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Gallup Park

3000 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105

734.794.6230

Overview

Gallup Park is a 69-acre park and is Ann Arbor’s most popular recreation area. It is located along the Huron River and Geddes Pond with scenic walkways that traverse small islands with pedestrian bridges that form a loop. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context. There are concessions, coffee, riverside seating and free WIFI located at the boat rental office. The park contains three playgrounds, canoe, kayak, and paddleboat rentals, picnic areas and grills scattered throughout the park, two picnic shelters, open field for play, and over three miles of asphalt trails that are popular for biking, rollerblading, walking and running. Gallup Park is an important connector on the Border-to-Border Trail. Two drinking fountains and many benches allow the park user to take respite from their recreational activities. In 2017, the Rotary Centennial Universal Access Playground opened and offers a universally accessible play area. Gallup Park is the down river destination for paddling trips- see Canoe Liveries Map for launch locations or visit www.a2gov.org/tube for information on tubing to Gallup. You might hear the term “Canoe Livery” which refers to the place where you can rent a canoe, kayak, tube, stand up paddle board, or a paddleboat where trip transportation is also offered. The Gallup Park boat rental dock has an accessible dock for people of all ages and abilities. And there is a public boat launch for those with their own watercraft. Visit park rentals for information on hosting an event or renting a shelter at Gallup Park.

Winter at Gallup

Year round, heated restroom facilities are attached to the canoe rental building. The Gallup paved pathways are scheduled for clearing when it snows. For more information on walking in winter or which parks are on the path clearing routes, visit Parks in the Wintertime. If you are a bird watcher, Gallup Park really shines in winter. The open water that is often present at Geddes Pond in the early winter can be an ideal place to view wintering ducks and other waterfowl. Rafts of Common Mergansers, with their green or rusty red head-feathers, make Geddes Pond their temporary home. Other diving ducks, such as Canvasback, Redhead, Scaup and Bufflehead, can be seen searching the waters for fish and invertebrates. Often a raptor, such as a Merlin or Cooper’s Hawk, will make its winter home here too, feeding on the bounty of small songbirds that shelter in the berry bushes at Gallup. These birds and others are highlighted in a 2019 Natural Area Preservation newsletter feature entitled, A Treasure for Birds: Gallup Park by NAP ornithologist Juliet Berger.

This park is also a pickup location for a sand/salt mixture to help residents treat sidewalks.

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

Drinking Fountain

Playground

Restrooms

Rain Garden

Grills

Picnic Tables

Canoe Livery

Boat Launch

Trash & Recycling

Walking Trails

Access and Parking

There are four parking areas: one at the main entrance off Fuller Road, two past that lot within the park along the park drive, and one further southeast on Geddes Road. Parking gets tight on beautiful summer days due to livery visitors and shelter rentals/ events at Gallup. Be sure to plan ahead and prepare to walk or allow time to reach your final destination or meeting place! There is overflow parking located across the street at Huron High School. If you want to add a 15 minute scenic walk to your Gallup visit, consider parking at Furstenberg Nature Area, 2626 Fuller Rd, where you can park and walk via boardwalk to Gallup while enjoying the oak-hickory forest and savanna.

Gallup is accessible by bicycle and on foot via the Border-to-Border (B2B) trail, which goes all the way through the length of park, connecting to Dixboro Road and Parker Mill Park on the east, and Nichols Arboretum and Fuller Park on the west. Gallup connects with Furstenberg Nature Area on the west.

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Public Transportation

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) operates the public transit system for the greater Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. There is a stop located at Geddes and Huron Parkway, just a three minute walk to the Gallup boat/kayak rental office. Check out TheRide Guide for more details.

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 park is named after Eli Gallup, long time parks superintendent, who acquired the land for the park and pond in a purchase from the Detroit Edison electrical company in 1955. Eli made significant acquisitions and contributions to the Ann Arbor Park system during his tenure.

Read Gallup Park history for a pre 1970s history recap.

After the 1971 parks bond measure passed, Phase I of the Geddes Pond reformation began in March 1972. The work consisted of the preparatory work on dredging portions of the pond, preparing a base for walkways and cycle paths along and across the river. It also included building of certain “islands” in the river both for recreational use and for wildlife.

Recent Developments

June 2015: Ann Arbor City Council approved a resolution to move ahead with the State of Michigan, Department of Natural Resources grant to renovate the Gallup Park Livery and surrounding site. The grant provided $300,000 to the City of Ann Arbor to make improvements to the Livery and entry area at Gallup Park including barrier free parking and entry improvements, trail renovations, livery building upgrades, patio renovations, barrier free docks for kayaks and fishing, landscaping, and way finding signage.

June 2017: Gallup Park welcomed the city's first universally accessible playground. Named Rotary Centennial Universal Access Playground, the project was a partnership between the city and the Rotary Club, which celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2016 and was the major donor for the project, contributing over $550,000. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources trust fund also contributed a grant award of $300,000 toward the project. Read more about this here. Also in 2017, a mile long stretch of the B2B was repaved and widened where possible, between the Geddes Dam and the Universal Access Playground.

June 2019: Goatscaping at Gallup was an old fashioned brush clearing project on the two inside islands that gave boaters the rare opportunity to spot goats as they paddled around the pond. Efforts to clear out invasive growth continue and updates on any upcoming goat activity can be found on the Goats at Gallup webpage.

Active Adopters

Several volunteer groups and individuals are currently assisting with care at this beloved Ann Arbor park and they are invaluable in the park's care and beautification!

The Toyota and Subaru dealership of Ann Arbor on Jackson Road has adopted Gallup Park in spring 2022. They will volunteer several times this year to help with various beautification and stewardship projects. We're looking forward to partnering with them to make Ann Arbor's most popular park even more inviting and enjoyable for all!

Eastern Michigan University's chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants have volunteered with Adopt-a-Park at Gallup Park since 2018 and have helped with removing litter, spreading woodchips, weeding gardens and more!

Established in 1991 by the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North, the Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden located off Geddes Rd. has flourished over time. The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North continues to care for the garden by doing frequent weeding, spreading woodchips and adding to the perennial native flowers. The garden attracts butterflies and hummingbirds by having very specific plants and flowers including New England aster, butterfly weed and prairie dock. Twenty-seven species of butterflies can be found in the garden!

The butterfly garden requires frequent maintenance and attention throughout the spring, summer and fall. If you are interested in assisting the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North with some of these needs, email us at [email protected] or call 734.794.6445.

Helping your parks

Help Ann Arbor parks stay beautiful and welcoming to residents and visitors

Volunteering Opportunities

Join our team of volunteers and make a difference in your community! Whether you're interested in gardening, trail maintenance, event planning, or education, we have opportunities to fit your skills and interests.

Learn more about volunteering

Gifts & Donations

Looking for a way to give back to your local park? Consider making a gift or donation! Your generosity can help support maintenance and improvements to park facilities, as well as educational programs and community events.

Donate today

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A2 Fix It allows users to upload a photo with each request, as a visual reference to help staff quickly locate the problem. It is also helpful for requests to be as detailed as possible.