Ketchum Park in Marshall, MI is a neighborhood park with a kid’s playground, frisbee golf course, picnic areas, and a skate park. It also has a lovely out and back 1.5 M trail with views of Rice Creek on both sides.
After parking at the gravel lot on Montgomery Street near one of the picnic pavilions, we walked along the sidewalk behind the pavilion and over the bridge. From there we trekked across the grass field and found the entrance to the trail to the right of the skate park. The trail is a wide grass trail with Rice Creek running on either side of it. There are several areas with steep steps that lead down to the creek. Sunny enjoyed going down the steps, but unfortunately there isn’t much of a bank so she really couldn’t explore the water or put her toes in it. The water was also rushing fairly fast making it unsafe for her to get in it.
Although the trail isn’t in the woods, there are trees on both sides of it. And we even found some tree stumps that Sunny enjoyed getting on. In a few areas you can see homes on either side of the creek. Despite that this is a peaceful walk. Although the day we visited was overcast and chilly, on a sunny day this may be a warm hike as the trail is not sheltered from the sun. The trail is without any inclines or declines making it appropriate for most anyone.
Our Rating
Sunny and I rate the trail at Ketchum Park 2.5 out of 4 paws up. The trail is mainly a grass trail between two sections of Rice Creek. It reminds us of the rail trails in Bloomington, IN. We like that you can get down to the water, but there isn’t much of a bank for exploring. Although the trail is well maintained, it’s not really a trail in the woods, which we prefer. We also did not find any restrooms. All in all, this is a lovely spot to walk if you live nearby or are in the area.
How do I get there?
The address for Ketchum Park is 731 Montgomery St., Madison, MI. Take I-69 across the Michigan border and exit (#32) at F Dr/M-227. Stay on M-227 for nearly 5M then turn right onto W. Hughes St. After half a mile turn left onto S. Marshall Ave and continue for half a mile before turning right onto Warren St. After a short distance veer left onto Montgomery St. We parked at the gravel lot just past the “Kid’s Kingdom” and across from a picnic pavilion. Walk past the picnic pavilion and cross the bridge. Walk across the field and the entrance to the trail is to the left of the skate park.