Explore the best rated trails in Auburn Hills, MI. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Vassar Rail Trail and Genesee Valley Trail. With more than 64 trails covering 450 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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This trail runs from the Matthaei Botanical Gardens two miles south to Parker Mill Park. It was conceived in response to the need for a safer alternative for non-motorized travelers. Dixboro Road only...
A short paved trail that runs from the city of Flint's Kellar Park to the newly refurbished Chevy Commons park along the Flint River, the Kettering Gateway Trail provides a useful link in the city's...
While not the most scenic of trails, the M-21 Non-Motorized Path provides a useful ten-foot wide asphalt path through a suburban stretch of Flint Township, connecting at its eastern end to the Genesee...
The Michigan Air Line Trail stretches nearly 6 miles across the communities of Wixom, Walled Lake and Commerce Township in Oakland County. The trail begins on Wixom Road and travels east in the former...
Paved and mostly flat, the Huron Valley Trail links several suburban communities, parks, and a large recreation area while providing connections to a growing network of trails. Forming a lowercase...
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Even though the Paint Creek Trail is Michigan’s oldest nonmotorized rail-trail, the occasional face-lifts and renovations keep it looking as young as ever. Established in 1983, the crushed-limestone...
The LAFF Pathway is a proposed recreational trail project connecting the communities of Linden, Argentine Township, Fenton, and Fenton Township in Genesee County. The first phase of the LAFF...
The Island Lake Pathway runs east–west through the densely-wooded landscape of the Island Lake Recreation Area southeast of Brighton. Although relatively short, the paved trail may prove a challenge...
An extension of the paved paths that connect the Oakwoods, Willow, and Lower Huron Metroparks, the Oakwoods Metropark to Flat Rock Trail allows you to continue your trail experience into the small...
The aptly-named North-South Connector Trail provides a paved trail connection between the communities of Gibraltar and Trenton, in the area south of Detroit known as the Downriver. Part of a...
The Grosse Ile Trail is a smooth, paved route running nearly the entire north–south length of Grosse Ile, which rests in the Detroit River between mainland Michigan and Ontario, Canada. The trail...
The Lakes Community Trail is a multi-use pathway in southwest Oakland County. The walking-and-biking path stretches four miles and links to parks within four adjacent communities; the City of Wixom,...
The Bridge to Bay Trail extends from the village of Lake Port on Lake Huron south to Algonac on the St. Clair River; however, only about 37.5 miles of the 54 planned miles are completed as of early...
The Genesse Road Trail sits on the western side of Genessee Road in Grand Blanc. The neighborhood trail extends for just over 3/4-mile, from Perry Road in the South to Kings Fairway Lane at the north...
This unassuming recreational path in Goodrich, Genesee County is actually a part of the Iron Belle Trail, Michigan's state-spanning multiuse trail system. The Gale Road Trail starts near Perry Road...
The Kensington Metropark Trail forms a paved loop around Kent Lake in western Oakland County. The scenic area, which features 4,481 acres of hilly terrain around the large lake, is one of the most...
The Clinton River Spillway Trail passes through a mostly wooded corridor above and parallel to the spillway between Velger Boat Harbor on Lake St. Clair and Shady Side Park in Mt. Clemens. At the east...
The Lower Rouge River Recreation Trail closely follows the river for 4 miles through the town of Canton, located between the urban centers of Ann Arbor and Detroit. The compacted crushed stone pathway...
The Island Lake Connector Trail allows cyclists, pedestrians, and other residents of Green Oak Township to connect to the Island Lake Recreation Area. The trail sits on a converted railroad bed, and...
The Wadhams to Avoca Trail passes through 12 miles of woods and farmland in southeastern Michigan, but it’s the historic railroad bridge over Mill Creek that’s the big draw. Everyone from solo...
An extension of the paved paths that connect the Oakwoods, Willow, and Lower Huron Metroparks, the Oakwoods Metropark to Flat Rock Trail allows you to continue your trail experience into the small...
The aptly-named North-South Connector Trail provides a paved trail connection between the communities of Gibraltar and Trenton, in the area south of Detroit known as the Downriver. Part of a...
A short paved trail that runs from the city of Flint's Kellar Park to the newly refurbished Chevy Commons park along the Flint River, the Kettering Gateway Trail provides a useful link in the city's...
The Genesse Road Trail sits on the western side of Genessee Road in Grand Blanc. The neighborhood trail extends for just over 3/4-mile, from Perry Road in the South to Kings Fairway Lane at the north...
The Grosse Ile Trail is a smooth, paved route running nearly the entire north–south length of Grosse Ile, which rests in the Detroit River between mainland Michigan and Ontario, Canada. The trail...
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The Trolley Line Trail, which opened in 2009, runs north from the City of Clio to the Saginaw County line at Willard Road in Vienna Township. It is so-named because it occupies a corridor that once...
The M-5 Metro Trail runs for 2 miles between Commerce Township and the city of Novi in southeastern Michigan. The paved trail parallels the west side of its namesake roadway (also known as the...
Located atop Interstate 696 as it cuts through the Detroit suburbs of Oak Park and Southfield are the three parks. Back in the 1980s, the Orthodox Jewish community opposed the construction of this...
The Bridge to Bay Trail extends from the village of Lake Port on Lake Huron south to Algonac on the St. Clair River; however, only about 37.5 miles of the 54 planned miles are completed as of early...
Providing nearly two and a half miles of paved trail through a mixture of suburban and industrial land, the Brownstown Township Trail may not be much of a destination trail, but it is a great resource...
The Clinton River Trail is a 16-mile recreational trail on an abandoned rail line through the heart of Oakland County, including the cities of Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and...
Clocking in at just under a mile long, the Chevy Commons Trail provides a vital connection between the Genesee Valley Trail and the Flint River Trail, allowing trail users unfettered access to the...
Paved and mostly flat, the Huron Valley Trail links several suburban communities, parks, and a large recreation area while providing connections to a growing network of trails. Forming a lowercase...
Lohr-Textile Greenway is an asphalt sidepath stretching more than 4 miles. The path has two segments - one north-south along Lohr Road between West Ellsworth and Textile Roads. The segment continues...
The Border-to-Border Trail is a work in progress, which when complete, will stretch across Washtenaw County from its border with Livingston County in the northwest to Wayne County in the east. Much of...
The Island Lake Connector Trail allows cyclists, pedestrians, and other residents of Green Oak Township to connect to the Island Lake Recreation Area. The trail sits on a converted railroad bed, and...
With 4,461 acres of prime recreational lands, this top-rated park's scenic, hilly terrain surrounds beautiful 500-acre Stony Creek Lake. Park features include a nature center, a hike-bike trail,...
The Lower Rouge River Recreation Trail closely follows the river for 4 miles through the town of Canton, located between the urban centers of Ann Arbor and Detroit. The compacted crushed stone pathway...
The Dequindre Cut Greenway is a paved path nearly 2 miles long in downtown Detroit. The trail has separate lanes for bicyclists and pedestrians and you'll find entrance ramps at Lafayette Street,...
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The Flint River Trail begins near downtown at the University of Michigan-Flint campus and heads north along both sides of the Flint River to Bluebell Beach on the reservoir, a popular county park that...
The Kensington Metropark Trail forms a paved loop around Kent Lake in western Oakland County. The scenic area, which features 4,481 acres of hilly terrain around the large lake, is one of the most...
This trail is actually composed of two trails: the 2-mile Rouge River Gateway Greenway and the 17.5-mile Hines Park Trail, which create a seamless 19.5-mile connection between Dearborn and...
The Dequindre Cut Greenway is a paved path nearly 2 miles long in downtown Detroit. The trail has separate lanes for bicyclists and pedestrians and you'll find entrance ramps at Lafayette Street,...
Lohr-Textile Greenway is an asphalt sidepath stretching more than 4 miles. The path has two segments - one north-south along Lohr Road between West Ellsworth and Textile Roads. The segment continues...
Clocking in at just under a mile long, the Chevy Commons Trail provides a vital connection between the Genesee Valley Trail and the Flint River Trail, allowing trail users unfettered access to the...
The Applewood Trail connects Mott Community College and several city parks with the lengthy Flint River Trail, the backbone of the Flint area's trail network. The trail runs along the roadway through...
Closure Notice: Parts of the Milford Trail will be closed from June to October 2020 for the Saginaw Trail Pipeline project. A map of the affected area can be found on the project website. The...
A popular destination year-round for residents across the Detroit area, the Lake Erie Metropark offers a wide variety of activities and recreation sites across its 1600-plus acres. Nestled along the...
This is a dedicated sidepath in Grand Blanc that is suitable for a casual stroll, a quick jog or an easy ride. The trail sits on the north side of Grand Blanc Road, through mainly residential...
The George Atkin Jr. Recreational Trail winds along scenic Pine Run Creek in the City of Clio. From a hub downtown at Clio Park, the paved trail branches out through the city, providing access to a...
The Island Lake Connector Trail allows cyclists, pedestrians, and other residents of Green Oak Township to connect to the Island Lake Recreation Area. The trail sits on a converted railroad bed, and...
The Metro Connector Trail works as its name suggests, closing the gap between two local favorites in Novi: the M-5 Metro Trail and the I-275 Metro Trail. The trail begins on 13 Mile Road and then...
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Canton's ITC Corridor Trail makes use of a power-line utility corridor, converting this space that previously served as a barrier between neighborhoods into a means of connecting various parts of the...
The Lower Rouge River Recreation Trail closely follows the river for 4 miles through the town of Canton, located between the urban centers of Ann Arbor and Detroit. The compacted crushed stone pathway...
The Trolley Line Trail, which opened in 2009, runs north from the City of Clio to the Saginaw County line at Willard Road in Vienna Township. It is so-named because it occupies a corridor that once...
An extension of the paved paths that connect the Oakwoods, Willow, and Lower Huron Metroparks, the Oakwoods Metropark to Flat Rock Trail allows you to continue your trail experience into the small...
Along its 3.5-mile route, the RiverWalk offers breathtaking views of the Detroit River and city skyline. Recreational opportunities abound as the trail links Milliken State Park and numerous plazas...
The automotive industry has the most impact on Macomb County’s economy, but it’s the freshly picked apples and squeezed cider that leave lasting impressions on visitors to the Macomb Orchard Trail....
The Polly Ann Trail is a 34-mile long, non-motorized trail extending north from suburban Detroit on a former Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad corridor. The trail is managed separately by groups in...
A short paved trail that runs from the city of Flint's Kellar Park to the newly refurbished Chevy Commons park along the Flint River, the Kettering Gateway Trail provides a useful link in the city's...
I wallked the trail on Clinton River Park Trail on Monday Labor Day around 4 PM ..walk from Edison Street all the way up to Dodge Park if anybody has found a pair of prescription glasses can you email me please …
annam621@hotmail.com
Thank you! Anna👓
At the east end this trail starts near On The Dunes bar and sports venue. Lots of room for parking. The trail ends in Wixom, with several good options for snacks or a beverage. Our choice was the Drafting Table Brewery. Lots of other cyclers were headed further west for more drinking in South Lyon. Had a bite at On The Dunes when we got back to our car. As others have said, those with kids or serious riders may want to avoid due to the many roads that are crossed.
Beautiful gravel trail with lots of tree cover. You’d never know how close you are to populated areas. If you’re looking to add miles, the trail connects to other trails at both ends. Close to the north end, just north of the Clarkston Rd/Kent Rd intersection, there’s a nice new bridge that will take you to a wide paved sidewalk type trail that runs next to Clarkston road for 3 or so miles until you reach the Polly Ann Trail. (You’re never on the shoulder of Clarkston Rd - it’s separated.) At the south end, the trail connects to the Rochester RiverwLk (bikes allowed) and then to the Clinton River Trail for a short distance and then the Macon’s Or hard trail
The part of the trail that passes through Harrison Township has not been maintained. Very bumpy ride.
Very bumpy with many cracks! Not a good trail to ride.
Great trail and you can continue riding across bridge to Belle Isle with bike lanes!
Excellent and easy to access through Hudson mills metro park; poor signage through Dexter. The portion that is marked is fabulous.
The trail in through the middle is a little rough and not very scenic. The outside road around the island has spectacular views! I would highly recommend doing that.
I wouldn’t recommend riding this on a road bike. Bumpy, chunks missing and there’s a part where it forks with no markers to show which direction you should go. If you’re near 16 mile road it’s a straight shot to St. Clair Metro Park though. There’s some pretty pieces to the ride but it’s not gonna be a smooth one. I’d rather ride parallel roads or sidewalks than this if on a road bike.
There are some pluses and minuses -- both big and small -- to this trail, speaking specifically for cyclists, and mostly for cyclists seeking intermediate workouts.
First, the hills -- there are some HUGE hills. Like, if you encounter them on the tail end of your ride, or aren't in workout mode, you'll have to walk. Or, you'll have to generate almost an unadvisable degree of speed on the preceding downhill. None of which are pleasant really. Related to this, as I still like the trail, I would start in Dearborn Heights (though parking might be harder) so the return trip is more downhill. If you do the whole thing, you're gonna be nearing 35/40 miles, which for me is rather long.
I did notice that most of the other, more pro, cyclists (road bikes, biking jerseys) are on the road itself. There is enough room for one rider, two super confident, to ride on the shoulder. But that's not my thing. The cars zip along at 50 even 60mph at times ... and I don't need to be the tertiary casualty in some auto mayhem.
That's related to another not so awesome aspect. This bike trail is alongside a busy road for most, if not all, of the path. The road does go through a series of amazing parks -- but you're still kinda next to a road. I think its single lane, no massive trucks, but people speeding, revving things, etc. There are some beautiful views ... but you're never really surrounded by nature at all, except for a few spots, mostly when you're going over or around highways. Also, if you take a little detour -- it's not really easy to get back to the bike path. I got lost and ended up coming back the same way I came whenever I tried this.
Back to the parks -- I saw about 15 little parks on my 30 mile back and forth ride. They were all beautifully maintained and had some sick cool gear. I think I even saw a mini skate or BMX park. So if you're looking to casually cruise and find some jungle gyms and other non-traditional park stuff. This could be fun. They also have so many (in one particular area) of those cross fit type workout stations ... like 10/12 of them. So if you want to be all Rocky/Drago and squeeze in some strength training, this is ideal. Most seem to be well maintained, a couple of the boring ones had more weeds.
In terms of nature -- I saw some HUGE blue heron, a curious bunny, and some green heron ... some beautiful finches kept racing me, and a little turtle on a log, who ran for it when I circled back around to try to take a pic. So, you can see lots, but you're not totally surrounded by it, or enveloped in it like some other trails.
There are some turns in the path -- across intersections -- that could be marked WAAAAAY better. I can't recall seeing a bike path sign at two of the more confusing ones. I had to kinda hop off and look for the asphalt.
The path can be REALLY narrow around turns ... like dangerously so. Some turns are on park paths, but quite a few -- 3 to 4 -- are on underpasses and bridges. There is room enough for only one bike total -- I biked on a hot humid mid-Day weekday ... so it was not crowded, but these could be REALLY scary. And, I saw only one, walk your bike sign ... for these 4 spots. if you're not paying attention and its feeling sparse, but actually not, you could eat it so badly and end up over your bars on the road! So, yeah, walk your bike ...
Several spots flood significantly -- in my 30 mile ride, I had to go around twice ... like massive mini-pond length 200 feet of water, deeper than 3-4 inches. Also, there were at least 6-7 spots where runoff/sediment was significant enough that I had to slow down totally or risk sliding/falling on my hybrid bike. Like 20-30 foot patches of dried mud tracks, loose sand and gravel.
Ok, so this sounds like a lot of downers, so why the 4? Most of the above is just stuff to know so you'll be safe or choose a path wisely. I didn't mind most of what I listed -- and on the plus side, if you prep for the hills or even know about them. This is a GREAT intermediate verging on expert 40 mile workout ... that still, even with the road, gets you close to and enjoying SE Michigan's lovely flora and fauna. I'll do it again but not gonna be one of my faves.
We enjoyed riding this trail, but you have to watch out for uneven spots.
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