I loved it, the water was clear and refreshing, would highly recommend visiting this placeread more

Nice family park with beach. Clean the little beach is great for small children and adults. My…read morehusband and I both have mobility issues but this park lets us take the grandchildren out for adventures without losing sight of them like at larger parks or having to worry about trying to keep up with them constantly.

Oakwoods Metro Park is my favorite Metro Parks. Kensington Park tends to get alot of the love in…read morethe Metro Parks system. My case for Oakwoods is that it is less crowded and has a great nature center with a hawk and owl. Often I travel to the park to simply walk the trails going thru the forest listening to music. Usually get to see some deer in the back of the trails and at dusk many deep come out to dine. Also I have seen some wild turkeys too. For the horse riders inclined they have a horse trail, although I have never visited this section of the park. If your a biker/cyclist I highly recommend parking a Willow Metro Park and biking from Willow to Oakwoods and further down the DownRiver bike trail system.

Oakwoods Metro Park is the last in the chain of three - Lower Huron, Willow, and Oakwoods - that…read moreare connected by a 15mi paved, hike-bike trail (30mi round trip). I've ridden the Connector several times, but I've hiked it as well for conditioning, and enjoyment. There are 5mi of trails thru hardwoods, an ancient sandbar, and scenic overlooks along the Huron River. Of the three parks, Oakwoods is by far the best for hiking. The Connector paved hike-bike trail within the park is 3mi. The meadows you pass thru are impressive in their own right. There's also the new 11mi trail connector that runs thru Flat Rock all the way down to Lake Erie Metro Park. The trail head for the 11mi connector begins a 1/4mi west of the Nature Center parking lot. These connector trail segments are part of the Iron Belle Trail system. Oakwoods also has an excellent nature center, with a rescue Red-tail Hawk, and other exhibits. I recommend giving Oakwoods Metro Park a try.

Hickory Woods Park is on the east side of Crane Road, north of Textile and south of US-12 in…read morePittsfield Township. It's a relatively new park, only dedicated in the summer of 2012. Everything still looks very new and clean. There is a large building with restrooms. The drinking fountain out front has three levels, with shorter fountains for children and dogs. Nice touch, for those of us who forgot our dog dish & water on a hot day! There is a large pond, kiddie jungle gym, picnic tables & grills, and paved paths with wildflower plantings. About half of the park is a relatively treeless prairie. This is a very open park, so bring your sunscreen & wide brimmed hat on hot, sunny days. A lot of people walk over from their houses, but there is a large parking lot, so it would be great for a large group picnic on a sunny day. I don't remember seeing a picnic shelter, but maybe that's coming someday.

North Hydro is a fairly recent addition to Ypsilanti Township's Ford Lake Park System. The township…read morehas many, many parks, and most are nice, but the ones along Ford Lake are all especially pretty. There's just something about the lakeside setting that makes them a small cut above the rest. The area around North Hydro has been a major local fishing spot for ages. You'd see people fishing off the bridge that gives Bridge Road its name any time the weather was remotely nice. Now, North Hydro gives fishermen an official place to fish, and they can follow up by having a cold soda pop and a snack at one of the picnic tables afterward. The park has walking and biking paths as well. There is an attendant who will ask for a pass from May through September if you drive your car into the lot, but township residents can get the passes for free. You can also park outside the park (if you can find good parking nearby) and walk in, no pass required.

This is a smaller but enjoyable park right on the Huron River. A nice walking/biking trail that…read moreconnects to other bike lanes in the area. Nice informational placards all around describing the different natural features at the park.

Why haven't anyone reviewed this location?! I'm literally only the second person. Ok it might not…read morebig and have long trails but it's so peaceful; while I was there I saw many people fishing and boating. Definitely get an annual pass so you can visit other parks.... Please note some areas don't allow dogs. Happy Trailing!!!

The playground is nice and well kept. There's clean bathrooms right next to the playground. It's a…read morereally nice view to look at the water and there are nice bike paths and trails. I never really found any clear maps posted to and I wasn't given any maps to know what is around here or where 'd like to go. I didn't really see anything posted from the playground. I thought we could get to the water but we couldn't really figure it out. construction is being done on the wave. There's this. There's nobody here like no other kids on the playground. There were a couple bike riders and somebody walking their dog. But I would not drive 30 minutes here and pay $10 again. I would just go to our local playground instead. I want it mention it has a lot of potential. It has a place for food and they eventually plan on opening the wave and if they posted some maps for people to look at or maybe hand out some brochures or an interactive website... that might help improve things. Also, I don't need to go swimming but I would like to be able to get to the shore from the playground and I think I can. I just don't know the way.

I've been coming here since I was a little girl and it never fails to take my breath away. It's…read morecool, the breeze feels nice, and everyone is extremely friendly when walking the pathway. I really love how the water sparkles and watching the boats go by. It's also a good spot for dog walking and comes with convenient doggy bags and trash cans, if needed. Parking is free!

What a beautiful walkway! The views of the river, Canada, boats and jet skis on one side and…read morebeautiful buildings, playgrounds, murals, art, a pond and more on the other side were joyous. We did not notice restrooms along the way, but we understand they're there somewhere. I'd been here once before on a very Michigan January day with my son and the wind was too much for use to really enjoy the beautiful ice shards in the water. I came back this time on a beautiful day with my husband and again with my son and now his wife, too! We all enjoyed it, and my daughter-in-law loved taking pictures.

This is a garden / park tucked between businesses just north of Stephens on northbound Gratiot…read more Look for the arch! In the summer, it definitely has an Alice-in-Wonderland like quality. The decor is strange (the smiling tree...), but attractive. It's a hodge-podge of birdhouses, wall hangings, statues, and colored rocks that have been painted by Eastpointe school children. There's more than a few benches, and a good portion of the Children's Gardens is away from the road; this is a great place to get lost in a book rather than attempting to do so at a larger, more crowded place. Also, if you're anything like me, variety in places to read is a necessary thing. You certainly won't be bothered here!

Darling use of space! Nestled in-between office/retail space at 9 mile & Gratiot, this garden is…read morewelcoming for adults, as well as children. A meandering path leads you through seasonal plants & flowers, and small trees provide shade. Murals from local school children add whimsy. We love dining at Salvatore Scallopini's, then having a nice after-dinner stroll through this garden.

This park is a hidden gem! As a part-time photographer, I wish this place would have more exposure…read morebecause I kept seeing great photo locations. Maybe it is more known to local Ann Arbor residents, but I wish I had known about it sooner! I appreciated all the trails being clearly marked with signage and wooden paths. We went on a shorter trail and a longer one. The shorter one was just a loop and took maybe 5 minutes and the longer one we had to turn around because we were running low on time. I would definitely recommend coming here if you want to embrace fall season in Michigan. The paths take you through gorgeous trees, across bridges, and wind around different bodies of water. We also saw 2 deer right by the path. Amazing! It was quiet and peaceful and scenic through the whole park! I will definitely be begging my friends/clients to take photos here and also come back for long yap sessions with friends! I'm not a big outdoorsy person but this park made me want to be!

This is one of my favorite parks in Ann Arbor. I like to get here by biking down the connecting…read moretrail between Gallup Park and Parker Mill County Park. The path is paved, making it easy to navigate. The trail views are very scenic l. I love biking through the woods and seeing all the wildlife. There's a cool interactive water pump/art display kids and adults can hand pump water into and see the water flow down into the stream. There's a special trail called the Post Trail just for walkers (no jogging/biking and no dogs) that you can explore the woods with. There is a convenient parking lot and bathroom for visitors as well. Great park, will definitely be back!