Michigan's New 230-Acre State Park Will Have A Riverside Amphitheater, Boat Launch, & Fishing

Michigan's urban parks may not offer the full range of fun adventures and beautiful landscapes found in Porcupine Wilderness State Park or the breathtaking shorelines and fall colors of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — two magical spots on the Upper Peninsula. But the state's city parks provide proof that urbanites don't need to escape to northern Michigan to commune with nature. One such place is Flint State Park in Flint, an hour's drive north of Detroit in the "thumb" area of the Mitten State. After years of work, the park opened in September 2026.

Michigan's 104th state park encompasses an area 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide along the Flint River and Swartz Creek, uniting five previously established parks: Mott Park Recreation Area, Riverbank Park, Vietnam Veterans Park, Happy Hollow Nature Area, and Chevy Commons. By connecting the pathways, waterways, quiet woodlands, manicured lawns, and grassy fields of these diverse areas, the park greatly expands outdoor recreation space for Flint residents, who can access the park from nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and schools, including the Flint branch of the University of Michigan. 

Though Flint State Park is now open to the public, the ambitious construction projects are ongoing. These efforts have entailed opening up waterways for fish passage and recreational use, building new pedestrian bridges, and adding playground equipment, lighting, pavilions, benches, restrooms, parking areas, and public art installations. Officials are also enhancing the five original parks' existing infrastructure, including an outdoor amphitheater at Riverbank Park that's used for public gatherings. The upgrades to the amphitheater and adjacent areas will involve modifications to lighting, seating areas, and sight lines to optimize experiences for event attendees and pathway improvements to ensure universal access. In addition, a Flint River access point will be created near the amphitheater for kayakers and canoers.

Flint State Park is open all year, offering a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Residents can stroll over to the park from their homes or workplaces to walk their dogs along the riverfront or enjoy an outdoor snack or meal, with established picnic areas in Riverbank Park, Mott Park Recreation Area, and Chevy Commons. Paved paths wind throughout the park areas except in the Happy Hollow unit, where the trail has a natural surface. The park's paths and open spaces provide walking, jogging, and biking opportunities, along with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Ambitious trekkers and cyclists will be pleased to know that, eventually, the park's trails will connect to the Grand Traverse Greenway Trail. Ultimately, the Grand Traverse Greenway Trail will feed into the Iron Belle Trail, a route that extends over 2,000 miles from Belle Isle in Detroit to the western Upper Peninsula.

The park's waterways provide a peaceful setting for aquatic sports, with slow-moving waters that are, in some sections, bordered by lovely woodlands. Anglers can fish from several platforms along the Flint River, where recent dam-removal projects support fish passage for species like lake sturgeon, walleye, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, northern pike, common carp, and white sucker. Kayaking and canoeing are also pleasant on both the river and Swartz Creek, especially now after the dam removals. Paddlers can access canoe and kayak launches in the Vietnam Veterans Park and the Mott Park Recreation Area, with another under construction in Riverbank Park. 

Visitors to Flint should definitely check out the new state park as well as explore the many gems in this part of Michigan. For example, Flint is only a 30-minute drive from Frankenmuth, a charming city with incredible Christmas markets that's a must-visit in the Midwest during the holidays.