Have You Heard Of The 36-Mile Trail Connecting Grand Rapids To Grand Haven?

Exploring the outdoors is an essential part of human nature, and when you live in Michigan, there is a lot to see. From major cities to parkways, from coastlines to hidden gems, West Michigan is a special place

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.But did you know there has been a project in the works for nearly 40 years that has slowly been aiming to connect two of West Michigan's largest cities with one continuous trail?

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The 36.5-mile Ideam Explorers Trail (also called the Greenway Trail) connecting Grand Haven to Grand Rapids has slowly been a dream becoming a reality, and it's finally close to reaching the finish line.

What Is The Grand River Greenway?

Started way back in 1987, the Ottawa County Parks have been slowly but surely acquiring over 2,700 acres of land along the Grand River (Michigan's longest river) between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven to construct one continuous trail through West Michigan. This project doubles as a conservation effort to protect the land around the Grand River.

Two Ways To Explore

Considering this project is based on the Grand River, the beauty of this project is that you can utilize the trail on both land and water. You can view the different river access points here.

Currently the trail sections are in various points of completion or planning (which you can view in more detail here), however these are the current statuses of each segment:

Jenison Mill Segment (4.5 miles): COMPLETE

Georgetown Segment (2 miles): COMPLETE

Bend Area Segment (3.4 miles) Acqusition Phase

Bill Idema Moraine Nature Segment (1.7 miles): Nearing Completion

Versluis GVSU Campus Segment (2.2 miles): Complete

Allendale Segment (3.5 miles): Planning Phase

Bea Aldrink Eastmanville Legacy Segment (2.2 miles): Engineering Phase

Bass River Segment (7.4 miles): Planning Phase

Odawa Segment (3.5 miles): Complete

Bayou Segment (4.1 miles): Engineering Phase

Grand Segment (4.2 miles): Planning Phase

Boardwalk Segment (1.3 Miles): Complete

Spoonville Trail (4.3 miles)

The project has received support in multiple forms, from studies and millages during voting seasons. Obviously a project of this magnitude has lots of moving parts and requires support of all kinds, hence why it has taken nearly forty years to accomplish.

READ MORE: Three Easy Walking Trails To Visit In Grand Rapids |

The project hit its funding goal in 2021, helping offset the cost of the $41 million project. This money has gone towards opening 13 parks and creating spaces along the greenway. With the amount of construction happening downtown and how fast Grand Rapids has been growing on a national level, the parks are hoping to have this project done soon.

This project is still a ways out but it is a project that is very much in motion, and once it is complete, will be a landmark for the entire state. How this trail will be utilized in the future is very exciting to think about.