Lillie Park

Great little park, very relaxing and not crowded. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Cool place to have family gatherings

I’ve been going to Lillie Park for years, before Swift Run Dog Park appeared across the street. If I have my dog with me, we stop and do a circuit of the northern part of the park. (There are two driveways, and two parking lots.)
Lillie Park North features about a mile of blacktop pathway. I usually walk clockwise, then take the last bit of gravel walkway that loops around from the east back to the parking lot.
There are poop bags for you dog owners, and trash cans here and there along the way. Picnic tables and grills, in case you want to stop and have lunch. There’s even a very small gazebo/​picnic shelter.
They planted crown vetch here to control erosion. It is highly invasive, but it was a necessary evil. I have been known to stop and pull another alien invasive plant, purple loosestrife, when I see it.

Update: I finally made my way to the south side of Lillie Park and its nature trails, and I was so impressed! First stop was the play area, which has a structure for kids 5+ and a smaller one for kids ages 2 – 5. I directly supervised my 18-​month-​olds on the smaller one because there was really nothing else for them to do, but they LOVED it and were able to climb up and down and use the slides on their own. There’s also a restroom and a pavilion in the area, as well as several soccer fields.
The nature trails are mostly wooded, with educational signs and scenic overlooks. Our favorite spot was a wooden bridge that spans a large pond where you can see lots of waterfowl. The park is truly a hidden gem with LOTS to explore.

Lillie Park is a cute little park that is dog friendly and has a beautiful pond to look at, while pondering the purpose of life. This park is next to a pretty busy street (Ellsworth) and am pretty shocked and happy to not hear the cars zooming by, while walking through the park. I like that there’s a hidden trail (not so hidden if you look at the map), that wraps around the soccer field. But just like other parks throughout Michigan, there’s a part of the trail that goes into a forest like trail. I love that I only have to drive less than 10 min to get to this park, where I can reflect on life and bask in the beauty that we’re surrounded by.

The address for Lillie Park says Ann Arbor, but technically it’s in Pittsfield Township. It’s a fairly newly established park with a split personality. Half of it consists of soccer fields and a playground. The other half is a nature area with walking paths, picnic tables, and piers for fishing.
It’s a gorgeous, gorgeous park. The day I was there was hot and hazy, and the hills were covered in purple from blooming echinacea, thistles, red clover and wild peas, and it was dotted with yellow Black-​Eyed Susans as well. Some listless Canada geese were cooling their webby feet in Turtle Rock Pond, and several boys were fishing off the piers. Elsewhere, people were picnicking under red-​roofed pavilions while children played on the slides and swings.
I plan to go back on a cooler day and bring a friend for a long walk.