<Tr> <Th> NRHP reference #</Th> <Td> 74000999 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Added to NRHP </Th> <Td> February 25, 1974 </Td> </Tr> <P> Belle Isle Park, more commonly known simply as Belle Isle (/ bɛlˈaɪəl /), is a 982 - acre (1.534 sq mi; 397 ha) island park in the Detroit River between Michigan and Ontario . The U.S. - Canada border is in the channel south of Belle Isle such that the island is not in Canada . Owned by the city of Detroit, Belle Isle is managed as a state park by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources through a 30 - year lease initiated in 2013; it was previously a city park . Belle Isle is the largest city - owned island park in the United States and is the third largest island in the Detroit River after Grosse Ile and Fighting Island . It is connected to mainland Detroit by the MacArthur Bridge . </P> <P> The island is home to the Belle Isle Aquarium, the Belle Isle Conservatory, the Belle Isle Nature Center, the Detroit Boat Club, the James Scott Memorial Fountain, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, a municipal golf course, a half - mile (800 m) swimming beach, and numerous monuments, among other attractions . It is also the site of a Coast Guard station . The Detroit Yacht Club sits on an adjacent island, connected to Belle Isle by a bridge . The former Belle Isle Zoo site is now closed . </P>

When did belle isle became a state park