Eli Richards, ’22, learned about the Visit Every Park (VEP) Challenge by seeing the Wall of Champions at Fuller Park, where those who have visited all 162 Ann Arbor parks proudly display their photos. When his brother, Adam Richards, came to town for a visit, they, joined by their friend, Ries Plescher, ’23, decided to hatch a plan to complete the challenge quickly.
“We were talking about doing 20 parks a day and getting it done in a little over a week, but then we were like, ‘What if we just did them all in one day?’” Eli Richards said. “We decided to try and bike to them all in one day because we didn’t want to park, but also because we thought it would be cooler.”
After a careful mapping of their trip with tips from employees of Ann Arbor’s parks department, the three set off on bicycles at 4:30 a.m. on June 16. Seventeen hours and nearly 100 miles later, they had visited all 162 Ann Arbor parks and taken photos with every available park sign to prove it.
The VEP Challenge began as a competition among Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, Give 365 (a program within the parks and recreation department that organizes volunteer events and activities) saw an opportunity to open the challenge to the Ann Arbor community and beyond.
Ryan Poling, Give 365’s assistant volunteer and marketing coordinator, completed the challenge in 2021 and helps people like Eli Richards join the VEP Wall of Champions.
“The most common question we get is if they have to do it within a single year,” Poling says. “This is a do-it-at-your-own-pace challenge. If you want to go crazy and do it in one day, you can. But you can also spend years doing this.” He estimates several thousand people are currently working their way through the challenge.
Prizes are offered at the 25, 50, 75, 100, and 150 marks with a grand prize for those who visit all 162 parks. Prizes previously included binoculars, a mini first-aid kit, and an umbrella but, in conjunction with Ann Arbor’s bicentennial celebrations, the exclusive 2024 prizes include a bicentennial pin for 100 parks and a champion hoodie and pin for all 162.
In 2023, the parks department launched the Park Finder tool where people can search by park name or amenities and get Google Maps directions to the parking lot. Give 365 also joined the Ann Arbor District Library’s summer challenge with a code at their headquarters in Fuller Park. It’s here that park visitors can find the VEP Wall of Champions, as well as maps, park checklists, and other information about the challenge and Give 365.
The challenge is open to anyone, not just Ann Arbor residents, and many U-M students take part while living in Ann Arbor. Ultimately, the goal of the VEP Challenge is to encourage the community to get outside, explore Ann Arbor, and maybe even find their new favorite park.
“There’s so much data showing that it just makes you happier and healthier if you spend time outside in green spaces,” Poling says. “So we’re happy to be encouraging people to do that.”
Katherine Fiorillo is the editor of Michgian Alum.
