White Pine Trail State Park:
Michigan
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Description:
The White Pine Trail is Michigan's longest rail-trail, following the former Grand Rapids and Indiana rail bed for 93.5 miles through five counties. This massive trail showcases a variety of landscapes, from swamps to forests to open farmland, plus numerous towns and cities. You will run across existing and in-development trails, too, as this corridor is the backbone of the state rail-trail system.
The trail surface is a mix of ballast and blacktop, so a mountain bike or a hybrid bicycle are best to tackle the distance and terrain. When there are four or more inches of snow on the trail, snowmobiles are allowed from Russell Road (north of downtown Rockford) to the trail's north endpoint in Cadillac.
The southern tip of the White Pine Trail is just north of Grand Rapids in Comstock Park. Heading north from here is 21 miles of paved trail through mostly rural terrain. Several historic railroad trestles along the trail's length have been renovated for stream and river crossings.
Just 8.2 miles from the trail's start, the town of Rockford has a scenic overlook of the Rogue River Dam, with plenty of picnic tables and benches to stop and enjoy the calming sound of the flowing, beautiful water. Heading north from Rockford you pass through small towns such as Cedar Springs, Pierson and Morley.
Big Rapids is located at mile 53.1 and has the distinction of housing the trail's longest bridge. Whites Bridge spans 319 feet over the Muskegon River. Big Rapids is also home to Ferris State University, which boasts an 880-acre campus with state-of-the-art facilities. Just north of Big Rapids is Paris; here the trail runs directly through Paris Park, which features camp-in-cabins, a canoe launch and a fishing concession along the banks of the Muskegon River.
Heading north to Reed City, trail users can catch a view of the Yoplait Yogurt factory. A covered bridge is your ticket over the Hersey River in Reed City. Reed City is also on the east-west route of the 32-mile Pere Marquette Rail-Trail (see page XX)
The tiny village of Tustin, at mile 83, has a wonderful railroad museum. Heading north another 11.2 miles takes you to the trail's ends in Cadillac but not before circling around Lake Cadillac where you can enjoy swimming beaches and an outdoor amphitheater for concerts.
Only a determined few will ride the White Pine Trail in one fell swoop. A slower approach, using the many campgrounds or bed-and-breakfast inns along the way, allows you to soak up this trail's rural natural beauty and small town charm. Another benefit to taking your time is that it increases your chances of spotting the tiny endangered Karner Blue Butterfly.
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Parking & Trail Access:
Parking and access to the trail is provided at each community along the trail. Camping is available in Belmont, Cedar Springs, Sand Lake, Morley, Paris, Reed City, Hersey, Evart and Cadillac.
To reach the southern endpoint in Comstock Park, take US Highway 131 north to Post Drrive, and turn right on Belmont Road. Take Belmont Road to Rogue River Road The park entrance will be on the left.
To reach the northern endpoint in Cadillac, take US Highway 131 north. Exit onto State Route 115 and go northwest for a half mile. Take North 41 Road 1 mile north to North 44 Road. Go west on North 44 Road approximately a half mile.
To reach the Big Rapids trailhead, take US Highway 131 to Big Rapids, exit 139. Take State Highway 20 east to Maple Street. Proceed straight for 0.1 miles to the depot staging area, and turn south.
To reach the Rogue River Park trailhead in Belmont, take US Highway 131 to exit 95 (Post Drive). Take Post Drive east to Belmont Road. Take Belmont Road 0.25 mile south to the Rogue River Park entrance and turn left.

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Reviews: [3 trail ratings]
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incorrect directions to Comstock Park trail head
By poortenga on July 07, 2010
The written directions to the Comstock Park trail head were wrong. We followed the written directions from your description area of the trail and ended up at the Belmont trail head rather than Comstock Park. If you look carefully at the written directions, you will see that they are the same as the directions to Belmont. However, when viewing the map you can find the correct directions. Our internet was down at the time, thus we were unable to look at the map when we left.
June 2009
By normkern on June 16, 2010
I rode south 11 miles from Paris. Paved section to Big Rapids is wonderful. Even the unpaved section south of Big Rapids is well packed and smooth. Some nice views of the river. I saw deer on my evening ride.

I also rode from Reed City to Cadillac (and back). This trail is two track. It is a little rough but the tracks are well worn and the plants don't grow very tall. Leroy and Tustin have port-a-johns along the trail. I had a great BLT at the Blue Heron in Cadillac and had a great breakfast at Mr. Pibs just north of Leroy. Nice views of wetlands, north woods and meadows.
Nice, but...
By taggartb on February 04, 2010
We rode from Cadillac to Sand Lake in the summer of 2008. Parts of the trail were lovely. Other parts were clearly seldom used, with grass growing tall between the tracks. North of Morley, the trail had peculiar wheel tracks and horse hoof marks. According to locals, these were made by Amish buggies using the trail illegally. Since we didn't encounter one, we couldn't verify it, but that's certainly what the tracks looked like.
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Looking north in Reed City at the White Pine Trail crossing the Pere Marquette Trail.
Trail Facts
Trail End Points: Cadillac to Riverside Park (in town of Comstock Park)
Counties: Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola, Wexford
Trail Length: 93.5 miles
Trail Category: Rail-Trail
Trail Surfaces: Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel, Ballast
Trail Activities: Bike, Inline Skating, Wheelchair Accessible, Mountain Biking, Snowmobiling, Walking, Cross Country Skiing
TrailLink ID: 6016362

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