Versluis Park: a barrier-free beach on an old gravel lake

At most beaches, the water is where the trouble starts for anyone in a wheelchair — you can roll to the parking lot and no farther. Versluis Park, north of Grand Rapids in Plainfield Township, was built to close that gap. The township laid in firm accessible paths, safety rails, and seating so people who use mobility aids actually reach the sand and the shoreline instead of stalling out at the lot.

The beach sits on a 50-acre man-made lake, and that pedigree is worth knowing before you wade in. Lakes like this around Grand Rapids tend to be flooded gravel pits — ground that was dug out for sand and gravel, then left to fill with water — so the bottom can drop off steeply not far from shore. Good thing to keep in the back of your mind with kids splashing around.

Beyond the swim area there’s a fishing pier, a playground, picnic spots, and a paved loop of about a mile around the water. Anglers pull bluegill, bass, walleye, and northern pike out of it. And the part that makes it an easy call for a budget afternoon: the township charges nothing to get in. A free, accessible freshwater beach on the north side of the metro, no drive to the big lake required — for a lot of families that’s the whole summer plan sorted.