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!"

Very cute. Lots of wetland to see without risk of getting lost. There were lots of birds to see! I…read morewish there was a pier to fish from.

An excellent Novi community park with well maintained facilities, which is a double-edged sword…read morebecause it is popular over the weekends. Thirteen miles of hiking/MTB trails. Two bikers for every hiker. It can get crowded if you aren't hiking alone with bike traffic. Surprisingly not too many bugs even though it rained the day before. TH at the very end of the parking lot. Numerous pavilions, fishing piers, playgrounds, and a small beach. I took a dip in the lake after hiking and it was refreshing, but the shoreline is small and the swimming area doesn't go much deeper than four feet. Water was clear, to the point where I could see a band aid in the sand. On another note, coming from Detroit you will run into construction on HWY 96 (Summer 22) as you near Kensington Park. I had minor delays at 9AM, but on my way back there were massive delays with only one operating lane. Check before you go.

This park has something for adults and children. It's always clean and well kept. My 5 y/o…read moregranddaughter had fun, but commented that the climbing structures were for kids younger than she....‍

Nice park where you can play sports as a team like cricket, baseball, soccer and tennis. The…read morejogging/biking path is open to the public for free. There is a skate park also. Lots of restrooms and parking. Pets are not allowed in the grass but I see pet lovers bring their dogs on a leash while walking. There's a children's playground. You can do sit ups, leg curl etc from the metal bars installed on certain location. Great place to have a picnic or bring food for a bbq party. May need to ask the admin for a permit. Will be back here for walkathon:-)

We have participated in a couple programs sponsored by West Bloomfield Parks & Recreation including…read morelunches and, last year, a Heroes Appreciation Lunch that included veterans and active duty that was held at the Orchard Mall with a buffet lunch and musical entertainment that was nicely done. This year with concerns over the virus and dealing with a more susceptible population of older veterans, They put together a setup for a carry-out bag lunch for veterans and spouses. We signed up and on November 6th we drove to the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation at the Civic Center and found it to be well marked as to where we should go. We first pulled up to check in, then drove to a stop at a tent where our lunches were handed to us, then slowly drove out past a crowd of people including police and fire with their flashing lighted vehicles cheering for us. We then proceeded to the exit and went home to have our lunches which were actually very good: Turkey Club Sandwich, Macaroni Salad, Bag of Chips, Slice of Apple Pie, and a Carton of Milk. They also included a goodie bag with various items. West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation does a great job supporting veterans and seniors and this is just one example of what they do.

Even though we never found the Heron rookery that was the reason we visited, we much enjoyed our…read morevisit, quietly walking along woodland trails lined with abundant woodland hyacinth, woodland anemone, and wild geranium. We managed to outpace a boyscout troop that may well have dampened our enjoyment. Very well kept trails.

Excellent beach with tons of park space and a dedicated dog beach! Came with our pup in early…read moreSeptember and it was still so warm and perfect! We loved the fact we could let our pup enjoy the water and beach along with us without getting nasty stares Parking is plentiful but there aren't any showers to rinse off, but we used the sinks in the bathrooms to rinse as best we could. Everything is very clean.

Dodge #4 State Park…read more Came here many times. No issues. Not too large. Simple. Hidden too. Great place for pictures, picnic, party, swim, etc. Highly Recommended

It's a nice walk along Lakeside road at the end of Harmon street, off of north old Woodward…read more It's too bad the path doesn't go around the whole circumference of this small lake. Only goes on the one side is all. There's a path on the side but it doesn't go around is all. The path is covered with small rocks, not so friendly to the thin sole flats. It's a chilly evening but a nice brisk walk tonight. There are some nice houses on the wall as well.

A beautiful, serene, and peaceful gem a stone's throw from the rat race. Lucky to live within…read morewalking distance.

Simply incredible, honestly one of the most peaceful trails in the area, if you're thinking about…read morevisiting, just do it

A nice trail you can ride in full in one trip. I did in in two, but on the first day I also pedaled…read morethe adjacent Clinton River Trail to its Pontiac terminus and on the second I also did a mile or two of the Michigan Air Line Trail til I got to one of its trailheads that just couldn't be on the end of the trail. So, yeah, a lot of these trails just kind of bleed into each other which is awesome for a big interconnected trail system where people can just cycle across the whole state but it can be tricky if you're sitting down to write a Yelp review and figure out where the arbitrary boundaries are. The WBT is crushed limestone which isn't buttery smooth like it's paved neighbor the Michigan Air Line Trail but it only offers moderately more resistance to a good mountain bike and Joni Mitchell won't be singing any songs about them ruining nature with it. You get two parks intersecting this trail. The West Bloomfield Nature Preserve is the larger and where I parked on both my trips here. It looks like there's some pretty good hiking, non-pedal-friendly trails there and I did walk a bit of one but the rigors of my bike ride that day kept me from getting too far. Like the Michigan Air Line Trail, it's another Yelp review for another day after I've racked up more experience. But it is an added bonus. The other park is some rinky dink city park with kids playground equipment but it does have a little shelter with a picnic table or two, perfect for a little snack, water, what have you break. There's also a couple tunnels, a couple lakes, or maybe ponds, it's pretty borderline there and a long photogenic boardwalk looking bridge near the west end of the trail. One downside of this trail is it criss-crosses Orchard Lake road again and again and traffic can be pretty heavy. There's a couple buttons on crossings giving us cyclists the awesome power of unleashing traffic signals to bring those multi-ton polluters to a grinding halt, but there's also a couple times they leave us to twist in the wind, fending for our fragile two-wheeled existence against the uncaring commuters. One is near not one but two curves in the winding road so it's a dicey proposition that can leave you waiting in frustration for moments that turn to minutes and more minutes. I could almost go four stars here but can't quite commit to it. I'll call WBT a 3.5 even if that's not a thing on Yelp.

I think this is one of the best hidden gems and I hope it stays that way... lol it has a lot of…read moredifferent trails to walk some take you through nature and some even take you to the lake if you can climb down a small set of dirt slopes. It's very much worth coming and checking out. I went here to hang out with a good buddy of mine and we spent time catching up and checking out the trails there were a few deer and some squirrels but the real draw here are the different trails and path ways which are fairly even despite a few protruding roots. There is also rest area which has a large cement structure to get outta the sun or chill at. Be careful to not pass up the entrance as the gps pointed an entrance about 80ft past where it actually was. If you're looking for a wonderful natural beauty place to hang out with great trails, lake views and benches then this is the hidden gem for you!