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Ward Park

250 W. Oakbrook Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

734.794.6230

Overview

Ward Park is a 5.81-acre park located at the end of Oakbrook Drive, just east of Main Street and north of Eisenhower Parkway. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas Map for location context. Ward is a mixed-use park with many amenities to cater to different park users. The park contains a play area, benches, a picnic table and a walking trail through a lightly wooded area.

Park Notices

Unless otherwise posted per City Council resolution, when a park is closed, no person shall remain in or enter it other than to quietly sit or walk.

Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules.

Park Hours

6 a.m. – Midnight

Amenities

Walking Trails

Playground

Picnic Table

Landfill Bin

Access and Parking

The park's main entrance is on East Oakbrook Drive, where the road curves and borders the park. There is street parking available on the road.

Ward Park is accessible on foot and by bike. South Main Street to the west has dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks, and the neighborhood streets surrounding Ward Park have sidewalks. There are no bike racks at the park.

Nearby city parks include Cranbrook Park to the west and Willow Nature Area to the southeast.

Public Transportation

The nearest bus stop is at the corner of South Main Street and Harbor Way, less than a 5 minute walk from the park. Visit TheRide for schedule and route details or check out the parks ride guide.

History

Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here.

The land that is now Ward Park was dedicated to the city as park land by the developer of Harbor Club Apartments in the early 1990s.

A resolution was proposed to the Ann Arbor City Council in 1993 with a recommendation to rename Harbor Club Park to Ward Park. Reasons for the recommendation included changing the name to be less territorial to the Harbor Club Apartments and therefore, more inviting to other surrounding housing communities. The name Ward was chosen to honor Ellen Ward, who partly owned and developed the plan for the park and residential land.

Volunteer in the parks

Looking to make an impact in a park or nature area? Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation provides volunteer opportunities for almost every interest, ability, and commitment level.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities

Park Finder

Discover parks and find amenities through the City of Ann Arbor Park Finder. This map allows you to search park names or search by amenity type or keyword.

View the Park Finder

A2Fix It - Service request tool

A2 Fix It is an online system you can use to report any maintenance issues or other problems during your park visit. When reporting an issue in a park please include detailed location information in the "details and description" section near the end of the request process. Pictures that provide location context are very helpful.

Submit a request