New Richmond Bridge Park

New Richmond Bridge Park is located at the historic village of New Richmond in the northwestern part of the county. The centerpiece of this historic park is a fully restored swing bridge which spans 400’ across the Kalamazoo River. This swing bridge, which was originally built in 1879, was restored to its original splendor in 2004. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and connects park property on both the north and south sides of the river.

 

Another interesting feature of the park is that there is a very active railroad bridge that runs parallel to the swing bridge. In fact, this railroad bridge is crossed by 30 to 40 trains per day! The railroad bridge, which was built in 1907, is also a historic structure and was originally designed to swing at its center span to allow riverboat traffic to pass.

 

New Richmond Bridge Park includes five fishing piers, a half mile of boardwalk trails that run along the river and through the surrounding wetland areas, several interpretive signs, a new restroom building, a small picnic area and a completely redeveloped watercraft/boat launch and parking area.