Founders Sports Park
Rate this placeNearby: Greenmead Park Helman Park
Last Updated: December 5, 2025
Founders Sports Park is a popular recreational area located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Summary
The park spans over 140 acres and offers a variety of activities, making it an ideal spot for families, sports enthusiasts, and nature lovers.
Some of the reasons to visit Founders Sports Park include its extensive trail system, sports facilities, and picnic areas. The park boasts over six miles of trails for hiking, biking, and running, as well as 12 soccer fields, six baseball diamonds, and a disc golf course. Visitors can also enjoy the many playgrounds and picnic areas scattered throughout the park.
One of the highlights of the park is the lake, which offers fishing, kayaking, and paddle boating. In the winter, the lake is transformed into an ice rink for skating and hockey. Other popular activities include volleyball, basketball, and tennis.
Interesting facts about Founders Sports Park include the fact that it was built on a former landfill and was transformed into a beautiful recreational area through a community-driven effort. The park is also home to a variety of wildlife, including deer, foxes, and beavers.
The best time of year to visit Founders Sports Park depends on the activities you are interested in. Spring and summer are ideal for hiking, biking, and water activities, while fall is great for leaf-peeping and disc golf. In the winter, the park offers ice skating, hockey, and cross-country skiing.
Overall, Founders Sports Park is a must-visit destination for anyone looking for an active and scenic outdoor experience in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Park & Land Designation Reference
Large protected natural areas managed by the federal government to preserve significant landscapes, ecosystems, and cultural resources; recreation is allowed but conservation is the priority.
State Park
Public natural or recreational areas managed by a state government, typically smaller than national parks and focused on regional natural features, recreation, and education.
Local Park
Community-level parks managed by cities or counties, emphasizing recreation, playgrounds, sports, and green space close to populated areas.
Wilderness Area
The highest level of land protection in the U.S.; designated areas where nature is left essentially untouched, with no roads, structures, or motorized access permitted.
National Recreation Area
Areas set aside primarily for outdoor recreation (boating, hiking, fishing), often around reservoirs, rivers, or scenic landscapes; may allow more development.
National Conservation Area (BLM)
BLM-managed areas with special ecological, cultural, or scientific value; more protection than typical BLM land but less strict than Wilderness Areas.
State Forest
State-managed forests focused on habitat, watershed, recreation, and sustainable timber harvest.
National Forest
Federally managed lands focused on multiple use—recreation, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and resource extraction (like timber)—unlike the stricter protections of national parks.
Wilderness
A protected area set aside to conserve specific resources—such as wildlife, habitats, or scientific features—with regulations varying widely depending on the managing agency and purpose.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land
Vast federal lands managed for mixed use—recreation, grazing, mining, conservation—with fewer restrictions than national parks or forests.
Related References
Greenmead Park
Helman Park
Shiawassee Park
Robert E Mc Cann Park
Brookfarm Park