Ottawa County approves funding for Bass River segment of Idema Explorers Trail

Construction

Mar 13

Photo courtesy of Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission

The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement that would provide $715,000 in funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to assist with the completion of the Bass River Segment of the Idema Explorers Trail by the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission (OCPRC). This project is part of the regional Grand River Greenway initiative, which includes a planned route along the Grand River from the Lake Michigan shoreline in Grand Haven to Lowell in Kent County.

The Bass River Segment will connect over 7.4 miles and 1,995 acres of land, including a large stretch of the 1,665-acre Bass River State Recreation Area. This is the third grant provided by the MDNR to help fund this project ($840,000 in total funding). Additional funding is anticipated to be received from the Ottawa County Parks Foundation’s Grand River Greenway Fund and other grants.

The OCPRC and the MDNR finalized a cooperative management agreement in 2022, which provides the OCPRC with access to the Bass River State Recreation Area to design, construct, and operate the Idema Explorers Trail. A proposed trail route is included in the 2024 General Management Plan for the Bass River State Recreation Area. The OCPRC and the MDNR are currently working to construct Phase 1 of the Bass River Segment, which will include a 3-mile long, 10-foot-wide pathway connecting the existing Idema Explorers Trail that currently ends at the OCPRC’s Riverside Park to the central access point for the Bass River State Recreation Area off River Road in Allendale Township. This first phase is tentatively scheduled for construction in 2025 and will enhance access to the Bass River State Recreation Area for users of all abilities.

Future phases are planned for construction over the next several years and will eventually connect the Bass River State Recreation Area to other OCPRC parks, including Eastmanville Bayou Open Space.

The Bass River Segment of the Idema Explorers Trail includes a 7.4-mile section from Riverside Park through Bass River to Eastmanville Bayou that is almost completely off-road and runs through almost all public parkland. This section would mark the longest continuous section of the Idema Explorers Trail. It features scenic waterfront views along the Grand River, Max Bayou, and Buddy Pond, and a crossing of the Bass River. The entire 7.4-mile Bass River Segment is estimated to cost $6,131,501 to construct.

The expansion of the Idema Explorers Trail will significantly enhance access to Bass River and its natural features for many types of users including bicyclists, hikers, people with limited mobility, and/or using mobility aids such as wheelchairs and strollers.

With existing trail connections from the M-231 Grand River bridge, users on both sides of the Grand River in western Ottawa County will be able to travel to Bass River once the first phase of the trail is completed, tentatively scheduled for construction in 2025. In the future, the Idema Explorers Trail will provide access to Allendale Township and nearby communities in eastern Ottawa County.

For more information, visit https://www.miottawa.org/Parks/.