Aman Park sits just 6 miles from downtown Grand Rapids, but once inside, it feels like the middle of a secluded forest.
The park is located on the northwest side of Grand Rapids off Lake Michigan Drive and is easy to miss if you're not looking for it.
The 331-acre nature preserve features miles of connected trails through dense woods — an area equal to around 250 football fields.
Hikers and nature enthusiasts will find diverse plants and wildlife throughout the park, including many species of trees and wildflowers. Wildflowers are especially bright and beautiful in the spring, with Virginia bluebells, white trillium, and trout lilies on full display.
Black squirrels — called Melanistic Eastern Grey Squirrels — also call the park home. They make up roughly half of the squirrel population in Michigan but are very rare in other states.
Sand Creek winds through the park, offering a cool spot to splash around on hot days or search for critters.
Grand Rapids neighbor Casey Greene visited Aman Park with her family to hike and play in Sand Creek.
"I think in particular it's just there's a lot of trails. We really like that it's not so big that you're going to get lost, but you can kind of let your kids wander and like you will find them again. So we do like that, and there's a lot of frogs, so we go frogging," Greene said.
A young visitor named Gael was spotted with a net that he planned to use to catch crawdads in Sand Creek.
"I peel up rocks and if I see one, then I wait for a bit, and then I grab the net," Gael said.
Visitors should bring plenty of bug spray for hiking and exploring. Trail lengths vary throughout the park, and the difficulty level is moderate — be prepared for a few steep hills and changes in elevation.
Trails are shown on a sign at the trailhead, with colored posts throughout the park marking the different routes.
Dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash.
Aman Park is open year-round. In addition to spring, summer, and fall recreation, the park is open during the winter for cross-country skiing.
If you want to know more about the high amount of wildlife diversity in Aman Park and some of its history, click here.
FAST FACTS:
Address: 0 -1859 Lake Michigan Dr, Grand Rapids, MI 49534
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Parking: free, but limited spaces (around 10)
Accessibility: Aman Park is not accessible.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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