Ada Township opened Covered Bridge Park on Aug. 25 with a playground, a splash pad, two pickleball courts and a dog park. MLive's coverage of the opening called it a 15-acre gathering place along the Thornapple River. Those features made the summer photos. But the township's own description of the park shows which parts were built to last through the year, and those are the parts Ada Village's winter calendar runs through.
The splash pad's hours are listed as seasonal, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The restrooms are listed as year-round. Put that next to a holiday walk that crosses the river at the historic Covered Bridge, and the park becomes the hinge of December in the village, not a summer amenity on pause.
One park with two addresses, and the parts built for every season
Covered Bridge Park is two sites joined across the Thornapple. The township's park page splits it this way:
- Covered Bridge Park – South, 7490 Thornapple River Drive SE. Longtime residents knew this as Leonard Field. It is the active side: the playground, the splash pad wrapped in synthetic turf, a covered pavilion with 10 picnic tables, two public pickleball courts, a river overlook deck, and a small enclosed dog park surfaced in synthetic turf. It also has the year-round indoor restrooms, which include an ADA-accessible adult changing station.
- Covered Bridge Park – North, 590 River Street SE. The quieter side holds the Ada Veterans Memorial, dedicated on Memorial Day 2026 as part of Ada's recognition of America's 250th anniversary. A river overlook here sits right beside the historic covered bridge and looks south across the water toward the active side.
The whole park is open daily from dawn to dusk. In late fall that is a short window, so an after-work visit in November is really a lunch-hour or weekend outing.
Dog owners should note the turf in the dog park. Synthetic surfacing doesn't turn to mud during a thaw the way a grass run does. Outside that fenced area, Ada Township's park rules require a leash of six feet or less, and owners must keep control of their animals and clean up after them. The township's published park rules have the full list.
The money came from residents and neighbors. The township credits the Connecting Community Campaign, a private fundraising effort launched in 2024, and MLive reported that the park relied on an $8.5 million capital campaign. MLive also reported that Cheri DeVos and Steve and Amy Van Andel served as honorary co-chairs, and that construction ran from September 2025 to this past August.
The crossing that ties it together
Both halves depend on the new Thornapple River pedestrian bridge. Ada Township's Fall 2026 trails update says it is open to the public and describes its build as two 50-foot sections and a 170-foot centerpiece. In MLive's opening coverage, Wesley Deason, director of Ada Township's parks and recreation department, said the park "creates a welcoming place for people of all ages to gather, play, explore and connect along the Thornapple River." The same report said township officials describe the bridge as a safer route for walkers and cyclists and a link into Ada's trail network. The township says that network now covers more than 25 miles.
On the street side, the crosswalk to watch is Thornapple River Drive at Fase Street. In 2025, FOX 17 reported that Kevin Austin, Ada Township's DDA director, had brought in the Grand Valley Metro Council's Complete Streets Pilot Program to test temporary measures there. Those measures narrowed the crossing distance and added delineators, with QR codes posted so residents could share feedback. In August, the township said a Stop for Pedestrian sign would go in at that spot alongside the park's opening. It also said the pilot installations "will have to be removed by the Winter," and that what it learned would guide future permanent changes. Separately, FOX 17 reported in June 2026 that the township had approved in-road pedestrian signs at Thornapple River Drive and Fase Street and at other downtown crosswalks. If you walk this corner every day, expect it to look different once the seasonal pieces come out.
December runs straight through the riverfront
Ada Township describes its Winter Wonderland as a lighted holiday walk from December 1 to January 31. The route goes through the Covered Bridge, into Legacy Park for the Festival of Trees, and along the village's shops and storefronts. The historic bridge it crosses sits next to the north overlook of Covered Bridge Park, and the new pedestrian bridge links that overlook to the south side.
Here is a loop that uses the new park the way the township's walk is laid out:
- Park or start at Covered Bridge Park – South on Thornapple River Drive SE, where the year-round restrooms are.
- Cross the river on the new pedestrian bridge to the north side and the Ada Veterans Memorial at 590 River Street SE.
- Pick up the Winter Wonderland route through the historic Covered Bridge.
- Continue into Legacy Park for the Festival of Trees, then walk the storefronts back toward the river.
The Ada Business Association has set the 2026 Festival of Trees for Dec. 1–31 at Legacy Park, with 50 trees decorated by local businesses, organizations and community groups. The lights come on with the season's biggest evening. Tinsel, Treats & Trolleys is Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:15 to 8:30 p.m. in Ada Village. The bridge lighting is at 5:15 p.m., and at 5:30 p.m. the trolleys start running and Santa arrives at Santa's Village. The event is free. The ABA says an event map and program will be posted closer to the date, so check the ABA listing for trolley stops before you plan where to park.
The short calendar from now through the lights
Several smaller dates fall in the five weeks before the bridge lighting, and the Festival of Trees keeps going for the rest of December after it. A few involve the same village blocks.
| Date | What | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Nov. 4, 5:30 p.m. | Grand Rapids Ballet Ada Campus ribbon cutting | Ada Village |
| Early November, with Nov. 9 listed | 3 Mile Road at Grand River Drive expected to reopen after the Knapp's Corner Drain closure | Errand route toward Knapp Street and East Beltline |
| Through Monday, Nov. 9 | Registration for Cards for a Cause euchre tournament | Ada Parks & Recreation |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | Cards for a Cause euchre tournament, benefiting Flat River Outreach Ministries Food Pantry | Roselle Park Resource Building |
| Tuesday, Nov. 24 | Curbside leaf-bag pickup, paper biodegradable bags only | Residents west of the Grand River and south of Fulton Street |
| Dec. 1–31 | Festival of Trees | Legacy Park |
| Friday, Dec. 4, 5:15 p.m. | Bridge lighting and Tinsel, Treats & Trolleys | Ada Village |
The ballet ribbon cutting brings a new regular use to the village. Grand Rapids Ballet's school says its Ada campus offers youth and adult classes, senior fitness, and Parkinson's-inclusive programs. On the roads, Ada Township said the 3 Mile Road and Grand River Drive closure began Oct. 15 with detours via Knapp Street and the East Beltline. Pipeline work pauses for the season after the reopening and resumes on 3 Mile Road west of Grand River Drive in spring 2027. The Kent County Road Commission's Oct. 16 project list shows Nov. 9 as the completion date for the intersection work.
The next river crossings are already underway
Covered Bridge Park's bridge is the first finished piece of a bigger plan to connect Ada by foot. The township's Fall 2026 update lists what comes next:
- Knapp Street Pedestrian Bridge. Construction began in late July, and the township expects to finish in fall 2027. The design is an elevated steel walkway built from 38 sections of 50 feet each, plus five sections of 100 feet or more near the Knapp Street bridge. Before work began, Edge Engineering moved several thousand mussels out of the project area in June. They included multiple state-listed species and one federally endangered snuffbox mussel.
- Kamp Twins Trail. It is waiting on a railroad easement. The township says construction could start in late 2026 but that spring 2027 is more likely.
- Grand River Drive Trail. It was completed in midsummer.
- Ada Drive Trail. A 1,825-foot stretch on the south side of Ada Drive, just west of the Ada Christian School driveway, was crushed and reshaped to repair an area that had deteriorated.
Together these projects show the reasoning behind a riverfront park with year-round restrooms and a 270-foot pedestrian crossing. The township is building places to cross the water on foot, and the walk through the Covered Bridge this December is the first holiday season where both sides of the Thornapple have a park built to welcome it.
If you find yourself on the overlook this December looking back at the village lights, I'd love to hear what you think of the new park. At Kristina L Tanner, I keep track of these places because a good riverfront walk is part of why people fall for Ada, and if you're curious how projects like this shape the streets around them, you can reach me on the contact page. Let's Connect.
