read morehere frequently. We would eat then run around having epic water fights while our parents played softball. More recently I have been to this park for my own engagement and family photos, and also for a friend's wedding and reception, and a cousin's graduation open house. The park and clubhouse are rustic, but well-maintained, and the grounds are gorgeous. The club house is large (seats around 120 or so) and has a kitchen and restrooms. It has ceiling fans and a dehumidifier, but if it is a hot day, I would recommend bringing your own fans. The grounds are beautiful and there are many areas that are made for taking pictures. I hope to return to Spring Grove Park in the future.

Beautiful setting and plenty of picnic tables. Wonderful shade and a nice path down the road to get…read moresome steps in. Clean bathrooms, what more could you want from a park.

Recently went to Richmond Park for a birthday party in their picnic pavilion. I don't think I'd…read moreever been to this park before, and it's really nice. It's huge, with a big pond, two playgrounds, tennis courts, pool, basketball court, picnic tables, table tennis table, and more. I think people sled at this park in the winter, too! The pavilion was really nice, with attached bathrooms, a prep area, fridge, tables, and chairs. The space was a good size for the party of 30 people or so. The parking lot is a short walk from the pavilion. I liked the patio area overlooking the pond, and all the kids at the party loved the playgrounds! There was a grassy area outside where we set up cornhole. It's $45 per hour to rent the pavilion, with a minimum of 2 hours. Not bad! I'm so glad we got to experience this park and would definitely come back to relax and go for a walk!

I love this park. A great hill makes it's fun to explore and easy to get away from other people to…read morebe alone.

Great local park for a casual walk. There's tons of trails that lead you to an almost dried up…read morecreek, lots of wildlife, saw plenty of deer, chipmunks, squirrels. There's also a paved roads to drive to different areas of the park as it's huge. So many trees and will definitely look stunning in the fall as well. Lots of great backdrops for a photoshoot as well. Other amenities: golf course, kids playgrounds, large shelters for picnic, picnic tables, baseball stadium.

An underrated place to picnic and walk around. Giant trees, gorgeous leaves in the fall, ample…read morespace, and dog friendly. Really enjoyed coming here for the first time and will keep it in mind for future picnics. There's plenty of parking, too.

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

We've been living here in the area for almost two decades now and we finally decided to stop by…read moreVersluis Park. It's such a nice little lake beach that has a playground, trail, picnic tables and designated fishing areas. Definitely recommend if you live in the area and want a water view for these nice summer afternoons with the family.