Townsend Park
With picnic areas and shelters spread among wooded hills along the Bear Creek valley, Townsend Park is a scenic and easy to reach destination for Grand Rapids area visitors.
The historic open shelter and enclosed shelterhouse are favorite locations for group events like retreats, graduation parties, family reunions and weddings. In the park’s north section, a hiking trail winds through a large pine plantation. The Cannon Township Trail also links to the park from the north, featuring a boardwalk over natural wetlands.
Address
8280 6 Mile Rd
Cannonsburg, MI 49317
Directions
Hours
May 1 – October 31
7am to Sunset
Off-Season Information
Picnics & Group Events
With eight picnic areas, an enclosed shelter house and an historic stone open shelter, Townsend Park offers a variety of options for your group events. The picnic areas each include a grill and sixteen tables seating up to 125 people.
Cannon Township Trail
The Cannon Trail is a paved multi-use trail extending from the Township Hall at Myers Lakes Ave and Belding Rd to Townsend Park. Extensions are planned at both ends of the trail, to bringing the trail into Cannonsburg and continue north toward Luton Park. Within Townsend Park, the trail includes a scenic boardwalk over wetlands at the northwest corner of the park. You can find more information about the trail including a map and future plans on the Cannon Township website.
Cross Country Skiing
The trails at Townsend Park are open to skiers and snowshoers in the winter. Townsend’s trails are ungroomed.
- Almost 1 mile of ungroomed trail in a single loop through a mature pine stand
- Parking on the north side of Six Mile Rd NE
- No restrooms available Nov - April
Fishing
Bear Creek runs through or along the border of Townsend Park for more than a mile, with easy access from numerous locations. The creek is a Michigan DNR designated Type 1 trout stream.
Hiking Trails
The northern 80 acre section of the park is mostly undeveloped and contains a hilly mix of mature pine stands with some wetlands, natural woods and open ground. A natural-surfaced hiking trail departs from the parking lot on 6 Mile Rd to explore the wooded hills, making a loop of about 9/10ths of a mile. Midway through the loop, a shortcut creates a shorter loop of about 2/3rds of a mile. The park map shows this trail in good detail. The natural-surfaced trails at Townsend are closed to bikes, equestrians and motorized uses.
Playgrounds
The park includes three separate playground structures that are conveniently located near the A, B and C picnic areas.
