Explore the best rated trails in Midland, MI. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Chippewa Trail and Vassar Rail Trail. With more than 26 trails covering 287 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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The Southern Links Trailway is a 10-mile rail-trail that connects the communities of Columbiaville, Otter Lake and Millington in central Michigan. While the trail is paved with smooth asphalt, an...
The Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee (CIS) Rail Trail stretches 41 miles between the mid-Michigan towns of Ionia and Owosso, offering a mix of pastoral and wooded landscapes. It crosses three...
The Bay County Riverwalk/Railtrail System connects a nature trail in a wildlife refuge on the shores of Lake Huron to a loop trail around the bustling port of Bay City. From the same 17-mile paved...
The Zilwaukee Pathway offers a paved route through the eastern Michigan city of Zilwaukee. It begins on the western shore of the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee Riverfront Park, where you'll find parking,...
The Pere Marquette State Trail, managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, begins in Clare and courses for 53 miles west through beautiful woodlands and fields to Baldwin. If you want to...
The Vassar Rail Trail weaves through the small community of Vassar, Michigan. The trail segment built on a former railroad corridor is located on the western bank of the Cass River and is perhaps the...
The Genesee Valley Trail is a paved, multi-use pathway that helps to link suburban areas in Flint Township with the downtown core of the city of Flint, giving cyclists and pedestrians a convenient...
The Saginaw Valley Rail Trail offers a year-round rural retreat from the urban confines of Saginaw. Rolling through a continuous woodsy border past farms, fields, and game areas for 11 miles, 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...
Many factors contribute to the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail’s popularity. It runs for 30 miles on smooth asphalt that is well maintained and, at 14 feet, wide enough to ride or walk side-by-side. At...
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...
Freeland Pathway is a 2.5 mile trail in Tittawabassee Township in Freeland, Michigan. The trail is a smooth ribbon of asphalt paralleling Midland Road (SR 47), and features some inclines, although it...
The Chippewa Trail offers a paved 4-mile route from Midland to the Chippewa Nature Center, part of a beautiful 1,200-acre preserve, where you'll find a wildlife viewing area, river overlook and...
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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 Harger Line Rail-Trail runs for an arrow-straight 10 miles through farmland in rural Saginaw County. The trail opened in 2008, two years after the underlying Harger Line Railway corridor was...
The Thomas Township Trail provides a paved, north-south route of just over 2 miles through this Michigan community. It begins at a connection with the popular Saginaw Valley Rail Trail, which heads...
The paved Fred Meijer Heartland Trail rolls for 42 miles through farmland and forests in central Michigan as it links a half-dozen rural towns with recreational opportunities. Its route follows the...
This trail continues right where the Kochville Township Multi-use Pathway, on Tittawabasee Road. (In fact, the two trails are sometimes referred to as the Kochville-Saginaw Pathway). It occupies the...
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...
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 Harger Line Rail-Trail runs for an arrow-straight 10 miles through farmland in rural Saginaw County. The trail opened in 2008, two years after the underlying Harger Line Railway corridor was...
The Saginaw Valley Rail Trail offers a year-round rural retreat from the urban confines of Saginaw. Rolling through a continuous woodsy border past farms, fields, and game areas for 11 miles, the...
The Hampton Township Nature Trail is a 2-mile gravel trail that begins at Finn Road Park winding through marshy areas, woods, skirts farm fields, and ending at a boat launch on Jones Road. Along the...
The Bay County Riverwalk/Railtrail System connects a nature trail in a wildlife refuge on the shores of Lake Huron to a loop trail around the bustling port of Bay City. From the same 17-mile paved...
The Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee (CIS) Rail Trail stretches 41 miles between the mid-Michigan towns of Ionia and Owosso, offering a mix of pastoral and wooded landscapes. It crosses three...
The Thomas Township Trail provides a paved, north-south route of just over 2 miles through this Michigan community. It begins at a connection with the popular Saginaw Valley Rail Trail, which heads...
The Genesee Valley Trail is a paved, multi-use pathway that helps to link suburban areas in Flint Township with the downtown core of the city of Flint, giving cyclists and pedestrians a convenient...
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 Southern Links Trailway is a 10-mile rail-trail that connects the communities of Columbiaville, Otter Lake and Millington in central Michigan. While the trail is paved with smooth asphalt, an...
The Zilwaukee Pathway offers a paved route through the eastern Michigan city of Zilwaukee. It begins on the western shore of the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee Riverfront Park, where you'll find parking,...
This trail continues right where the Kochville Township Multi-use Pathway, on Tittawabasee Road. (In fact, the two trails are sometimes referred to as the Kochville-Saginaw Pathway). It occupies the...
The Vassar Rail Trail weaves through the small community of Vassar, Michigan. The trail segment built on a former railroad corridor is located on the western bank of the Cass River and is perhaps the...
The Chippewa Trail offers a paved 4-mile route from Midland to the Chippewa Nature Center, part of a beautiful 1,200-acre preserve, where you'll find a wildlife viewing area, river overlook and...
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 shared use trail snakes across the township hitting its most important landmarks in the process, including Saginaw Valley State University in the north, Krossroads Park in the east, and Kochville...
The Pere Marquette State Trail, managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, begins in Clare and courses for 53 miles west through beautiful woodlands and fields to Baldwin. If you want to...
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...
Freeland Pathway is a 2.5 mile trail in Tittawabassee Township in Freeland, Michigan. The trail is a smooth ribbon of asphalt paralleling Midland Road (SR 47), and features some inclines, although it...
The paved Fred Meijer Heartland Trail rolls for 42 miles through farmland and forests in central Michigan as it links a half-dozen rural towns with recreational opportunities. Its route follows the...
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 Pere Marquette State Trail, managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, begins in Clare and courses for 53 miles west through beautiful woodlands and fields to Baldwin. If you want to...
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 Chippewa Trail offers a paved 4-mile route from Midland to the Chippewa Nature Center, part of a beautiful 1,200-acre preserve, where you'll find a wildlife viewing area, river overlook and...
The Thomas Township Trail provides a paved, north-south route of just over 2 miles through this Michigan community. It begins at a connection with the popular Saginaw Valley Rail Trail, which heads...
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...
Many factors contribute to the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail’s popularity. It runs for 30 miles on smooth asphalt that is well maintained and, at 14 feet, wide enough to ride or walk side-by-side. At...
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...
Eastern Michigan's 7-mile Bay-Zil Rail Trail is lined with trees and traverses picturesque farmland. The paved rail-trail follows the former Detroit and Mackinac Railway, which hauled both timber and...
Beginning near downtown Midland, the Grand Curve Trail travels east for over 4 miles. The trail starts at the rotunda that hosts the Midland Area Farmers Market, near the Tridge, a three-way bridge...
The paved Fred Meijer Heartland Trail rolls for 42 miles through farmland and forests in central Michigan as it links a half-dozen rural towns with recreational opportunities. Its route follows the...
The Zilwaukee Pathway offers a paved route through the eastern Michigan city of Zilwaukee. It begins on the western shore of the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee Riverfront Park, where you'll find parking,...
The Genesee Valley Trail is a paved, multi-use pathway that helps to link suburban areas in Flint Township with the downtown core of the city of Flint, giving cyclists and pedestrians a convenient...
The Saginaw Valley Rail Trail offers a year-round rural retreat from the urban confines of Saginaw. Rolling through a continuous woodsy border past farms, fields, and game areas for 11 miles, the...
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 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...
Freeland Pathway is a 2.5 mile trail in Tittawabassee Township in Freeland, Michigan. The trail is a smooth ribbon of asphalt paralleling Midland Road (SR 47), and features some inclines, although it...
The Vassar Rail Trail weaves through the small community of Vassar, Michigan. The trail segment built on a former railroad corridor is located on the western bank of the Cass River and is perhaps the...
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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 Hampton Township Nature Trail is a 2-mile gravel trail that begins at Finn Road Park winding through marshy areas, woods, skirts farm fields, and ending at a boat launch on Jones Road. Along the...
The Bay County Riverwalk/Railtrail System connects a nature trail in a wildlife refuge on the shores of Lake Huron to a loop trail around the bustling port of Bay City. From the same 17-mile paved...
We have come back to this one many times because of the mostly flat, paved trail. It’s lovely with its tree-covered tunnels along most of the trail.
Started at the trailhead in St. Charles, plenty of parking, single unisex pit toilet, water fountain, and bike repair station. The path heads north and immediately crosses the Bad River on a former train trestle, then proceeds for about 9.5 miles through alternating areas of trees and farmlands. There are a few gazebos with picnic tables along the trail if you want to stop, and restrooms are also available at about the mid-point trailhead at Van Wormer and Swan Creek Roads.
At Stroebel Road there's another trailhead, and from here the trail heads southeast as a suburban bike path. Per the TrailLink map, it ends at Center Road, but if you want a bit more mileage you can continue north along the west side of Center for about another mile to the intersection with Michigan, where the roadside trail ends. If you choose to take that last section, you'll also cross the Tittabawassee River.
The trail is very well-maintained asphalt all the way, with very few bumps or irregularities. The grade is very gentle the whole way, no significant hills or rises; a smooth, nice ride! As with most longer trails, the Saginaw Valley Rail-Trail is busier at each end, and I had the center section pretty much to myself on a Friday afternoon.
This is a nice, paved trail that is perfect for biking, running, or walking. The signs made the trail easy to follow. I’m glad I found this trail for a nice run while I was in town for the weekend. I felt safe on this trail, though it was bright and clear out.
The trail north of Carpenter Rd is very nice and well maintained. It appears that this part of the trail is very popular as it goes through Stepping Stone Falls (which is very pretty). The trail south of Carpenter Rd is not very well maintained: broken pavement, lots of debris, many fallen limbs. All in all, had a great time. Beautiful 72 degree weather in November.
This was a great trail! There were some halloween decorations and pumpkins ro find along the path. It was so quiet and pretty! I'd say the best trail I've been on so far! Can't wait to donit again!
My wife and I rode this trail in September of 2020. I totally enjoyed it! Perfect for a Gravel, Cross, or Mountain Bike. Rideable on a road bike... though probably not comfortable. The surface is still a little soft in some areas, so anything with larger tires would be ideal. It's straight as an arrow, but plenty to see on either side. The best scenery I thought was between St. Johns and Ionia. The trail is paved through the towns... where there's opportunity to stop for water/snacks/food. We had lunch in Ionia at a cafe downtown. We parked where the trail crosses Smith Road just outside of Owasso. There's a paved parking lot behind Budget Tire and the EMS building.
Its right in the heart of downtown Flint and its peaceful, open and quiet. The best part is that it connects to the Flint River Trail.
Great trail.. from Clare to Sanford.. where trail is closed due the destruction from the Dam. First time on the trail and I love it.. people were riding across the barriers ..we opted to drive around.. then rode from Sanford to Midland. This part brought sadness for the devastation of those that lost so much. Great trail and I can’t wait to ride from Clare to Baldwin next time.
I've been a user of the Fred Meijer M-21 trail since before it was restored to a trail. I've enjoyed walking, running, and biking it.
I would say for the most part, the route gets more and more intersting the further west you go. Though it's pretty neat running through the towns of Ovid, St. Johns, and Fowler, there isn't much inbetween other than cornfields. The west side of Ovid has some nice ponds and turns to the trail. However, you are a ways off the road M21, the paths surrounded by trees on both sides, and beyond that are more cornfields.
The scenery doesn't change much untill you hit Pewamo. From Pewamo to Saranac, the trail has numerous bridges over water and M21, some of which are very large and impressive. The trail is built above the river below, which makes for more to see and experience.
Unfortunatly, since many of these towns are distanced from each other, it's very likely you can go 7-8 miles without seeing anyone else on the trail. The only stretches paved are for a mile east and west out of each town. The soft gravel/sand is great for running, but will slow down mountain bikes, and be nearly impossible for bikes with skinny tires.
It would be great if it one day the whole thing was paved. I would love to see it exended further west to connect with trails in Ada and Grand Rapids. Another opportunity would be to extend it further east to Flint and those trails. Additionally, theres another opportunity to extend it north from St. Johns to Ithaca, to connect with the Highway 27 Trails.
This is a perfect paved path for rollerblading. Very smooth. I would say primarily tree covered. Not hilly at all. If there are inclines it’s very gradual and you can’t tell. Highly recommend this trail
I rode the trail, July 25, 2020, from Midland to Clare and back. It was a hot and beautiful day, but the trail road easily. Well groomed and picturesque, a combination of wooded area and farmland. Headed back Labor Day weekend to ride the Tridge section of the trail. Would recommend the trail to riders of all levels. There are many spots between Midland and Clare where one could park and start and/or finish the ride without the need to complete the 30 mile route. Enjoy!
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TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
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