Park Address: 3000 Fuller Rd, Ann Arbor MI 48105 (Main Entrance: Livery & Boat Rentals, playgrounds, several lots)
Geddes Road Parking Lot (Boat Launch, Butterfly Garden)
Old Dixboro Parking Lot (Dixboro Dam, trails)
Open 6:00 a.m. to midnight with quiet hours beginning at 10:00 p.m. Refer to
Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules. Contact park rentals for policies and rules related to rentals and special uses and always refer to posted park signage in the park. Smoking is prohibited and dogs must be on leash.
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.
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.
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.
Using a phone? - Click for a GPS Tracker and Wayfinding Map
Amenities
Facilities
Activities
Unique
- Gallup Canoe Fan installation - Canoe Imagine Art
- Wet prairie: Read 1999 Natural Area Preservation newsletter feature on Gallup park wet prairie region by Jennifer Maigret (page 6)
- During the winter, Gallup has a pick-up location for a sand/salt mixture to help treat sidewalks (available to city residents, typically starting in late November)
Seasonal highlights:
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.
Photo Gallery
Livery Playground (photo below)
Bilik Orbach Playground (photo below)
Rotary Centennial Universal Access Playground (photo below)
Located between Geddes pond and Youth Fish Pond (parking lot in back of park). View a 90 second video overview this playground
here.
Volunteer
There are ongoing and limitless opportunities for volunteering and getting engaged with the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Services Unit. GIVE 365 and the seasonal Adopt-a-Park Program offer volunteer opportunities ranging from a 90 minute commitment, to a more long term, ongoing role. Natural Area Preservation also has volunteer opportunities that support their mission to protect and restore Ann Arbor's natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic within the community. If you are feeling the call to volunteer or give some time, reach out or explore the websites above to see what’s upcoming or how to get involved. Check out Gallup Park
Active Adopters.
Report a Problem - A2 Fix It
To report any maintenance issues or other problem during your park visit, please report through
A2Fix It. Keep in mind that parks are large spaces and A2 Fix It requests can be difficult to find without detailed information. When reporting an issue in a park please include location details. There is a details and description section near the end of the request process to help you provide this. In addition, users can utilize the pin (website) or X (mobile app) feature to provide specific location information inside the park. Finally, please consider including a wide angle photo or include background landmarks, which helps staff find and fix the problem.
Gifts and Donations
Information on donating to the parks and the Guide to Giving can be found here. Alternatively if you have a special project or park improvement idea that you want to donate your time and energy toward, a great place to start is through Adopt-a-Park and the proposing a special park project guide. For information on donating a tree through Adopt-a-Park, the tree donation guide can help you get started.
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. If you enjoy history and would like to learn more about the role Eli Gallup played in developing the park land we have today, check out the 12 minute film that highlights park history and celebrates the Ann Arbor Park system:
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.
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!
