Reeds Lake a small lake in East Grand Rapids with a marina and a public park with a trail that…read moreleads to one of the city's top restaurants, Rose's. If you're a runner, it's a beautiful 4-mile loop around the entire lake. If you're a shopper, stroll over to Gaslight Village lined with boutiques and restaurants.

Another dog-friendly area in GR is Reeds Lake! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣…read moreReeds lake is dog-friendly area with beautiful walking trails and spots to soak in all the fresh air with your furry friend. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ It's been great seeing so many people get out and go on walks again now that the weather is getting warmer! Don't forget to soak in all that beautiful & free Vitamin D that comes from the sun. ⁣It's the mood-boosting power of the sunshine for me. ‍⁣ ⁣⁣ Does anyone else get a sense of overwhelming peace while walking these trails? ‍ Next time life feels a little too chaotic and crazy, take a few deep breaths and maybe check out the trail by Reeds Lake. ⁣⁣

We've been living here in the area for almost two decades now and we finally decided to stop by…read moreVersluis Park. It's such a nice little lake beach that has a playground, trail, picnic tables and designated fishing areas. Definitely recommend if you live in the area and want a water view for these nice summer afternoons with the family.

I love walking at Millennium Park. I have been exercising here for many years. There are miles and…read moremiles of paths to explore. I enjoy mixing up my different routes to go different distances. There are several small lakes, one of which has a beach and other activities such as paddle boats. There are two different entrances to the park, which helps spread visitors out on really busy days like weekends. On the Secchia Meadows side, there is a nice pavillon where my friends had their wedding. I highly recommend Millennium Park for anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors, spotting creatures such as deer, turtles, muskrats, eagles, and more.

I've got lots of thoughts running through my head, simultaneously, all the time. So when I stepped…read moreup to the check-in counter at Millennium Park Boat Rentals, the thoughts in my head were: Wow! It only costs $8 per hour to rent a kayak? Sweet! Wow! These people checking me in and telling me safety information are incredibly young! Will they be able to save me and my family if our kayaks flip over and we fall into the lake? Wow! What a beautiful day! But I wonder how often people fall into the lake. I also wonder how deep the lake is. I also wonder if it's possible to be trapped underwater if your kayak flips over. In the end, I decided to kick it on the sandy beach and wave at my family as they happily paddled on the lake. They had a great time kayaking. I had a great time not kayaking. Like Hot Chocolate says: Everyone's a winner, baby. Kayaks are either single-person or double, and we used one of each. There are very few instructions given, which was a little alarming to me. (You mean you just assume we know what we're doing?!) But fortunately, my family knew what they were doing, so they didn't need much instruction to get themselves out on the water. As you paddle around the lake, you pass the Millennium Park beach and splash pad, plus little islands here and there. There is about four miles of shoreline to explore. I was told that the lake was nice and calm, and that it was a pleasant time on the water. We rented kayaks, but Millennium Park Boat Rentals also offers canoes, paddle boats and stand-up paddle boards to rent. Keep in mind that rentals are seasonal -- this place is only open from Memorial Day-ish to Labor Day-ish.

This place was not very good when I was growing up in the 90s, now the lawns are all manicured and…read morethe trail is very nice. It's great to see so many people taking their health seriously by jogging, walking, or biking on the trail. There are playgrounds for children and several different fields for various sports like baseball and soccer.

If you are looking for a conveniently located park walking distance from downtown, I would…read morerecommend Riverside Park. This is a nice little park to walk around. They have a play gym where little kids can play around. There are little ponds that surround the paved pathway where geese and ducks flock around. The pavement was nice - no complaints! There were also cute cute bridges you would walk over. I went on a Thursday early afternoon in the winter and there weren't many people walk around it. There are many trees outlining alongside the paved pathway, so I can only imagine how beautiful this park is during early fall and spring! I enjoyed the river alongside the pathway as well. Cute park to take your kids and of dogs, go running, or just for a nice walk!

This is a wonderful forested trail that includes a boardwalk over a smallish lake. It's fairly…read moreshort & all level so is perfect for smaller children and adults needing accessibility. There is a good variety of fauna to try to identify, & lots of color in fall. We went mid October on a beautiful fall day & couldn't even get a parking place in spite of ample capacity. But usually there is plenty of space. It's a pretty drive there which makes you forget it's close to large urban area. Very rejuvenating.

Nice small rolling hills park for 3-5 mile hikes, snowshoeing, or ungroomed cross country skiing…read more No dogs allowed. Unfortunately the gate that forces people to go clockwise is broken so you see people as it is a busy place.

The aptly named Fish Ladder Park has a beautiful view of downtown. When I visited I didn't see any…read morefish using the ladder, but I did see some people fishing. I don't if they had any luck. The park is small with a small parking lot. It's a nice place to relax and enjoy the city and river view.

Nothing quite like watching the salmon jump up the fish ladder. If you're in the area during…read morespawning season, this is a must stop. It isn't the best area of GR, but during peak season it's filled with families just like yours hoping to see the salmon, and a handful of fisherman. We had no issues! PD was also frequenting the area, their presence alone kept things pretty square. 10/10 recommend stopping by, and enjoying the view and fish in the fall!

What a great park…read more Clean, easy access and nicely space out. Amenities include rest rooms, three shelters, playground, BBQ grills, volley ball courts, soccer field, horseshoe pits, a small board walk and fishing area. I went here to drop in on one of the free summer concert series events and they were raffling out prizes including local restaurant meals and a few bikes for kids!

This is a great park with a really nice beach and swimming area. There are two playgrounds, picnic…read moreshelters, and clean restrooms. We went with some friends recently to check out the beach and I was surprised at how nice it was. The beach is not huge, but it's a good sandy area and the water is pretty shallow for quite a ways, so it's great for kids and the water was quite warm. The bathrooms were clean and conveniently located for the beach. The parking area is a little small, not sure what you'd do if it was really busy. We saw people in kayaks out on the lake and fishing is allowed. There were employees riding around in a golf cart keeping an eye on things but there is no lifeguard at the beach. We don't live super close to this park but when we visit our friends we will definitely be back.

Small park, the pond is more of a duck pond than a fishing pond but there are fish in it. Disc golf…read morecourse...sand volleyballa and picnic area. Overall not a bad city park.