Meridian Township is home to several parks and recreational spaces. However, none are quite as special as the Meridian Riverfront Park. Consisting of 3 individual parks, this trail system offers diverse wildlife viewing, beautiful scenic spots along the Red Cedar River, and winding trails through young forest.
The individual trails are short, allowing visitors of all hiking ability to choose the length of their hike. Connecting them all together can easily provide 5+ miles of hiking trails.
My hike was 5 miles. I did a loop from Eastgate Park through Legg Park and back. I did not complete all of the loops within the parks nor hike all the trails.
Eastgate Park
Eastgate park is 53 acres and contains 3 trails.
- White – 0.13 mile, from parking lot to the woods
- Yellow – 0.37 mile, connects Eastgate to Harris Nature Center
- Black – 0.97 mile loop
There are no bathrooms at this location.
Harris Nature Center
Designed with families in mind, Harris Nature Center contains the easiest portion of trail. There are 3 options within the park.
- Blue – 0.35 mile loop
- White – 0.48 mile loop, connects Harris Nature Center to Eastgate
- Orange – 0.81 mile loop, connects Harris Nature Center to Eastgate
Hikers wishing to continue to Legg or coming from Legg must cross Van Atta Road and the Harris Nature Center parking lot.
Legg Park
The largest park in Meridian Riverfront, Legg park contains 103 acres and is made up of 5 trails.
- Red – 0.17 mile, connects Harris Nature Center to Legg Park
- Black – 0.29 mile, trail from parking area off of Van Atta Road
- Yellow – 0.65 mile loop
- Orange – 0.79 mile loop, connects to the Red Cedar Glen Preserve
- Blue – 0.95 mile loop
Conclusion
The downside to hiking in this area is you aren’t exactly isolated. If you’re a fan of hiking in areas where you feel far from civilization, you’re not going to be happy with this trail system. However, if you’re looking for a quick, easy trail system with beautiful views of woods and the Red Cedar River, this might be an excellent option.
I’m looking forward to using this trail in the future for both short hikes and trail running.