How long is the Hines Park trail, and what can you actually do there?

The Hines Park Trail is 17.5 miles of asphalt, running from 7 Mile Road in Northville to Ford Road in Dearborn, and it passes directly through Plymouth. Counting the Rouge River Gateway Greenway connection, the paved distance is 19.5 miles. It is the single biggest recreational asset available to a Plymouth renter, and it costs nothing to use.

One thing to get out of the way early, because it is the question renters with dogs ask first: Plymouth itself does not have a confirmed public dog park. The verified one is in Westland, on Hines Drive, and it requires registration. Details are below.

What exactly is Hines Park?

Hines Park is a Wayne County linear park built along Edward N. Hines Drive, which follows the Middle Rouge River. "Linear" is the operative word. It is not a block of green space you drive to and park in. It is a long, narrow corridor of river, road, and trail that threads through four communities: Northville, Plymouth, Livonia, and Westland, ending at Ford Road in Dearborn.

Wayne County counts over 20 named sections and 25 recreation areas inside that corridor. Because it is organized in sections rather than as one park, two people can both say "I was at Hines Park" and have had completely different days.

What is there to do along Hines Drive?

The published amenity list across the corridor includes picnic areas, fishing, disc golf, playgrounds, sledding hills, bike paths, outdoor gym equipment, and the Nankin Mills Interpretive Center in Westland.

For cyclists there are two distinct experiences. The paved trail is the commuter and family option: flat, asphalt, and continuous. Separately, there is roughly 14 miles of mountain bike trail between Newburgh Lake and Hawthorne Ridge, which is a different activity requiring different equipment.

Sledding matters more than it sounds like it should. If you are renting an apartment, you have no yard and no hill. Hines Park is where that problem gets solved in January.

What is "Saturday in the Park" and why does it matter?

On summer Saturdays, Wayne County closes Hines Drive to vehicles from Nankin Mills to Outer Drive, a stretch of about 7 miles, and turns it over to pedestrians and cyclists.

This is worth planning around. A 7-mile closed road with no cars is a fundamentally different ride than a trail running alongside live traffic, and it is the one day a week when the park stops being a road with a path next to it.

Note the geography, though. Based on the published locations, that closure sits toward the Westland and Dearborn end of the corridor, not the Plymouth end. From Plymouth you are driving or riding to reach it, not walking out your door to it.

Does Plymouth have a dog park?

No, and this is where most of the internet gets it wrong.

Neither the City of Plymouth nor Plymouth Charter Township lists a dog park among its facilities. Several third-party directories claim there is one at Plymouth Township Park. That claim is not confirmed by the Township. Do not drive there with a dog and an expectation.

The nearest dog park we can actually verify is the Wayne County Parks Dog Park at Hawthorne Ridge Park, 31844 Edward N. Hines Dr., Westland. It is inside the Hines corridor, which is why it belongs in this article.

Hawthorne Ridge also has a paved bike park and a pump track, so the trip is not a single-purpose trip if you have kids and bikes along.

Two practical notes. First, you cannot register at the gate; registration happens at Nankin Mills. Second, bring the paperwork. A dog license alone is not the requirement. It is the license plus rabies and distemper records.

Source: Wayne County Parks, Hawthorne Ridge

What are the honest downsides of Hines Park?

I manage buildings here, so let me give you the version that does not appear in a tourism brochure.

It is a road park. Hines Drive is an active road. For most of the corridor, your trail experience includes cars moving beside you. The Saturday closures are the exception, not the rule.

It floods and it closes. It follows a river through a low corridor. Sections close. Conditions change. Check before you commit to a specific section.

It is long, which means it is far. "Hines Park is 17.5 miles" sounds like abundance, and it is, but based on the published addresses, the dog park, the mountain bike trail, the interpretive center, and the Saturday closure all sit toward the Westland and Dearborn end. From a Plymouth apartment, some of the best features are a drive.

Seasonality is real. Michigan winters shut down most of this for months. The sledding is the compensation, not a substitute.

There is no dog park in Plymouth. Repeating it because it changes renting decisions. If an off-leash park is a requirement for you, your nearest verified option is a registration process in another city.

How close is Hines Park to a Plymouth apartment?

Hines Drive runs through Plymouth, so the corridor is local by definition. Z on Coolidge sits under a mile from Downtown Plymouth and is walking or biking distance to the downtown core, including Kellogg Park. Z on Plymouth is about 3 miles from downtown, described on its own page as about 7 minutes away.

If you want a full picture of what else is within reach, see our guide to things to do in Plymouth, Michigan and the Living in Plymouth hub.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Hines Park trail?

The asphalt Hines Park Trail runs 17.5 miles, or 19.5 miles counting the Rouge River Gateway Greenway. The park covers the same 17.5-mile corridor along the Middle Rouge River, with over 20 named sections and 25 recreation areas. There are also about 14 miles of mountain bike trail between Newburgh Lake and Hawthorne Ridge.

Where does Hines Park start and end?

Hines Park follows Edward N. Hines Drive from 7 Mile Road in Northville to Ford Road in Dearborn, passing through Plymouth, Livonia, and Westland. Because the corridor runs through Plymouth itself, a Plymouth renter is local to it, though the individual amenities are spread across its full length.

What is Saturday in the Park at Hines Park?

On summer Saturdays, Wayne County closes Hines Drive to vehicles from Nankin Mills to Outer Drive, about 7 miles, and turns the road over to pedestrians and cyclists. Based on the published locations, that stretch sits toward the Westland end, so from Plymouth it is a drive or a ride.

Does Plymouth have a dog park?

No. Neither the City of Plymouth nor Plymouth Charter Township lists a dog park. Some third-party directories claim one at Plymouth Township Park, but the Township does not confirm it. If an off-leash park is a requirement for you, plan on driving to another city.

Where is the nearest dog park to Plymouth, MI?

The nearest verified public dog park is the Wayne County Parks Dog Park at Hawthorne Ridge Park, 31844 Edward N. Hines Dr. in Westland. It covers 3 acres with separate small-dog and large-dog areas. Registration is required at Nankin Mills Interpretive Center: $20 for Wayne County residents, $25 for non-residents.

Want to see how close the trail corridor actually is from a unit? Schedule a tour.

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Last verified: September 2026

Sources: Wayne County Parks, Hines Park · Wayne County Parks, Hawthorne Ridge Park · Plymouth Township Parks and Recreation · City of Plymouth Parks