Originally called Grand River Park, Chief Hazy Cloud Park in Ada joined the Kent County Parks family in 1927. When the park opened, it was only 1.45 acres, but offered access to the river which made it a popular spot in its early years.
Chief Hazy Cloud Park has expanded three more times since 1927, with the most recent addition in 2008, and now the park is looking to expand again. The first phase of the multi-year, four-phase project would add an additional 145 acres to the park’s current 122-acre footprint, making it one of the largest parks in our system. The following three phases involve developing the park for recreational use by adding trails and boardwalks through the natural areas and additional parking as well as restrooms and picnic facilities.
Land survey data from 1800 to 1992 shows that the land in Chief Hazy Cloud and the proposed addition have been left in their natural state. By making this land part of the park, we will protect native plant and animal species as well as provide an opportunity to share our unique riverbank environment with future generations.
If you would like to experience the Grand River and proposed addition to Chief Hazy Cloud, come along with our executive director, Kate Meyer, on a kayak tour this October. Each tour is limited to 7 kayakers, and RSVP with Kate is required. If you’re interested in one of the tours, please contact Kate at kate.meyer@kentcountyparksfoundation.org. More information about the tours can be found on our events page.
Did you know parks and greenspaces near and on riverbanks can help protect us from extreme flooding? By leaving the area around streams and rivers vegetated, we provide a place for stormwater and snowmelt to seep into the ground and be taken up by plants instead of piped through drainage systems right into the river. This greatly reduces the rate at which water is added to the river, which means the water levels won’t rise as quickly, causing it to flood less often and less severely. The proposed addition to Chief Hazy Cloud would provide an additional mile of river frontage to the park.
If you would like to donate to Project Chief Hazy Cloud, check out our Donate page or contact Kate Meyer for more information