Explore the best rated trails in Grand Rapids, MI, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Rail Trail and Fred Meijer Flat River Trail . With more than 43 trails covering 758 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.
A mostly sunny trail, with bits of shade here and there, road crossings are semi-frequent, so if you're looking to build up speed, this trail might not be for you. With that said, I would recommend this trail to anyone whose looking for a good trail.
This trail is a completely open to the sun, offering views of local businesses, but nothing truly jaw dropping, with a nice round trip. Noise from traffic is the only real downside.
This sunny trail has some slight hills and tight curves near the end, after taking you through dense woods and weed fields, so consider giving it a try.
10/10 for getting back to nature. 1/10 for road surface. The roads in Michigan are horrible, so I'm not sure why I thought the paths would be better.
It's a great round trip, and it can open up to the sun & wind and other times plant life closes in for some shade.
While smooth, most of the trail is ballast & crushed stone, which for me made it very hard to keep my speed up.
I might consider skipping this one and looking elsewhere.
Boy, was I disappointed! Worst rails trails I have ever been on. No upkeep whatsoever, June 7th, 2025.
A good that's slightly marred by a brief urban stint, you'll thankfully spend most of your time in a nature setting with this route.
Mostly flat, you'll get both sun & shade with this trail, though sights are few.
You can also use this trail to link up with multiple other trails in Portage, including Millennium Trail, Lovers Lane Bikeway, Romence Road Bikeway, Shaver Road Bikeway, and Northwest Portage Bikeway.
Cadillac to Leroy nice, flat and pavement is very good. Very few bumps. About a mile south of Leroy it gets closer to highway in going to Reed City. Not bad but not as quiet and nature filled. Trail mostly shaded. Loved it.
On Saturday, May 24th, I was cycling 50 miles on the trail between Elwell and Stanton. I was on an out-and-back trip. On the trip back I saw a golden-tawny animal sitting on the trail. I stopped riding quite a distance away from it, maybe 400-500 feet away. The cougar was sitting on the trail and then leaped into the woods and away from me. I knew it was a cougar when I saw its long tail and sleek movement back into the woods. My gut said to turn around. I was far enough away on my bike to turn around and book it out of there. My goal was to get a 1 1/2 miles away and closer to Edmore where I could have help if needed. So, I decided to go around the area it was located. I took a paved road to a dirt road to loop around the woods it was in. I ended up back on the trail and had a longer ride than expected but was safe. The cougar was seen between Deja and Cedar Lake Road. Through research I've found there have been cougar sightings in Montcalm County over the years. I've reported this to the DNR and emailed the Freinds of the Heartland Trail. Overall, great ride and I was safe. The trail is fairly bumpy and root filled between Elwell and Vestaburg. Smoother sailing between Edmore and Stanton. Loved the tree canopy as it was very low and beautiful in some parts. Also, seeing the landscape change from a flatter Central Michigan to the beautiful rolling hills of Western Michigan was stunning. Road crossings became sandier as there is more sand in West Michigan. I would say this compares to the rural nature of the White Pine Trail that runs between Big Rapids and Cadillac. Road crossings between Elwell and Stanton were a breeze, quite calm, and peaceful. Now for some signage on cougars would that keep riders, walkers, and runners, safer and more aware. Just be aware, be prepared, and have protection such as bear spray, pepper spray, noise makers, etc.
BCT is a great experience for anyone looking for a worthwhile trail.
Buck Creek river runs alongside most of the trail, providing a comforting susurrus.
Nature is in abundance throughout the entire trail, with some urban popping up here and there. Bird poop is everywhere in the Wedgwood Park section, so check shoes/bike tires.
Pavement is mostly smooth, with the exception of Wedgwood Park, where it can be a little bumpy.
I would recommend this trail to anyone looking.
The first section is very rough with potholes and bumps everywhere, the path itself is very narrow with no scenery to speak of.
The second section is a vast improvement of the first, as the path is wider and free from cracks and holes but with nothing to see except power lines, and road crossings are very common in this part.
I might consider skipping this one.
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