I absolutely adore Heritage gardens, they do a fantastic job with the upkeep, very beautiful. It is…read moreadmittedly a smaller park, but none the less enjoyable, and leashed pet friendly. The main walking path is probably around 1/3 of a mile, so a quick walk; but there are a few trails that branch off, leading to a children's play area, courts, or nearby municipal buildings. There are many benches available to sit and enjoy the scenery, or watch the ducks; the lake has multiple fountains, and 3 different docks to enjoy. A stunning park for photo opportunities as well, and they hold a lot of community events, which is a big plus in my book. Definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance.

The best park ever. the lake is beautiful. such a lovely place for a stroll. very safe and a…read moreperfect spot to take pictures!

I thoroughly enjoyed my wanderings at River Bends Park, lots of options for your activities while…read morevisiting. I was on a limited time crunch today, so I stuck mostly to the main, paved trails (happily many sections of this path still ran through the woods); but there are hiking and/or biking trails branching off in many directions all throughout the property. Make sure to watch the trail signs, as some are for bikers only. River Bends is also a dog friendly park, note that they must remain on a maximum of a 6ft leash at all times. While I visited today with only my pupperoni, River Bends park is great for kids of all ages. There are a multitude of play areas for children, great to help wear out their energy. There is also a disc golf course that winds throughout the park, supplying players with beautiful nature views. You could also enjoy a BBQ on one of their charcoal grills, relax at a picnic table, or pavilions if you have a large group; nature watch on a nearby bench, our even try out a game of horseshoe. The park appeared well maintained, for the most part; although a few signs could use some repair. They have restroom facilities, and port-a-pottys available for use (although I did not enter them to speak of their cleanliness). You can find trash receptacles around every bend, so there's no excuse for lazy littering, and there is a main sign available showing you all of the trails and their difficulties. You can find this sign posted off to the side of the parking lot; which itself, had plenty of available spots. Definitely a favorite park to stop and enjoy, highly recommend.

When the weather gets nicer out river bends is the place to go for a good walk. There are trails…read moreand spots for good pictures too. The main trail leads you to this tunnel w graffiti. It's another cool spot for pictures and i go often. On top of the tunnel there are train tracks, I'm not sure where they lead to though.

This is such a beautiful park and I live about 6 miles away. They have annual passes and discounts…read morefor residents, seniors and military. In the summer they have concerts by the water every other Friday night from 7 to 9 PM. We came tonight for the concert and the fireworks. It's well controlled by the metro park police.

This is a great park, especially for hiking. If you have a mountain/dirt bike, they have a…read morechallenge for you! There are bathrooms near the trailhead. They were reasonably clean. There's adequate parking and a meetup area.

I've driven by this park quite a few times over the past year and always was impressed with how…read moreclean and cool looking it was. I finally had the time to stop in yesterday with my date and his kids to check the place out, and we both were pleasantly surprised with how much fun it was. For starters, the park is really well kept. Grass was cut, parking lot was clean and well maintained and all equipment was in good working order. After walking around for a bit, we both realized there was more to do then meets the eye from the road. There's plenty to do for both kids and adults. The one thing that drew my eye initially was the picture of the fire truck on the wall of the building they have right next to the parking lot. The park itself is named after a fire chief, thus, the fire truck theme going on here. They have tons of stuff to do here. They have a lovely covered pavilion with plenty of seating and well maintained picnic tables. They also have a play area for the kids, soccer fields, a horse shoe area, tennis courts and a sand volley ball area. They also had an area that appeared to be a Bocce Ball court, but no equipment to play the game. Also, there was a building with the fire truck painted on that I assume has bathrooms or a tribute area inside. I can't say for sure because the doors were locked and you couldn't see much through the doors. The only downfall to this park is no obvious place for bathrooms. I assume it's in the building but I cannot say for sure. I also saw a few adults walking with fishing poles and equipment. I guess you can go fishing around here as well. I believe there's hiking trails as well if your interested in that also. This park is a great addition to the community and everything about it was impressive. I am sure I will be back in the future!

The splash pad at Chief Gene Shepherd Park is beautiful. The park is beautiful and clean, updated,…read moreand filled with exciting water features for children. My family loves visiting the splash pad on hot days and I love taking them. This splash pad is perfect!

Really nice park in metro Detroit - there's something for everyone here. In the front, there's…read moreplenty of play structures/areas for kids of all ages. There's also a covered pavilion and lots of benches/picnic tables throughout. Dogs are allowed on leashes so you can include the whole family - even the fur baby. There is also a nice pond and water feature to walk around, and nature trails in the back. They have some fun lawn games to play near the pond too. One trail has a bridge that connects all the way to the green space on the other side of the Clinton River. My personal favorite is the pond with turtles that you can find lounging on logs on sunny days. There's even a kayak launch and other access points into the Clinton River. Tons of wildlife to view - we've seen plenty of deer, chipmunks, squirrels, turtles and cool birds. There is on-site paid parking (and free overflow across the street) but otherwise the park is free, which is really nice. I always see workers riding around in a golf cart emptying trash, making sure the park is clean. They even have bathrooms and a kona ice truck that I've seen on weekends. What more could you want?

Let's get this part out of the way - The park itself? Amazing. It is modern, has plenty of options,…read moreis well maintained, and has some great nature paths outside of the playground area. In an area that features many great playgrounds and parks to take your family to, Innovation Hills has always stood out. There is a lack of options for younger children though (no infant swings?). The three stars? One of the new features of this park is the addition of Park Mobile being introduced for the main parking lot. Signs everywhere reminding you that you better have paid your $1.50 an hour! There is of course a free dirt lot across the busy road for your convenience. Or a parking 'annual pass' you can purchase from the Rochester Hills website. Our society struggles with the concept of 'the third place'. Parks and playgrounds are a haven for families and a community builder outside of work and home. What in the world is the motivation behind suddenly charging for parking? 1 - The City of Rochester Hills wants to prioritize park access for its citizens? Charging for parking doesn't keep out non-residents and in fact just causes Rochester Hills citizens to pay more for something they are already paying for. 2 - The park is often extremely crowded so charging for parking may reduce visitor count? If this was the motivation I am confident this strategy is not working. 3 - We want to encourage more families to park in the dirt lot across the street and attempt to cross a highway? I have more faith in humanity than that. Oh, I think I got it! To quote Tim Robinson's sketch 'The Driving Crooner' - "I gotta figure out how to make money on this thing..it's simply TOO GOOD!"

It's a good little park if you're looking to get some fresh air and walk, play some baseball…read more(provided there isn't games going on), and/or let your little ones play at a playscape. As mentioned, there is baseball fields that are well maintained and a good size newer playscape. They have a covered pavilion with picnic tables and the bathroom was open to the public and it was clean. They have a basketball court and plenty of parking. Located right off 22 Mile, just East of Van Dyke freeway. You can park and walk over the catwalk, like I did with my kids. They waved at the traffic down below and even got passerby's to honk! Even a few big truckers! I remember doing that when I was a kid!

There's a little something for everyone here!…read more The playground is rated for 2-12 year olds, which is a huge range but helpful because I had a 2 year old with me today! I helped a friend get married here years ago and it was so special, intimate, and so easy! The fireplaces can really keep it warm during colder weather. The bees were bothersome today though, so that's as annoying. The trails are great! It's so peaceful despite being right next to M-59. Basketball courts, bike racks, bathrooms (I think they are locked in the winter though)

This park is especially awesome to me because of the pavilion with the fireplace I think it would…read morebe great on a fall night to make smores! I love that I've been on multiple occasions and it's never crowded, it has a river stream flowing through and basketball court and the skate park is next door. There are also bathrooms nearby and the park is always kept clean. I've attached a video of my experience!

Two nice additions have been added to the park..... A Little Library to take or leave a book and a…read morefood pantry to contribute to or take something you may need. They're both located in the front near the park map, restrooms and basketball courts. There's also a tree near the playground where you can paint a rock at home and set it around the tree. This park is bustling at times during soccer and baseball seasons. With 2 play areas, a couple of covered pavilions offering shelter and shade and indoor restrooms in the front of the park, this is a perfect spot for small gatherings. There are two large grassy areas near the baseball diamond and in the soccer field where you can fly kites, or run with your pet or play any other activity. This is a park the whole family can enjoy with plenty to see as far as plants and trees and animals such as squirrels and birds and rabbits and we've even seen a couple of ducks. When you're in the wooded area walking the path, you forget for a few moments that you're in the middle of the township because it's so peaceful. Come and enjoy whether you want to take a few moments for yourself or have some quality family time. Hope to see you there!

Very small park with two tiny trails. Was not enough for myself and my 4 yo on his bikeread more

After me and the wife asked around this place was recommended. The play ground area for kids wasn't…read morehuge but has what you need. They do have a big soccer field and very nice tennis courts. Also it is very clean and well maintained. Worth checking it out. It was a nice hidden gem.

My mother in law found out there was a nature preserve near my mom's house. We always drive past it…read moreand never noticed it because the sign is kinda small and the road is narrow and rocky. We pulled in and there wad a building on the right and one of the left. When we pulled to the left we saw two gentleman with trucks and spoke with them. They told us it is a 38 acre property but the trail is about a quarter mile. They also mentioned that the building we saw use to be an equestrian farm. We pulled to the side and parked on a rocky road. It was a little rough to push the wagon at first because of the big rocks. We walked along the trail and it was mostly covered by tons of trees. The path was mostly grassy and I didn't see any dirt or rocks. We saw a pond with a little shack on it. We also saw the back of the pond with tall grasses. It was very beautiful but it was a very quick walk. If you enjoy nature this is a spot to come to because it is very secluded and quiet. You could hear the birds and there was tons of wildflowers to look at as well.

August, 2020. This is a newly opened nature preserve in…read moreour area on 26 Mile, east of Card Rd. If you want a quiet, relaxing walk where you can enjoy the rustic beauty that nature has to offer, this is a nice place to do it. It's 38 acres of trees, a dirt walking path and lots of wildlife to seek out from birds, to insects to squirrels, deer and other animals. The trail isn't too long and it's a quick circular walk if you're short on time. Along the pathway, you'll also see wildflowers and a couple of ponds. There's not much to the ponds... they're just natural looking ponds. Also, look for the old rustic cabin that sits next to the pond while you're walking. It's worth a quick look and adds to the beauty of the area. Although this nature preserve sits in the middle of the township, when you're on the trail, you'd never know that because you can't hear the traffic. You can easily enjoy the solitude and peacefulness of your short journey around the loop. A couple of tips....There's a porta john on site 'just in case'. Also, wear walking shoes since it's a dirt trail, especially if the dirt is wet. There's plenty of parking, although I don't think you'll be searching for an available parking space since as of right now, there's not much to do here besides walk the short trail and take in the scenery. So if you want to feel close to nature in some quiet solitude, come visit our newest nature preserve in Macomb. Look for the wooden sign at the driveway entrance. I posted a picture of it. Don't blink or you'll miss where to turn in!