Area Parks
Burton Park
Burton Park is approximately 80 acres and is located at 6805 Burton St. The property is wooded with considerable topography as well as meadow areas. It is intended that any changes to the property will only allow for passive recreational uses.
Access to the property is from both Burton St and Windcrest St. The access point at Burton St is located at the east end of Burton Street. There is a 6-car parking lot off from the Burton St entrance once you enter the property. Please do not drive past the parking lot. The parking at Windcrest St is located at the end of the road. There are 3 regular parking spaces and one handicapped space. There are also two handicapped only parking spaces inside the park as you enter off from Windcrest St.
There are two bathrooms located on the north end of the large metal storage building. These bathrooms are open year round. We are also working on the marking and clearing of the interior trails in the park.
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Park Ordinance
Park Rules
Map of Park
Cascade Peace Park
Cascade Peace Park is approximately 198 acres in size. This property consists of floodplain and meadow areas with extensive old growth forest. No improvements are on the property and it is intended that any changes to the property will only allow for passive recreational uses.
Cascade Peace Park is located at 8900 Grand River Ave. and can be accessed from two locations. The access off from Bolt Drive is located at the west end of Bolt Dr on an unpaved section of road. This access point has a small parking area and is better suited for handicapped access. The Grand River drive access is at the far NE corner of the property. Grand River Dr provides better access for those on bikes since it is located along a dedicated bike lane on the park side of the Grand River Dr. This location also provides an opportunity to provide public parking.
This property was identified originally by the Cascade Township open space study as having desirable features for preservation. In order to acquire the property the Township worked with the assistance of the open space committee, The Land Conservancy of West Michigan, The Nature Conservancy, The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Disability advocates of West Michigan as well as local landscapers. The property was acquired with assistance by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund and The Nature Conservancy. Both of these organizations provided assistance in purchasing the property.
Peace Park also has a bow hunting which was expanded beginning the 2022 season.
The permit program for hunting in Peace Park offers a total of 45 permits over three periods Oct. 30-Dec. 31. As of 2022, permits will be available for doe-only hunting drawn lottery-style. Applications are accepted September 1-11 each year. Hunting period will be assigned using preference rankings in conjunction with the lottery-system.
To qualify for a hunting permit, you must bring in to the Township Office or email your completed application with a copy of the front and back of your photo ID and proof of a valid Michigan hunting license for the upcoming season.
Park Ordinance
Park Master Plan
Hunting Application
Map of Park
Cascade Township Recreation Park
Cascade Township currently has one recreation park, located approximately one mile south of 28th Street at 3810 Thornapple River Drive SE. The 55-acre park offers a variety of recreational opportunities including two baseball/softball diamonds, a multi-purpose field for soccer/football, a one-mile pedestrian path, four horseshoe pits, a sand volleyball court, an 18-hole Frisbee golf course and four tennis courts.
The park also has two large play systems and a swing set for children in the 5-12 year old age group, one of which was installed in July, 1999. There is a shelter adjacent to the play area. A pavilion and a gazebo offer additional shelter and are located at either end of the park. Picnic tables can be found all over the park including the three shelters. Restroom facilities are also available.
In winter, a large hill at the East End of the park is used for sliding and tobogganing. The pedestrian path is kept clear for walking and there is plenty of wide-open space for cross-country skiing.
Read about the Cascade Township Park Rules and Regulations as found in Amended Ordinance 13/2003.
View a PDF map of the park
View a Google Map of the park or get directions.
For further information on the park, please call (616) 949-0318.
Recent updates (from September 2023 Township E-Newsletter)
Thirty-six native tree and shrubs were planted in August 2023 along the path next to I-96. All these trees were purchased thanks to a DTE Energy Foundation Tree Planting Grant secured by the township. The grant program guidelines recommended a diversity of trees to be planted to prevent a pest, like emerald ash borer, from wiping out the entire planting. If faced with a new forest pest, species diversity is a landowner’s best defense.
Thanks to Calvin University’s Plaster Creek Steward Program, several tree species were added that were not available from commercial nurseries. Cascade Township is grateful they were willing to provide critical trees to the project.
Native trees planted include:
Leslie E. Tassell Park
The Leslie E. Tassell Park, a 3.2-acre park on the Thornapple River, is located just south of Cascade Rd., at 2900 Thornapple River Dr. Construction of the park began in spring 2001 with completion in 2002. The park, situated beneath a variety of mature hardwood trees and beautiful landscaping, boasts an interactive fountain, sculptures, a fire pit, two shelters and a public restroom. Picnic tables and benches are located throughout the park.
Opportunities abound for fishing, canoeing and kayaking, relaxing along the bank of the river or picnicking. The park is near the Cascade Rd. and Thornapple River Dr. pathways, allowing easy access by foot or bicycle. There are two small lots at either end of the park for vehicle traffic.
The following are remarks offered by Leslie E. Tassell (1908-2004) on the occasion of the dedication of the Leslie E. Tassell Park on October 4, 2001.
Dedication
Let me begin by thanking all of you for coming here today for the dedication of your park.
I am especially honored and so very pleased that you have allowed my name to be given to the park. In a few more months, I will be 94 years old, God willing, and the opportunity to participate in the park's creation is a wonderful birthday present. Thank you.
I hope this becomes a place where people celebrate their families. I encourage parents and grandparents from all over the area to bring children here to fish the river, to play in the fountains, to picnic and just spend time enjoying one each other. Times like these will help make our community a place of strong, moral people. Unfortunately, the tragic events of the past weeks underscore the importance and need for these kind of times together.
The location here on the riverbank is perfect, and for that I must give a special acknowledgement to former Township Supervisor Wendell Champion and former Township Manager Carl Kerekes. They had the foresight ten years ago to go house to house and acquire these parcels of property in the name of the citizens of Cascade.
We can all see how beautiful the township has made the area around 28th Street and Cascade Road, and how it has helped give Cascade a sense of downtown. This park will add immensely to that sense of having a downtown, or more appropriately, a town square. When the people across the street named their restaurant "The Gathering Place" they didn't know just how right they were going to be.
To every one who has participated in helping pay for the park, whether it was in the form of a building or brick, bless you. You have been part of of one of the noblest of enterprises, that of creating something of lasting value. Some of my friends who are here today have made a lifetime pursuit of doing that for all our benefits.
Special thanks, though, must go to Rex and Joyce Kingsland for their wonderful donation of the boardwalk, which gives us our closest contact with the river. And to Bob and Aleica Woodrick for their generous donation of the bronze sculpture "Circle of Peace", by Gary Price. And to my own daughter and her husband, Joyce and Tom Wisner, for the pavilion they provided.
Last, but not least, I want to thank my friend, Mike Julien. He was the one who first approached me on the idea of participating in this park. We had many, many meetings about this and he was the one who really got the ball rolling. Mike and all of the Township staff have done a yeoman's job in getting the park this far along in such a short time. We all thank you, Mike.
We all appreciate any suggestions you have to help us continue to improve and beautify your park, and I thank you again for coming.
Rules and Regulations
- Leslie E Tassell Park shall be open to the public between the hours of 8:00 am and 11:00 pm.
- No person shall cut, mutilate, injure overturn, remove, or in any way damage any personal or real property belonging to the park system or Cascade Charter Township.
- No dogs shall be permitted in the park unless on a leash. Owners of dogs shall be held responsible to immediately clean up the area where their dog has defecated.
- No person shall consume or bring into the park any beer, wine, liquor or any other intoxication liquor or controlled substance.
- No person shall post any advertisement, circular or handbill within the park; nor shall any solicitor be allowed to sell or in any other manner dispose of any article in the park.
- No permission shall be given to any vendor or peddler of food, beverages or refreshments unless included as part of a permitted activity in the park.
- Fires shall only be permitted in the community fire ring pursuant to approval by the Township Fire Department. Please call (616) 949-1320.
- No person shall use a skateboard, roller blades, or similar items in any part of the park.
- A Permit to use the Wisner Pavilion for picnics, social gatherings and Weddings shall be limited to groups no more than fifty (50) in total. Reservations are limited to two (2) events per month and are given on a first come first serve basis. Permits can be obtained from the Planning Department no sooner than 11 months prior to the event and must include all information as required by the Picnic/Wedding permit application as adopted by the Township Board.
- The use of sound amplifiers is prohibited at the Park unless a permit has been obtained from the Township as part of an approved event at the Park.
Community Fire Ring
- Be responsible.
- No burning of trash or garbage.
- Do not leave fire unattended.
- Persons under 16 years of age are not allowed to start a fire.
- Notify the Township Fire Department at (616) 949-1320 prior to having a fire.
- Put the fire out when finished.
- Keep fire in the Community fire ring only.
- All fires must be extinguished by 11:00 pm.
- No bonfires.
- Family use only; no large gatherings.
Wisner Pavilion & Terrace Area - Permit Regulations
- Event is limited to a total of 50 persons.
- Event is limited to a total of four hours.
- Reservations are limited for the Wisner Pavilion and terrace area only, the remainder of the park will be open to the public.
- The Township will allow reservations of the Wisner Pavilion and terrace area two times per month.
- Reservations will be taken on a first come first serve basis.
- There will be no alcoholic beverages present/consumed at Tassell Park.
- You must contact the Buildings and Grounds Department at (616) 949-1500 to move any of the picnic tables from the Pavilion for your event.
- The applicant is responsible for any damages or repairs to the park as a result of the event.
- The use of any amplifiers shall be limited to those that will not disturb the quiet enjoyment of the park. The Township must approve the use of any amplifiers prior to the event.
- The use of any decorations, such as banners or signs shall limited to the area around the pavilion and terrace and anything attached to the pavilion shall be attached using the eyebolts around the perimeter of the overhang at the pavilion.
- All other park rules must be complied with.
Map of Tassell Park
Michael McGraw Park
McGraw ParkThrough a generous donation from Michael McGraw in 2002, Cascade Township acquired property on the Grand River, in the northeast corner of the township. This 68-acre parcel is located 1.1 miles east of Buttrick Ave., on Grand River Dr. As it is almost entirely flood plain for the Grand River, the park will remain largely undeveloped, left in its natural state. The park borders a larger 120-acre parcel donated to Ada Township. Along the bank of the river is a paved asphalt trail for pedestrians or bicyclists. The trail is, at this time, the only way into the park, until the township secures access for vehicle traffic across a railroad line that runs parallel to Grand River Dr.
Virgil Nishimura Westdale Memorial Park
The Virgil Nishimura Westdale Memorial Park located at the northwest corner of Cascade Rd. and Thornapple River Dr. The garden incorporates the original Cascade Town Hall and is planted with many beautiful perennials, trees, shrubs and annuals. Benches are placed around the garden and on the patios to enable admirers and pedestrians to sit and enjoy their surroundings. The property, once the site of a gas station in the village for many years, was transformed into the garden in the fall of 1997. Its location makes it an ideal rest stop for persons traveling through the village on the pedestrian pathway.
The summer of 2015, the Virgil Nishimura Westdale Memorial Park was updated and renovated. The garden area was redesigned to encourage more interaction with three large trees in the center area, updated plantings, a sculpture pad, musical interaction pieces, soft lighting and new seating.
Rendering of the redesigned gardens
Disc Golf
Disc Golf Map