WALKER, Mich. — One of the largest urban parks in America, Kent County's Millennium Park, offers a variety of activities for visitors of all ages.
Nestled in a quiet area of forest just minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, the park contains almost 18 miles of trails, including around 6 miles along the Grand River. The trails are popular for biking, running, walking, and wildlife watching.
The total area of the park is around 1400 acres, or more a thousand football fields! The park extends into portions of Grand Rapids, Walker, Grandville and Wyoming. The vast network of trails within Millennium Park offers visitors access from each corner of the park
Dogs are welcome, so pets can get their exercise too.
The "Kids' City" playground area features three huge play structures for children of varying ages and abilities.
Walker neighbor Shannon Leikert said she and her family enjoy coming to Millennium Park in the summer for the playground and the beach.
"Me and a couple of other moms, we have some kids of different ages. What's great about this park is there's some big structures, small ones, great different variety for different age kids and abilities," Shannon said.
"The big kids, they love climbing up to the really tall structures. The slides are actually really fast, so they love doing those," Shannon said.
The park also features a six acre beach and splash pad for kids, offering a lakeshore experience without the drive.
The splash pad and beach area allow younger children to enjoy the water safely.
"They can kind of wade in and out, and splash around without being of a swimming ability. So that's kind of nice for the little ones," Shannon said.
Visitors can cool down in the marked swimming area of the 100-acre lake or relax on the sandy shore. Kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and paddle boats are available for rent at the DeVos Family Boathouse.
The water areas are open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and require a separate entrance fee. Click here for beach and splash pad ticket purchase information.
Millennium Park also features basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, picnic shelters, and fishing piers—there's something for everyone!
Large picnic shelters require a fee and permit to reserve, but the smaller shelters are available for free on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Fishing is allowed in all of the lakes in Millennium Park, but check the signs for restricted areas near the beach.
While summer is the primary season for activities at Millennium Park, select trails are open during the winter for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and "fat tire" biking.
FAST FACTS:
Address: 1415 Maynard Ave. SW, Walker, MI 49534
Hours: 7 a.m. to sunset May 1 through October 31
Parking: Free parking lot with access to trails, fishing decks, Kids' City and picnic shelters
Accessibility: Flat, paved parking lot, fishing piers and decks. Most trails are paved, but a few are unpaved.
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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