Manhattan Park
Park
42 acres3.4 mi of trail
HazelRamonaMajor WatsonRamona 2+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: WMrapids · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in East Grand Rapids
East Grand Rapids has 5.5 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Manhattan Park (3.4 mi), Hodenpyl Woods (0.5 mi). 8% of East Grand Rapids’ land is conserved, about 145 acres. 84% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #162 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
145 acres · of 2.9 sq mi of land
Trails
5.5 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
149 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
3.5 mi lanes · 1.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is East Grand Rapids?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does East Grand Rapids have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Grand Rapids is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #162 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of East Grand Rapids’ overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MI town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MI 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (149 acres) · MI 33 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home84% of residents within a half mile of a park · MI 50% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 77%
Water is 14% of East Grand Rapids’ area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Manhattan Park, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hodenpyl Woods
Park
33 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Remington Park
Park
27 acres0.4 mi of trail
Reeds Lake Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Manhattan Park42 acres · 3.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHodenpyl Woods33 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Remington Park27 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWaterfront Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGriffiths Park4 acres
John Collins Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
145 conserved acres
8% of East Grand Rapids’ land. Water is left out: East Grand Rapids has 2.9 square miles of land and 0.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages East Grand Rapids’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city144 ac
Other state land1 ac
Local Park · 96 acLocal Conservation Area · 45 acLocal Recreation Area · 3 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Hodenpyl Woods Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Remington Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Waterfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Steketee Woods Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Griffiths Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Canepa Tennis Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| John Collins Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| San Lu Rae Triangle Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Schroeder Property Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in East Grand Rapids
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in East Grand Rapids
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in East Grand Rapids
Canoe and Kayak Launch
DirectionsJohn Collins Park Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in East Grand Rapids
5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Hazel1.7 mi
Ramona0.4 mi
Hall Street trail0.3 mi
Major Watson0.2 mi
Ramona 20.2 mi
Reeds Lake Trail0.1 mi
Hazel-Ramona Connector0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.1 mi
off-road bike paths
6.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
manhattanBike route
2.3 miCourts & fields
22Tennis
8Baseball
4Beach volleyball
2Football
1Soccer
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
John W. Blodgett EstateBuilding · listed 1983
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in East Grand Rapids: June to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in East Grand Rapids →
Next door
East Grand Rapids and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Grand Rapids | 8% | 1.9 | 13 | 84% | A− |
| Grand Rapids | 6% | 1.0 | 10 | 89% | A− |
| Grand Rapids Township | 7% | 1.5 | 30 | 50% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Grand Rapids
Where can I hike in East Grand Rapids?
The longest trail networks: Manhattan Park, 3.4 miles; Hodenpyl Woods, 0.5 miles; Remington Park, 0.4 miles; Waterfront Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East Grand Rapids is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 5% for a Michigan town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on East Grand Rapids’ trails?
Manhattan Park and Hodenpyl Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in East Grand Rapids?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of painted or protected lanes, 1.1 of off-road paths and 6.7 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: manhattan.
Is there public land near East Grand Rapids?
13,503 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Grand Rapids or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 149 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does East Grand Rapids have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #162 of 701 in Michigan. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from East Grand Rapids neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →