By hoerauf on July 03, 2010
We rode the Alma to Riverdale leg round trip on Saturday July 3, 2010 (on bikes). The trail is new and really nice. The trail is not easy to find in the City of Alma if you are not "from there." The parking lot is located just south of the intersection of Park St. and Center Street, cross the tracks and it is on the left side of the street. Good bike shop about 2 blocks from the parking area (Terry's). From there the trail is an extra wide concrete sidewalk that winds through town and Alma College before it changes to asphalt and heads to Elwell and Riverdale. As you go west the trail becomes more shaded. In Riverdale there is a paved parking area and porta john. There was a sign that said that there is a picnic shelter just farther on, although we did not look for it. At the Riverdale stop you are just a block or so north of the Riverdale Tavern (a local favorite for fish fry). There were quite a few people of all ages on the trail as it was a Saturday, but the trail was far from crowded. The asphalt is certainly good enough for skates. The trail west of Bliss Road was very dirty with weeds, sticks, leaves and grass clippings, so skaters may want be aware of this possibility. We found our ride very nice, pretty level, through woods and cropland.
By Cyclops on April 07, 2010
The realively new paved section of the trail that stretches from Riverdale to Alma is a very scenic route that passes through beautiful sections of farmland, woods and open grasslands ending in the city of Alma. There are many highlights including the fish dinners and the Riverdale Tavern and if you need any repairs Terry's Cycling in Alma is an excellent shop that will quickly have you back on the trail again. This is certainly an excellent trail for families since the paved length is approximately 9 miles long (18 round trip).
By seweise on August 31, 2009
My husband and I recently rode the paved section between Lake Rd in Greenville and Edmore, about 17.5 miles one way. We started at the Lake Rd end - just be aware that if you're coming from the south east (Lansing) and you're using a GPS, you will most likely end up driving on unpaved roads. This was not great for our little Ford Escort, so to leave we decided to take Peck Rd west to Greenville and thus avoided unpaved roads. If this matters to you, plan your approach through Greenville.
The Lake Rd end holds about 3 cars, same with the other points marked Parking on the trail map. A better parking spot may be where the trail intersects Derby Rd in Sidney (3 miles from Lake Rd), as it appeared to be a business or school with a somewhat large (dirt) parking lot.
The trail was not crowded at all, possibly because it may not be well known. The ride was very pleasant. We stopped to have our picnic at the historic bridge. There are also picnic tables in Stanton and McBride, or at the Depot in Edmore. Make sure to take a detour at Dave's Dairy Delight in Edmore (102 S 1st St). To get there, right where the trail changes direction, we cut through behind the Gilson St warehouse to reach Main St and rode west 5 blocks.
We wish the remaining stretch was paved as well, unfortunately riding there with a road and hybrid bike is not practical.