Willow Metropark
Opened June, 1970.
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Stretching across 1,531 acres ranging along the Huron River, south of Lower Huron Metropark and northwest of Oakwoods Metropark, Willow became the ninth Metropark in the system. Like Lower Huron, this park opened almost immediately after the first land acquisitions in order to meet public demands for recreation; initially, only play equipment and a few picnic areas were available.
A $100 million bond program approved by Michigan voters in 1968 granted funds for an Olympic-sized swimming pool at Willow and a game area that officially opened on June 8, 1976, with courts for tennis, shuffleboard, and basketball, and a children’s play area near the pool, bathhouse, and food bar. More than twenty-five years later, the tennis courts were converted into a skate park offering in-line skaters, skateboarders, and bicyclists a half-pipe ramp and other challenges. Dancers enjoy weekend programs and special events at the open-air dance pavilion, and when they get hungry, food service is available.
Washago Pond is a particularly scenic spot for picnics and a favorite site for fishing. Visitors can borrow fishing poles or rent rowboats, paddleboats, and single-speed bicycles here.
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The park stays active year-round. An eighteen-hole regulation golf course and driving range are located in the southern part of the park. Disc golfers play year-round at the park’s eighteen-hole course. A four-and-a-half-mile hike-bike trail connects all the major facilities within the park; the trail’s extension brings bicyclists and hikers to Oakwoods and Lower Huron Metroparks. In the snowy winter months, sledders and cross-country skiers make use of the hills and trails, and whenever the ice is thick enough, skaters glide across the pond. |
Opening dates:
- 1976 – 6,378 yard, Par 71 Golf Course
- 1976 – Willow Pool
(Click on pictures to open them in a larger window)
Source: https://www.metroparks.com/organization-history/park-history/
The Cache: The cache is a small lock & lock container.
This cache is located within Willow Metropark. A Metroparks vehicle permit is required for entry to the parks: $10 daily pass, $40 annual pass, $29 annual seniors pass. All park rules and regulations apply. Please park in parking lots only.
For general information please call 810-227-2752 800-47-PARKS, or visit www.metroparks.com. Dogs on a leash are allowed in this section of the park.
THE HOURS FOR WILLOW METROPARK CONNECTOR ARE 6 am to 10 p.m. Daily.