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!"

Bloomer Park is an excellent place for hiking and mountain biking. It's has technical mountain bike…read moretrails as well as moderate and casual. These levels are the same for hiking, so you can get a great workout regardless of experience level. There are multiple wood staircases of varying lengths, so it's great for stair climbing exercise. I've been coming here on/off for several years and have never had a bad experience. I've gone to other state parks where I've gotten swarmed by a lot of bugs, but for whatever reason, not at Bloomer. It's also great that it's located next to downtown Rochester, so food and drink after a casual stroll is accessible. I highly recommend Bloomer Park for hiking and biking activities.

My family and I went to Bloomer Park for their recent, Fossils and Riverside Campfire event (cost…read morewas $10 per person). We had a great time. It was our first visit to this city park, and I was happy to see it was nicely maintained. We only stayed and hiked through a small section of the park, but it was very clean, bathrooms were available, there was a playground for kids, small grills in sections, bike repair areas could be found, and the trails had been recently upkept. The paths we followed were simple and good for families, although I would not recommend dragging a wagon or anything like that with you. There were easy to hike sections, as well as smaller, more off-road trails perfect for those that enjoy mountain biking. There was plenty of wildlife around to view, wooden bridges for crossing streams and marshy areas, and beautiful areas to relax near the Clinton River. It was honestly a great outing, and we'll definitely be back.

This place is SO fun and I can't believe I never knew it existed. It's definitely geared a bit…read moretowards kids in the beginning of the hike with a bunch of fun, interactive things set up near the parking lot, but this is a great little hike you can do with your friend and/or dog with a lot less traffic than Paint Creek Trail, which connects to Dinosaur Hill, or the Rochester Municipal Park, which is located right next door. A very short hike, clocking in at about 1 mile, with the nature preserve seemingly split in two by Paint Creek. It was fun and is a very quick hike with changes in scenery that keeps the hike interesting. Another great option in the Rochester/downtown Rochester area for all skill levels to take advantage of! :)

Nice place to take your dogs or your kids. The trails are well kept and connect to the Paint Creek…read moretrail. The trail map is posted at different locations which makes it very easy to know where you are and how to get to where you want to go.

Overall, the park is really nice and it looks like many of the amenities are great for others. In…read moreparticular, the outdoor hockey rinks are falling apart and it seems like nothing is being done about it. I've been coming here for years to skate and I don't expect people to get on their hands and knees scrubbing the boards and floor, but some damage needs to be addressed. -Seam covers for the bottom of the boards are falling off (pucks can go underneath) -Netting around the boards is falling off (pucks hit it and fall out) -random bumps and buckles on the floor (dangerous to skate on) -debris, garbage, animal poop on the floor A lot of the above would be solved if the floor wasn't open to the elements when the park is closed. Even a brief status-check of the rinks when the park opens and closes would be helpful.

I stopped in this park on my way home. You don't have to be Rochester Hills or Rochester resident…read more I always pass by this park on Hamlin Road on my way to and from Christian Memorial Cemetery and decided to stop, relax, walk a bit and take photos. All my photos show they have 2 outdoor roller rinks for hockey or for roller blading. Must read the two signs of rules and regulations. A few baseball diamonds. I'm sure they're active in the evening or on the weekends because there was real no activity here today. Soccer fields when soccer season is in. I took pictures of a picnic area and playscape for kids. Maybe for daycare groups or for families that stay at home with their kids to come and play. A few picnic tables to sit at and have lunch or snack. There are Restrooms attached by office, along with beverage vending machines. There's quite a bit of parking space. This is the park that displays fireworks in the month of June or before the 4th of July holiday. All in all there's a walkway going around through the park or sidewalk area with 2 entrances. It's worth a stop if you're in the area or driving back from Rochester and your resident of Shelby or Macomb making your way back home. If you ARE a resident ... you know this park and what I'm talking about! :)

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!

The pricing is reasonable, the different activities for all ages was plentiful! The facility was…read moregreat! My only issue was the front gate the locks was not working perfectly. If you loose track of a 3 year old they could push open the 1/2 door. Just freakishly concerned about child safety. We had 5 under 3 years old.

It's fun, but super dirty. Thick layers of dust EVERYWHERE. Staff is on their phone, never see them…read morecleaning. Desperately needs a deep cleaning. They don't have much for competition in the area, so there's zero incentive for them to make improvements. It's good enough for my toddler, but I always cringe about coming here. It is what it is. Our last visit there was an open tampon, bag of chips under the area where the kids climb. I told the employees but they were checked out on their phones. Don't blame them. The owners need to set a better example by getting their place in order. *edited to show that the employee cleaned up the tampon and dirty area. This place needs a PROFESSIONAL DEEP CLEANING. Ownership needs to open their wallet and take care of their facilities. This is not a cleaning job that employees who are there to manage operations can do, nor should they be expected to.

Still a ways to go with this park. Pretty scenery, the fountains are nice. But having been closed…read morefor so long I expected more. Lots of dirt and unfinished paths. Not really anything specific to do except walk, so don't come looking for a playground, disc golf, boating, or anything like that.

I went here on a whim and happened to go on the day they had the Apple Festival. A super cute…read morepark with several playgrounds for kids of all ages. I had a great time walking through it, and it seems ideal for jogging or bike riding. Wished it was closer to where I lived, but would be happy to go back someday.