Beckenholdt Park — Attraction in Greenfield

Beckenholdt Park is an amazing place. I used to visit as it was being developed, much to the consternation of the Parks Department. The trails were gravel and there were no shelters or the restroom building. What has been developed is truly a unique park. The park's vegetation is designed to be "successional." The park is currently grassland. Some trees are planted. All are native or native cultivars. The park will transition to a wooded area. Tracey Doyle, past Park Superintendent for the City of Greenfield, and her staff, developed this concept for the park. The City Council envisioned sports facilities for the park. Tracey fought hard for the "wild" concept. Ellen Kuker, current Parks Superintendent, continues Tracey's original vision. The park has an occasional wetland near Franklin Street. Another wetland is near the back of the park. In the several years of the park's existence, I have never seen this shallow basin dry. That was until this year when we experienced a drought. I am not certain if recent rains have started to fill the basin. There is a somewhat deeper, fishing, pond a short distance from the restroom building. One of the best things about the park are the paved trails, wooden fishing piers out into the middle pond and wooden observation decks at two places at the shallow pool at the park. All decks have cutouts for those using mobility devices. There is ample, paved, parking in the middle of the park. There is a covered pavilion with picnic tables. There is an auditorium with the capability of soft roofs. There also a grass trail that runs throughout the park. It is called the "Loop Trail." Because I am in a power wheelchair that is not off-pavement capable, I appreciate this park immensely. I truly appreciate Tracey Doyle and Ellen Kuker for their efforts in bringing this park to the people of Greenfield and for keeping the...

This is a superb park for walking, birding, fishing, and just relaxing. There's a fenced-in dog park area as well as paved and non-paved paths. Your walk can be quite educational as there are signs posted identifying the native trees with good-to-know facts about each. There's a decent sized pond where fishing is permitted. There are some tables and chairs under pavilions where you can have a picnic or take a rest after waking. There's also a small amphitheatre there - I'm not sure what kind of presentations are staged there but the parks department can likely fill you in if you're interested. There are restrooms off of the main parking lot that have handicap accessible stalls. They have always been clean and well-stocked on all my visits here. This is a great place to commune with nature kind of in the middle of the city. The trails are such that you can either walk in complete sun or there's a path in the back that is in the woods and is cool and shady on hot days. The website lists the park as being open 24 hours; however, we took a telescope there one evening to stargaze after dark and a police officer came up to us and told us we were not allowed to be there after dark. So - I'm not sure of the actual hours of this park but if you plan to be there once the sun goes down you may want to either park somewhere else and walk there or check with park officials to see if you need a pass or something to be on the property after dark - just to be on the safe side. I highly recommend this park - it's clean and well-maintained and an overall...

Beckenholdt Park was a last minute discovery to kill a little time. This park was designed around a controlled swamp with piers, bridges and benches in an around it and connected by its trails. There’s a covered area for special events that looks over the swamp. There were public restrooms and plenty of parking. A dog park is available for members only. The girls loved the swamp so much that they went swimming to cool off. While waiting for the swamp monsters to dry I met this kind young couple by the names of Winston and Mable. Winston gave me a history lesson of how the park came to be. I wish I had the ability to recite it all but even if I could it would be too much to write on Google Maps. In short, the park property was donated to the city by a local woman for a park to be built. Winston went on to explain how his family was involved in the community. We also discussed other interests which to my surprise we were mostly in common with. The time came for us to go our separate ways but they will always have a place in my heart as well as...