Hart-Montague Bicycle Trail State Park:
Michigan
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Description:
The paved 28-mile Hart-Montague Trail State Park is one of Michigan's great rural rail-trails. The trail is located in Oceana County, the "asparagus capital of the world," and the town of Hart hosts an annual asparagus festival complete with a parade, floats, and an Asparagus Queen. Agriculture may have a hold on this area today, but Montague, Mears and Hart all have museums showcasing the time when the railroad and lumber industry reigned.

The trail begins in Montague. From the trailhead in Montague there exists a connecting trail-the 4-mile White Lake Trailway-that heads south, crosses the White Lake River and continues through the City of White Hall. For the Hart Montague Trail, head north. Whichever way you go first, this is the spot to see the world's largest weathervane, a 48-foot structure depicting a Great Lakes schooner that went down in a 1901 storm.

The southern segment of the trail is straight and flat. Christmas tree farms and orchards line the trail-look for cherries, peaches, apples, even apricots and plums. Be on the lookout for deer milling around in the fields and orchards, especially in the morning and evening. Springtime features a colorful and fragrant trip past the blossoming fruit trees, while autumn brings the crunch of leaves of spectacular reds, oranges, and gold.

As the trail moves north through the small towns of Rothbury, New Era, Shelby, and Mears, it becomes hilly and winding. Between Rothbury and Mears there are viewing platforms with picnic tables offering scenic views of the wooded areas. The Village of New Era is near the halfway point of the trail, and during the summer trail users can stop for homemade ice cream at the trailside dairy bar. In the town of Mears, which has plenty of places to stop for food and water, you can spot remnant prairie grasses along the trail. The gently rolling terrain offers nice country vistas, with plenty of places to stop for a rest.

The rail-trail winds down in Hart, but your adventure could be just heating up: Hart is the gateway to the beautiful beaches and giant sand dunes of Silver Lake and Lake Michigan.
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Parking & Trail Access:
To reach the southern trailhead in Montague, take US Highway 31 north to Whitehall/Montague exit. Turn right on Bus. 31/Colby Street. Follow Business 31 past the stop light in Montague and to trailhead parking on the right.
To reach the Hart area, follow US Highway 31 north and turn right onto Tyler Road/Main Street. Gurney Park and the trailhead is at the corner of Tyler and Oceans roads.
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Reviews: [2 trail ratings]
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Hart-Montague Trail
By joyceallen in January, 2012
My husband and I rode this trail in September of 2011. It was a beautiful ride despite the bumps and cracks in the asphalt. When we reached the Montague trailhead we spotted a surveyor working for the state . He explained to us that this entire trail was going to be removed, new asphalt will be layed and the trail will be widened. He thought the job would be done sometime in 2012. He also explained that the White Pine trail was being paved during the same time from Cadillac to Grand Rapids. We had to see for ourselves. We drove to Cadillac the next day and rode South to Leroy. It was indeed paved and very nice to ride. We had previously rode this trail when it was basically unimproved. We are anxiously awaiting the completion of both of these projects.
Good trail, a little rough on the Hart end
By Chris Bracknell in September, 2011
I rode this trail on Sunday, Sept. 25 and had an enjoyable ride even with 16 miles of in the rain. My wife and I found it very difficult to find the route through town from Gorney Park. It would be good if the towns people put up a few signs or marked the pavement. We finally found it on the edge of town across from the state police office and next to Hansen Foods. I rode a short distance back into town until I found that it ended at Wood and Waters street.
Chris Bracknell
Hart-Montague Trail is Great!
By j.kortman in September, 2010
Yes, there were some bumps, but this trail is one of the most enjoyable my husband and I have found in our area since we started riding our trikes. It is relatively straight and has very low grade, mild hills which are easily pedaled. We went from Montague to Hart and back again. While in Hart, we enjoyed exploring the historic district, just one block off the trail. When we got back to Montague, we treated ourselves to some good old-fashioned Dog N Suds, also just a block from the trail. We passed only around 20 people on our entire trek. We were surprised more people are not utilizing this awesome trail.
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