South Rogue River Trail Construction

South Rogue River Trail construction (photo by Prein & Newhof Construction)

from Prein & Newhof Construction

Construction is moving ahead on Plainfield Charter Township’s (Kent County, Michigan) South Rogue River Trail. When complete, this new trail will provide a safe, scenic route connecting the White Pine Trail to the Northland Drive area, closing the Township’s first non-motorized loop alongside the Rockford Trail.

This milestone creates a continuous route that expands how residents can move through and experience the area. It also plays an important role in the larger Grand River Greenway pathway network across West Michigan, creating more opportunities to be active outside while enjoying the natural beauty of the Rogue River corridor.

Crews have been making steady progress this spring, including completing backfill at the bridge abutments, installing drainage systems, and advancing work on both the boardwalk and retaining walls. Next steps will shift toward preparing the trail base and setting the bridge on the abutments as the trail aims to open to the public later this spring! Congratulations to Plainfield Charter Township on the continued progress of this investment in outdoor recreation and connectivity. We’re grateful to be part of a project that will serve residents and visitors for years to come, and we appreciate the hard work of Dan's Excavating Service, Inc. and the entire project team helping bring it to life on site.

The South Rogue River Trail is the final pathway funded by the voter-approved Non-Motorized Pathways and Recreational Areas Millage, which expired earlier this year. Kent County will reimburse the Township for the pedestrian bridge once the project is complete.

See Plainfield Township


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Grand River Edges Connection

Grand River Edges connection concept (graphic from Grand River Network)

from Grand River Network

This project will close a major gap in the regional non-motorized Grand River Greenway trail system by linking Downtown Grand Rapids to Riverside Park and, by extension, the White Pine Trail State Park. It's length is about 0.75 mile.

This will be a new 12-ft wide multi-use trail on the east bank of the Grand River from Leonard St to Ann St, including safe at-grade street crossings, lighting, benches and signage.

Construction is set to begin spring 2026, and be completed by fall. The cost is $9.1 million, with funding coming from: City of Grand Rapids, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Transportation, American Rescue Plan Act (via Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) and Michigan Department of Natural Resources), and private partners

See trail site plan


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South Rogue River Trail

construction of the SRRT (photo from Plainfield Charter Township)

from MLive

Plainfield Township in Kent County, Michigan is working on a $2.2 million project. This is part of the connected trails which will go from Lake Michigan to the middle of the state named the Grand Ruver Greenway. This portion will be called the South Rogue River Trail (SRRT). “When everything is complete, you’ll have basically a continuous, 171-mile separated pedestrian trail starting in Grand Haven and going all the way to Owosso,” Ben Swayze said. Swayze is the Kent County Parks Director.

This two-mile segment runs along Rogue River Road from the White Pine Trail to the Rogue River/Kuttshill Drive intersection. A pedestrian bridge will cross the Rogue River. The bridge alone cost $880,000

Work began in mid 2025 and completion is expeced in May 2026.

Funds came from the township’s non-motorized trails and recreational areas millage fund, and Kent County will cover the cost of the bridge.

Described by the township in an October newsletter, the SRRT is “offering a safe and scenic route for walkers, runners and cyclists.”

See article at MLive


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Bass River Segment Idema Explorers Trail

Events Calendar

map of Phase II (map from Ottawa County)

compiled from various sources

The Idema Explorers Trail (IET) is part of the Grand River Greenway, a planned 85-mile, non-motorized, multi-use pathway that will connect public lands between Grand Haven in Ottawa County and Grand Rapids in Kent County, Michigan, following the Grand River Greenway. The trail is being constructed in phases along the south side of the Grand River. Once completed, it will link to Grand Rapids and the Kent County portion of the Grand River Greenway. Ottawa County will host 36.5 miles of the Greenway.

Phase I, a 3-mile segment from Riverside Park to the Max Bayou boat launch area, is scheduled to go out for bid in January, with construction anticipated to be complete by fall 2027.

The Idema Explorers Trail was named for the Bill and Bea Idema Foundation, which has provided significant funding for the project. Recently another $400,000 has come from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for Phase II. This phase includes construction of a 0.7-mile, 10-foot-wide, paved pedestrian and bicycle trail from the Max Bayou boat launch area to the Bass River Open Space – Walcott Site, a bridge over the Bass River, accessible fishing stations, a 0.5-mile natural-surface trail loop, and more. Phase II is located east of M-231 on the Grand River, beginning at Riverside Park.

“This segment is phase two of the 7.4-mile Bass River corridor, which will be built over several phases and has the potential to be one of the most scenic sections of the Idema Explorers Trail,” said Jason Shamblin, Parks Director. “It will connect five parks, feature extensive waterfront views, cross the Bass River, and be almost entirely separated from roadways.”



See more at Idema Explorers Trail


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85-Mile Grand River Greenway Project On Track

Events Calendar

Grand River Greenway in Grand Rapids (photo from the Grand River Network)

compiled from various sources

Three decades ago, leaders in Ottawa and Kent Counties, Michigan, envisioned a trail that would follow the Grand River from Lowell to Lake Michigan. The Grand is Michigan's longest river at 252 miles.

An overall vision for what this project could be, and long-range planning are bringing the concept closer to reality. The Grand River Greenway is not one single project. Multiple partners are working together to connect individual segments to create a continuous pathway.

Several segments are currently under construction or are recently completed.

The Bayou Segment of the Idema Explorer Trail in Grand Haven is open, including a 14-foot-wide, multi-use pedestrian bridge over Stearns Bayou. “This will complete a 13-mile-long route from the end of the Grand Haven pier to Riverside Park, connecting several Greenway parks together while also establishing the longest continuous section of the trail to date,” said Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission President Kelly Rice.

Work has continued on the Bass River Segment from Riverside Park in Robinson Township to the Bass River State Recreation Area in Allendale Township. This portion of the greenway is in progress and will be 7.4 miles long.

The Eastmanville Connector Segment continues another 3 miles to the east, and has been funded by the Natural Resources Trust Fund.

By the end of 2026 several portions and related projects are expected to be complete:
• New trail connections in Kent County from White Pine Trail State Park to downtown Ada
• New trail connections in Ottawa County to and through Bass River State Recreation Area
• Expanded year-round recreational amenities at Johnson Park
• Dam removal and habitat restoration in the Grand River to restore the rapids. Sea lamprey barriers will be installed
• New river access and public space in the Market Avenue corridor of downtown Grand Rapids

overview map of the Greenway (from the Grand River Greenway Framework for Vision and Action)

$150 million of work will be completed in 2026, funded by both public and private dollars, including American Rescue Act funds, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Natural Resources Trust Fund, and philanthropic donations.

The full Grand River Greenway project is expected to be completed by 2031.

See the Grand River Greenway Framework for Vison and Action, a pdf


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Grand Valley SU Hopes to Formalize Ravine Trails

existing ravines trails at GVSU (map from GVSU)

from a news article by Rapid Growth Media

For years, Grand Valley State University campus at Allendale, MI, has known that their many ravines leading down to the Grand River have been heavily used as informal trails. Now the university is looking into how to better use and manage those trails.

This shift in focus will be better for the environment, and also for trail users. Connections to the Grand River Greenway are highly possible.

The ravines are sandy, easily subject to erosion, and have never been studied as to what natural features might be of interest, or need preserving.

By inventorying the ecosystems and then designing trail placement, erosion could be minimized, and recreation enhanced.

Plans are proceeding slowly, on purpose. Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, led by Exucutive Direcotor Stacy Bare, and GVSU are seeking to communicate with the community. Bare says, "You don’t start with a map,” he says. “You start with understanding.”



See Friends of Grand Rapids Parks

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Kent Co Indian Mounds Drive- Plans and Survey

Indian Mounds Drive (photo from Kent County)

extracted from Kent County Input Survey explanation

Indian Mounds Drive is a four-mile section of one-way road which connects Millenium Park with the Kent County trail network. Along this road are the Grand River Burial Mounds, considered one of the most significant Indigenous burial mound sites in the Midwest.

The Grand River Greenway is a growing network of public parks, trails and natural areas linking West Michigan communities to the Grand River.

The road section floods regularly. The one-way traffic pattern is meant to keep recreational users (primarily bicycles) safe, but wrong-direction traffic is a continual problem.

Kent County Parks states: along with "local partners [we] are exploring ways to make the Indian Mounds Drive corridor safer, more welcoming and better connected for people walking, biking, fishing and enjoying nature while protecting its cultural and ecological significance. One of the ways [we] are doing this is through a feasibility study that includes community feedback.

"The primary goal of the feasibility study is to identify short-term and long-term needs and then develop a plan of action to accomplish community goals."

Fall of 2025 is the research phase of the study. As part of this study, the public is invited to participate in a survey. You do not need to be a Kent County resident, but the survey does ask your zipcode to sort responses.

Link to the survey on this page


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