Accessible Trails & Facilities
Exploring Kent County Parks and Trails with Physical Limitations
Throughout our system of parks and trails, we strive for a high degree of accessibility so people with physical limitations can enjoy diverse outdoor experiences. These resources can help you plan a visit. If you have specific questions about certain parks or facilities, please call us at (616) 632-7275.
Connecting Sidewalks and Pathways
The parks listed in the guide have paved walkways connecting parking areas with available facilities like picnic shelters, playgrounds or restrooms. Generally, these walkways are fairly short, less than one-third of a mile. The walks in some, like Fallasburg and Dutton Shadyside Parks, offer scenic excursions without straying far from parking areas.
Short Routes from One-Third to One Mile
Most of our hard-surfaced trails are paved with asphalt, although some parks like Wahlfield and Millennium offer crushed lime trails for a more natural feel that is still stable and flat. In several parks you’ll find loop trails of less than a mile that take you out and back through forests and fields or around recreation areas.
Learn More About Paved Trails »
Park Trails & Networks Longer than One Mile
If you really want to get out and explore, we have three parks with paved trails more than a mile long. At Johnson Park, the old Scenic Drive has been closed to vehicle traffic and now offers a scenic and peaceful route through the forested uplands of the park. The Buck Creek Trail runs along the west edge of Palmer Park for about a mile. At Millennium Park, an extensive network of paved trails allows you to plan your own route and level of challenge.
Learn More About Paved Trails »
Brewer Park
Caledonia Lakeside Park
Chief Hazy Cloud Park
Coldwater River Park
Cooper Creek Park/Spencer Forest
Creekside Park
Douglas Walker Park
Dutton Shadyside Park
Dwight Lydell Park
Fallasburg Park
Fisk Knob
Gordon Park
Johnson Park
Kaufman Golf Course
Knapp Valley Forest
Lamoreaux (Donald J) Park
Lamoreaux Memorial Park
Lepard Reserve
Long Lake Park
Luton Park
Millennium Park
Myers Lake Park
Palmer Park
Pickerel Lake Park
Provin Trails
Rogue River Park
Ruehs Park
Seidman Park
Thornapple Riverbend Greenspace
Townsend Park
Wabasis Lake Park & Campground
Wahlfield Park
White Pine Park
Regional Trails
Here in West Michigan, we have a world-class network of paved Regional Trails. These are linear routes that can be followed in some cases for tens of miles. The Kent County Parks Department manages four of these regional trails, Kent Trails, the Fred Meijer M-6 Trail, the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail, and the Fred Meijer Pioneer Trail. In addition, as shown in the Guide to Accessible Facilities, many of our parks also serve as trailheads for regional trails, offering easy parking and/or restrooms.
Other Tips & Recommendations
Facilities are Limited in our Off Season
Most of our parks are officially open from May 1 through October 31. In November, we close the gates at many parks and drain our water lines to prevent freezing. In most cases accessible restrooms are not available in our off season
Millennium Park
Lots to Do
As you’ll see in the Guide to Accessible Trails and Facilities, Millennium Park offers a wide variety facilities and they’re all within easy reach of the main parking areas. Paved walkways connect the different locations and will even take you down to the edge of the beach. Boardwalks go out over the water for fishing opportunities and relatively short paved loops follow the edges of ponds and lakes. The longer paved trails within the park also connect to the main recreation area. Note that there is a fee to enter the beach area.
Pickerel Lake
Up North Feel
Pickerel Lake is an undeveloped 80 acre lake north of Cannonsburg. Also called the Fred Meijer Nature Preserve, the park mostly encompasses this lake as well as more than 200 acres of natural woods and fields. For the most part, the trails at Pickerel Lake are rustic, natural-surfaced paths which might be more of a challenge for people with physical limitations, but one of the most enticing features of the park is its 800 ft long floating boardwalk. This boardwalk is the gateway to the trail network and is immediately adjacent to the parking area. Once you’re out on the boardwalk, you’ll feel like you’re “up north” whether you’re fishing, taking pictures, or just watching for wildlife and enjoying the view.