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Innovation Hills Park in Rochester Hills: Epic Playground

Innovation Hills Park in Rochester Hills, Michigan, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and modern amenities, making it a perfect destination for families and outdoor enthusiasts. With its extensive walking trails, innovative playground, and stunning evening lighting, Innovation Hills provides a captivating experience for visitors of all ages.

Innovation Hills Location and Hours

Located at 2800 West Hamlin Road, Innovation Hills Park is accessible daily from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. The park features a main parking lot, and additional parking is available across the street, with a crosswalk featuring flashing lights for safe access.

Trails and Scenery

The park features over 4 miles of trails, including a one-mile boardwalk that showcases glowing pavement and solar lighting at night. These paths, made of asphalt, crushed limestone, and dirt, wind through the 110-acre area, providing scenic views of the Clinton River, ponds, and waterfalls.

Boardwalk at Innovation Hills Park in Rochester Hills

Innovation Hills Playground Adventures

The three-acre, nature-themed playground at Innovation Hills is a haven for young explorers. It includes a multi-level treetop climber with slides, swings, and a new toddler play area. The playground also features a water play section, a climber, and an astro-turf hill suitable for sledding, ensuring hours of fun and physical activity.

Innovation Hills Climber

Park Amenities

Innovation Hills is equipped with modern, indoor public restrooms available during the spring through fall months. The park is pet-friendly, with a requirement that pets be kept on a 6-foot leash. For convenience, doggy bag stations and device charging stations are scattered throughout the park.

Innovation Hills  sledding hill
climbing structure at Innovation Hills

Sensory and Educational Experiences at Innovation Hills

The park hosts two sensory gardens; one maintained by local students and the other by professionals. Both gardens offer a sensory feast with beautiful, fragrant flowers that bloom in various seasons. For fishing enthusiasts, the park permits fishing following DNR regulations, though it is important to note that ice fishing is not allowed.

Innovation Hills Social and Leisure Activities

Visitors can enjoy picnics at the available tables or browse books in the Little Free Library. The park also supports geocaching, a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices.

Special Features and Rentals

Innovation Hills includes a Kayak Landing and offers Kayak Cart rentals by reservation from May to October, enhancing the recreational opportunities available. Additionally, the park features a Live Roof Shelter available for rental, ideal for gatherings and events.

Play and Learn at Innovation Hills

The playground’s extensive features, such as a giant tree play structure and several innovative play elements, cater to children’s developmental needs, promoting physical and imaginative play.

Toddler Play Structure at Innovation Hills

Innovation Hills Park in Rochester Hills not only serves as a splendid outdoor escape but also as an educational and recreational resource, promoting community engagement and environmental awareness among its visitors.

In addition to the boardwalk, visitors can enjoy over 4 miles of walking trails that include asphalt, crushed limestone and dirt walking paths. The paths wind through the 110-acre park. The paths provide access to Clinton river, ponds as well as waterfalls. [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”151″ gal_title=”Innovation Hills Park in Rochester Hills”]

Other Parks in Rochester Hills

  • Avon Nature Study Area is a 102.5-acre park that offers nature trails, wildlife viewing, a pond as well as a gazebo.
  • Avondale Park a park that features sports fields for rent together with a playground and picnic areas.
  • Bloomer Park is a 200-acre community park. The park features sports fields, picnic shelters, a velodrome, trials as well as a play area. There is a fee to use this park.
  • Earl E. Borden Park is a 143-acre sports park. This park hosts sports fields, batting cages, tennis courts, basketball courts together with a roller hockey rink.
  • Eugene S. Nowicki Park is a 340-acre undeveloped park.
  • Helen V. Allen Park features softball diamonds on it’s 4.5 acres.
  • Innovation Hills is currently under development. The park features a beautiful green space with lighted pathways together with fragrant gardens.
  • Museum at Van Hoosen Farm is located along Stony creek. The farm offers tours, special events day camps as well as weddings.
  • Thelma G Spencer Park is a 113-acre park. The community park has an entry fee and features a beautiful lake together with a beach area for swimming.
  • Veterans Memorial Pointe is a 5.1-acre park. The park features a granite monument, gazebo as well as a memorial pathway.
  • Wabash Park is a small neighborhood park. Offers a picnic area, community gardens together with a small playground.
  • Yates Park is located directly across from Yates Cider Mill. The park hosts several picnic tables as well as many fishing sites along the Clinton River.

Connect with Rochester Hills

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More Family Fun in Rochester Hills

Yates Cider Mill

This location offers freshly made cider, donuts, as well as many varieties of apples. Bakes goods, Frankenmuth fudge, fruit preserves and honey are also available.

The Big, Wooden Staircase: Bloomer Park

Over 200 steps down to explore nature at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills. Don’t miss this Big, Wooden Staircase.

Ice Ages Come and Go Cranbrook Science Museum in Bloomfield Hills

Innovation Hills Park

Innovation Hills Park in Rochester Hills just debuted their one-mile boardwalk trails in July of 2020. Enjoy a picnic, fishing, hiking, and the green space.

Bernadette Manaay
Author: Bernadette Manaay

Bernadette Manaay is a proud mom of two wonderful kids, Ianna and Bernard. She has been married to her husband, Ian, for almost 11 years. Bernadette is a Physical Therapist by profession in Metro Detroit. Her family loves to travel and go camping every summer and early fall. Her desire and passion to document her family's everyday life lead her to become a self-taught photographer. It is very fulfilling to a mom to capture and freeze as many moments as we can because time just flies so fast. See the special memories of her family on her Instagram account: @adetteskyph.

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