A primary focus of Ottawa County Parks has been the Grand River Greenway Initiative. Over 2,400 acres of land has been preserved and 13 parks and open spaces have been created along the Grand River Greenway. 

Ottawa County Parks proposes to invest in additional land (including land for the Bend Area) and the construction of 27 miles of new, multi-modal pathway connecting Grand Rapids to Grand Haven.

This investment will create recreational, educational, conservation, and historic attractions by protecting some the highest quality land remaining along the river. It will connect the greenway properties to each other and complete the most critical remaining unfinished link in the regional pathway system – the Grand River Explorers Trail.