On October 28, 2025, Isabella County Parks was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Mount Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Destination Development program for the Meridian County Park Wayfinding Signage Project. The goal of Destination Development is to attract a higher number of visitors by targeted market segment and leverage the unique characteristics of the Mt. Pleasant community by building upon its assets and creating unique experiences that benefit both the visitor and the community.
Meridian County Park is a 153-acre property in Union Township, with more than one mile of the Chippewa River flowing through its boundaries. It is managed by Isabella County Parks and remains largely undeveloped except for a well-used river access site. There are more than two miles of non-motorized trails in the park, which are used regularly by many visitors. A new trail expanding the trail network was recently created with the acquisition of four acres of land on the north side of the park in 2023. However, none of the trails in Meridian Park are named yet.
The primary goals of the Meridian County Park Wayfinding Signage Project are to name the trails at Meridian Park, then design, purchase and install wayfinding map signage and trail posts to assist park visitors in navigating and exploring the park. A secondary goal is to print updated Meridian Park brochure maps, on which the trail lines would color coordinate with the trail posts and wayfinding map signage to further assist visitors by allowing them to make a plan regarding where they want to explore prior to arriving at the park. The overarching goal, with these additions, is to make visitors feel more comfortable and confident exploring the park. In addition to increasing navigability at Meridian Park, these new trail posts, wayfinding map signs and brochure maps will also increase safety by allowing visitors to more easily describe their location in the event of an emergency while utilizing the trails.
Isabella County Parks thanks the Mount Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for their continued support, and dedication to improving our community parks!
