Thanks to persistent neighbors the Kent County Drain Commission has repaired the wash-out which occurred early this year (2023) on the eastern half of the Carrier Creek Trail. In addition to the washout repairs the crews have cleared the length of the trail!

Some more work will take place in the next few weeks; through mid-January. And there is a tentative agreement to lay some gravel on the trail, which would help to clean it up.

UPDATE 2023-01-04: Gravel is going down! Far more generous than expected.

If you didn’t know, Carrier Creek trail is a trail, of quasi-official status, which runs from Union Avenue, through The Gulch alongside and over Carrier Creek, to Carrier Creek Boulevard and Eastern Ave.

The Gulch has been owned by the Kent County Drain Commission for decades and is a key component in the drainage and flood control for the northeast quadrant of the city. When the Highland Park Neighborhood Associations was reconstituted in ~2018 one of the priorities we heard was a desire to protect and preserve The Gulch as wilded greenspace.

In 2021 the majority of the parcels in The Gulch were purchased by the City of Grand Rapid’s Parks Department with a dual-use agreement with the Kent County Drain Commission.

Someday 🤞, The Gulch and Carrier Creek Trail will be properly incorporated in the city’s parks system and trail network.