Innovation Hills

One of the best and most beautiful places for kids! 💚 The park is very spacious and clean, with lovely walking trails and a beautiful bridge over the river that gives such a refreshing, peaceful vibe. What I love most is the creative and safe playground area — perfect for both boys and girls to enjoy freely. It’s ideal for a family outing or even a simple nature walk with the kids. There are benches, smooth walking paths, gorgeous nature views, and everything is well-organized and maintained. I always love coming here when I want a fun and safe place for my daughter. Highly recommended for families! 🌳🛝✨

Innovation Hills Park: A Modern Oasis of Nature and Play Innovation Hills Park in Rochester Hills is a remarkable blend of natural beauty and innovative design, offering a unique experience for visitors of all ages.  Playground Excellence The park boasts one of Michigan’s largest and most inclusive playgrounds. The nature-themed play area features a multi-level treehouse, climbing structures, musical instruments, water play zones, and a turf hill for sledding. Designed with accessibility in mind, the playground includes wheelchair-accessible equipment and quiet zones for sensory-sensitive children .   Scenic Trails and Boardwalks Spanning over 110 acres, Innovation Hills offers more than 4 miles of trails, including a one-mile ADA-accessible boardwalk illuminated with solar lighting and glow-in-the-dark pavement. These trails meander through diverse landscapes, providing picturesque views of the Clinton River, ponds, and waterfalls .  Adventure Across the Suspension Bridge A standout feature is the 112-foot suspension bridge that connects the main park to an additional 40-acre green space. This bridge offers an adventurous crossing over the Clinton River and leads to the Greenspace Loop, a half-mile trail through serene woodlands .  Additional Amenities The park is equipped with modern restrooms (available seasonally), pet-friendly policies with leash requirements, and amenities like device charging stations. Visitors can also enjoy sensory gardens, a Little Free Library, and kayak access to the Clinton River .  Parking Information As of May 27, 2025, a parking fee of $1.50 per hour has been implemented. Annual passes are available for frequent visitors, and a free parking lot is located across Hamlin Road .  Conclusion Innovation Hills Park is a testament to thoughtful urban planning, providing a space where nature and innovation coexist. Whether you’re seeking a family-friendly outing, a peaceful nature walk, or an adventurous exploration, this park delivers an exceptional experience. 

After a long school day, we headed to Innovation Hills Park to let the kids burn off some energy. The park wasn’t too crowded, and the vibe was just right—families having fun, but still peaceful. The kids had a blast exploring all the different playground features, and I was impressed with how unique the park is. This was the first time I’ve seen a park with artificial turf, which is such a great idea since it stays green year-round. There’s a ton to explore, from jungle gyms to walking trails, and even a serene area with ducks. I highly recommend Innovation Hills if you’re looking for a fun, outdoor activity with the family. It’s clean, well-maintained, and full of adventure.

What an amazing park!! This place has so many unique, innovative areas to play. The use of beautifully crafted wood to build the playground structures makes the park seem like it’s part of the natural environment. I love the way they space out the various play areas, all for children of all ages and abilities. They have lots of swings and slides and climbing structures, as well as music features throughout the park. One of our favorite parts was the man-made river that winds through the park and under bridges. They have 3 Porto-potties and 2 modern bathrooms, a covered pavilion with 8 large picnic tables, and a beautiful lake beside the playground. Great job to the city for building this amazing playground!

Great place. Nice playground, lots of walking. In summer you can go kayaking on the river. But keep in mind that there is no grill here, so it is better to bring something that you do not need to cook.

This park used to be great, but now it's constantly a work-in-progress with areas consistently roped off. To top it off, we paid for parking (this was new since the last time we were there) and had a slight lapse before paying for another hour -- literally the minute parking expired, they wrote us a parking ticket (the time on the ticket showed exactly one minute after parking expired). We won't be back, there are plenty of other good parks around that aren't actively trying to squeeze money out of its guests while we can't even use the entire area.

Great park 4 ALL! Kids, adults, and seniors. Large variety of different structures to play on. Multi-mile wooden deck for walking, roller blading, scooter, and biking. Also, natural sand/dirt trails around rivers. Fish in river for fishing. Large shaded picnic area. Large parking lot w overflow area. Many handicap parking spots. Bathrooms. The only negative is that this place is always busy except during school hours.

OK, it’s a very beautiful park. Yes but there is a sign that is listing how many donations the park had received and now you have to pay for parking. They also say you pay a modest rate ““ modest however for an hour it cost $1.50 Now I understand that the park needs to progress. Yes it’s beautiful, but you know how much I pay for parking in Detroit for an hour $.50 exactly. anyways. Edit: well I changed my mind after walking through the night and a beautiful sunset hour. I’ve decided that it was worth the dollar and $.50. I spent on parking. I must admit I have changed my review from a three out of five to a now five out of five great Park good job. I was only fueled with rage

Nice park with lots of things to do for kids. It also has a walking trail through a beautiful landscape.

This park has something for everyone of all ages. I enjoyed walking on the nice paved trails and was even surprised to find a launch pad for small boats/rafts/kayaks. It looks like the city put a lot of thought into designing this park thanks to donors and public funding. I wished I had more time to walk the whole perimeter to see every nook and cranny. The kids play area was impressive in regards to little man-made water streams, fun-looking jungle gym, and nice shaded benches/tables for the adults. Not sure how this park is in the thick of winter with snow, but my visit took place in mid-July and the weather was pretty nice. Parking lot near the kids area included porta-potties. Don't worry, there are also actual restrooms inside the park. #30/2023

We are always looking for a new park to explore and get some steps in and surprisingly I heard about this on the radio and looked it up and saw the most amazing tree house. We visited yesterday evening and the parking lot was packed. There were so many families and people of all ages playing, having picnics, walking, it was a wonderful atmosphere. The kids area is beyond amazing with so many innovative places to play, it looks like a sculpture park come alive for children. There is also a large variety of paths to follow to wooded areas, waterways, and ponds. I am happy to see the wetlands being preserved. I especially liked the picnic table area with the living garden for a roof. There was a restroom area plus porta potties. There was also a food truck, the little donut truck with frozen lemonade, which I have had before. They are so good! So it is a nice area to have trucks come to the area for families to purchase a treat. We look forward to adding this to our walking routine and a place to bring the kids to relax.

What an exciting park! Slides, a zipline swing, accessible merry-go-round, and a variety of other usual (and unusual) playground equipment make this the place to be. On a hot summer day, the best thing here is the "river" that cuts through the playground. Kids can play with a water pump and flappers to change its water level. The only small downside is it lacks shade, so on a hot sunny day there is little relief. There is a food truck there (at least sometimes). Although I haven't tried it, it looks like a good place to grab a treat or something cold to drink. If playing on the equipment at the playground gets old, there are also trails to enjoy a lovely stroll.

Had friends visiting from MA, and met up w other friends; kids were ages 5yrs-11yrs and everyone loved the playgrounds. (Everyone is also excited about the new-not-yet-open playscapes too!) it was a hot day, so kids only played on playscapes for a bit, then we ducked into the woods, taking the trail that follows the river. It was a BEAUTIFUL hike that we will definitely go back for! Great park, so glad we finally checked it out.

My 8 yo son and I love this park. A lot of things to do, water stream and sliding hill with cardboard slides. Many tables to sit with umbrellas. Also, there is a play area for little one kind of up the hill with tables. There is enough parking spaces and there is a parking across the park. Restrooms are available and water fountains. There is a small beautiful butterfly/ nature garden. Also, a nice trail next to the park where you can go for a walk or bike. We love this park and spend hours here!

Wow. Seriously nice park. Pond. Boardwalk. Playground. Dog friendly. Picnic area. Bridge. Little art. Bike friendly. Free!! They have a small play area for adults too which includes and adult Jenga game and cornhole. A kayak launch. Great place to jog too. Definitely worth looking into if you happen to be close by. The only negative, no water for the kids to get wet. They do have a little water stream. That's so weird. No splash pad. Sorry. Frankenmuth has a free water splash pad, but that's 1 hr away. Glad I live nearby! As a local guide, I really recommend this park. It gets pretty crowded with kids on weekends, but there is extra parking across the street. Highly recommended

Super cool place! Something for everyone. The donut truck was also a fabulous snack.

Beautiful park! This is the Disney World of parks in all of Oakland County. Kids could spend hours here playing and never get bored. The huge Tree house slide is it's main attraction. The only downside is the small parking lot. It's usually full during the weekend or evening hours in the summer but there is additional parking across the street. There is a lake and wooden boardwalk trail about a mile long for walking/jogging. Great place to take your dog for a walk or have a picnic. They also have a kayak launch and landing on the Clinton River Trail. Most recently they gave added corn hole setups near the lake. If you never checked out this park yet you are missing out! It's the best!

Ok, so I'm not the biggest park person but when they started building this place, I was excited. Most of the stuff around here's kind of lame in regards to parks and rec. It's either a bike path or a soccer field. This one is actually fun to go to! It opened I think in 2020 during the pandemic, and I usually come here when the weather's nice. There's a big pond to walk around and that seems to be the main attraction. They have a beautiful sitting area where you can watch the ducks when their there. They also have a bike repair station so that's super cool even though I'm not a biker. Recently, this year they opened a huge children's play area along with a covered picnic table area. While I don't have kids, it really adds a ton of value and makes it fun. I finally got to sit in the picnic area to get out of the sun and it was super refreshing. They keep adding stuff to this park and it's really fabulous. last year they had art throughout the park from the DIA. I didn't see any this time, but I'm sure it will make a reappearance. They do have some pathways but I'm not much of a long walker, so I haven't checked it out to much. I think they also have corn hole, which looks like fun. Plenty of benches throughout, which is good if you want to take a break or just relax. If you want a nice change of scenery, come here to enjoy yourself. It's actually refreshing to come here for a change, and you won't get run over by bikers, runners or cars! I like it because you kind of forget you're in suburbia and it's nice to relax here for a while. Go check it out!

Amazing. One of the biggest and best kids parks in SE MI. Play areas for little kids and bigger ones, enough ranger to be exciting

I used to work just up the street from the park, back when I believe it went by a different name. I had driven by this place a ton of times and always thought it to be a very kid-oriented park and just very landscaped. Randomly this year, I decided to try hiking here and boy was I surprised! First of all, this place is a lot bigger than I had realized! Yes, the front of the park is very manicured, but as you walk deeper into the park, it becomes a lot more woodsy, which is much more my style. The park is very well maintained so basically the entire pathway is either paved or built with a boardwalk, but there are so many turn offs in places, it turns the entire park into an extensive network of trails, some of which are dirt trails you can walk in and amongst the trees for, which is awesome. This is definitely friendly to all skill levels and both dog and kid-friendly, kid-friendly especially because the extremely impressive and very cool playground is now open! I honestly wish playgrounds like this had existed when I was a kid growing up. :) So if you're planning to come here without kids and want to hike, I'd definitely avoid the popular hours where kids come to play because the proportion of the Innovation Hills parking lot to the size of the park is very off balance, Definitely too small of a parking lot now that this very impressive playground is here! But I love the trails and will definitely be coming here every once in a while to walk them. :)

What a wonderful play field for children of all ages. We watched as our grandson (4) enjoyed challenging himself on the climbing apparatuses and trails throughout the park. We stayed five hours! Thank you Rochester Hills!

What a beautiful park! I heard about it from Yelp and have been looking for new places to run/walk. I easily got 3 miles in here without much overlap. Plenty of parking (nice big spots) on the north and south side of Hamlin. They have a super cute play area for kids. Boardwalks, water fountains, rivers, paved and wooded trails. This park has everything! Port-o potties too and real bathrooms. Even solar powered cell wireless charging stations on a picnic table. It's not called Innovation Hills for nothing.

My 6 yr old granddaughter just loves this place. I love it also, it's big enough for her to have fun and small enough for me to be able to keep my eye out for her. The children really loves the water.

Updating to add that they have now implemented parking available across the street for more accessibility, a great play structure for kids and there's even corn hole setup on the grass for public use. I also noticed a bike repair stand near the pond that has various tools in case you need to make some adjustments on the go. I wish the main parking lot was bigger so you didn't have to cross a busy road during peak hours but it's still one of my favorite parks in the area.

Great place to take photos around greenery. Had a photoshoot there and the myself and client were very happy with the results.

This is a beautiful place to visit in the autumn. I'm almost worried that once word gets out this park will be packed with people for photography sessions. The park is fairly new and still a work in progress with a small parking lot. Hopefully, by next autumn the parking lot will be expanded. The park isn't that large and takes around an hour to do a full walk around but there is so much to admire. A very cool feature is the solar charging stations. No worries if your electronic device runs out of power during your visit.

Park itself is extremely nice with a lot to offer. BUT the park has NO SWINGS for infants or toddlers which was a bummer because that's what I went for. they had one small play area for toddlers. The park caters to older children which is okay but what about the babies I took a 40 min drive for nothing but lemonade and a 4 step slide & a sand box. I was not happy but we did find another one not to far away in Troy

Our family love this park. The playground is beautiful and has a great variety of playground equipment. The pond with the path around it is a lovely place for a stroll.

Really beautiful park. Brought my cousin(in the photo) and brother here and the walk is so beautiful. There are so many gorgeous sceneries and so many nice things to take photos of. so enjoyed the frozen lake and we all walked around it. Can't wait until they finish it.

This is one of the best parks for kids that I have ever visited. There's a wide variety of playground equipment and other features to keep kids interested for hours. I highly recommend it

Although this place is still a work-in-progress and has a bunch of room to get even better it has become one of my favorite parks in the area. The front area is well laid out, but will need some time to develop as much of the grass and trees have yet to grow. That said, the Boardwalk they built in the back area is a real stunner. The sheer amount of lumber they must have used to build this structure is quite awe-inspiring. If they did not build any additional walkways this place would still be stand out. However, they are even adding a kayak launch on to the Clinton River and it appears they will be building much more over the coming year. I can't wait to watch this place grow and mature and highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys low-impact nature walks.

I come here often to fish the Clinton River settled right next to the boardwalks. A very "innovative" park with a fresh scenery and modern tech upgrade for Rochester Hills. I loved watching it being constructed the past couple years and come back to see something new every visit. They have solar panel charging stations, pavements, and lights which is unique feature and a newly built playground for families to bring children as they walk the trails. The pond visuals are beautiful with the mini-dam and fountain waterfall giving it a half natural and half man made landscape. The only thing I wish it had was a fish ecosystem stocked into the ponds for families to take their kids fishing besides the Clinton River. That would be the icing on the cake as I see great structures and vegetation to support it but I never see signs of fish life in the water when I'm there. I hope the city or who ever manages the ponds will stock it one day for catch and release of big fish and perhaps hold contests for kids as an event.

Beautiful place to enjoy with your family! They have so many things to choose from for the whole family. Hiking, bike riding, walking your dog, play area for the kids, and a little garden area to enjoy.

Such a perfect park. Has a walking path as well as a play section for the big kids and Littles. They also have a rope course.

This has to be the nicest, cleanest park I've ever been too!! It has cornhole! It has a nice trail! Nice playground! Only thing is parking is limited. I wish people were more aware when they back out.

Play area closed through November 14 so don't go out of your way to bring kids here for that...

Greatt place to have fun with family, quite big. I wouldn't recommend this place if you're looking for small parks, this park is for people who like to explore and just have some time with nature.