Find the top rated trails in South Lyon, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Lower Rouge River Recreation Trail closely follows the river for 4 miles through the town of Canton on the western outskirts of Detroit. The compacted crushed stone pathway includes eight wooden...
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...
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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. Another segment takes you...
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...
Tradition says that Michigan has 11,000 lakes. The eastern section of the Lakelands Trail State Park passes through a chain of them as it rolls from the town of Hamburg and Lakeland to Munith some 26...
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...
The arrow-straight Jackson Intercity Trail follows the old rail bed of the former Michigan Central Railroad for 3.4 miles through the southwest section of Jackson. The trail provides a nice...
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 West Bloomfield Trail sails along for nearly 7 miles through a municipality that claims to be one of the wettest in the nation—not from rainfall but from the sheer number of lakes (28), ponds...
The Sycamore Trail, which opened in October 2014, provides an important connection between two other trails in Delhi Charter Township, on the south end of Lansing. At the trail’s northern end, it...
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...
Clinton River Park Trail winds along the east bank of its namesake river in Sterling Heights, a northern suburb of Detroit. The paved trail runs through a tranquil, wooded area; keep a lookout for...
The Valhalla Trail runs for just over a mile in Delhi Charter Township, a southern suburb of Lansing. Its northern half is wooded and winds through Valhalla Park, which offers a swimming beach,...
The Milford Trail connects the Village of Milford with the popular Kensington Metropark in Oakland County. The winding trail offers plenty of scenery as it travels through woodlands and...
The Lansing River Trail traces the course of three waterways for more than 25 miles across Michigan’s capital city. Visiting all four main points of the compass in Lansing, the trail provides a route...
The Black Creek Nature Trail begins at the Davison Township Municipal Center and winds its way to the trail system in the City of Davison’s Jack Abernathy Regional Park. Travelers on the trail will...
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...
You won’t find this trail’s name on the ground: the continuous stretch is actually made up of the scenic trails within Oakwoods Metropark, Willow Metropark and Lower Huron Metropark, as well as a...
Lapeer’s Linear Park Pathway courses through the city, connecting several parks with residences and businesses. A portion of the trail runs on a former railroad corridor; the same one now home to the...
The Russell Street to Patterson Street Trail links the two roads via a former railroad corridor in Tecumseh. Located in a residential area nearly equidistant between downtown Tecumseh to the north and...
The Granger Meadows Park Trail forms a loop around the 76-acre park in DeWitt Township, just north of Lansing. The park was built and donated by Granger III and Associates, a local trash and recycling...
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 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...
Lapeer’s Linear Park Pathway courses through the city, connecting several parks with residences and businesses. A portion of the trail runs on a former railroad corridor; the same one now home to the...
The Dequindre Cut Greenway is a paved path nearly 2 miles long in downtown Detroit. The trail has separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians and you'll find entrance ramps at Lafayette Street,...
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...
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...
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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 Sycamore Trail, which opened in October 2014, provides an important connection between two other trails in Delhi Charter Township, on the south end of Lansing. At the trail’s northern end, it...
The new Riverbend Preserve in southern Washtenaw County features 58 acres of wetlands on both sides of the Raisin River. The area is a common resting place for migratory birds on their trek across the...
Tradition says that Michigan has 11,000 lakes. The eastern section of the Lakelands Trail State Park passes through a chain of them as it rolls from the town of Hamburg and Lakeland to Munith some 26...
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...
The arrow-straight Jackson Intercity Trail follows the old rail bed of the former Michigan Central Railroad for 3.4 miles through the southwest section of Jackson. The trail provides a nice...
The Northern Tier Trail winds through East Lansing on the outskirts of Michigan's capital, offering miles of paved pathway through tree-lined areas and wetlands. The 10-foot-wide trail connects...
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 Metro Parkway Trail—also known as the Freedom Trail—parallels the busy Metropolitan Parkway (16 Mile Road) through urban Macomb County. You'll find many street crossings throughout a mix of...
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. Another segment takes you...
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...
You won’t find this trail’s name on the ground: the continuous stretch is actually made up of the scenic trails within Oakwoods Metropark, Willow Metropark and Lower Huron Metropark, as well as a...
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The Kiwanis Trail occupies an old railroad bed between Adrian and the southern edge of Tecumseh. The trail is currently the only open component of a much longer proposed regional greenway trail. In...
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 Ram Trail is a close to 2-mile trail beginning at Holt High School where there is access to tennis courts, soccer fields, softball and baseball diamonds and playgrounds. The trail runs eastward...
The Valhalla Trail runs for just over a mile in Delhi Charter Township, a southern suburb of Lansing. Its northern half is wooded and winds through Valhalla Park, which offers a swimming beach,...
The new Riverbend Preserve in southern Washtenaw County features 58 acres of wetlands on both sides of the Raisin River. The area is a common resting place for migratory birds on their trek across the...
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 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 Kiwanis Trail occupies an old railroad bed between Adrian and the southern edge of Tecumseh. The trail is currently the only open component of a much longer proposed regional greenway trail. In...
The Metro Parkway Trail—also known as the Freedom Trail—parallels the busy Metropolitan Parkway (16 Mile Road) through urban Macomb County. You'll find many street crossings throughout a mix of...
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...
The Milford Trail connects the Village of Milford with the popular Kensington Metropark in Oakland County. The winding trail offers plenty of scenery as it travels through woodlands and...
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 Lower Rouge River Recreation Trail closely follows the river for 4 miles through the town of Canton on the western outskirts of Detroit. The compacted crushed stone pathway includes eight wooden...
The hard surface trail runs from Creasey Bicentennial Park to the Western edge of Grand Blanc Township. Beginning at the park on Grand Blanc Road, the trail takes you past a dog park and athletic...
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 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...
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...
The Russell Street to Patterson Street Trail links the two roads via a former railroad corridor in Tecumseh. Located in a residential area nearly equidistant between downtown Tecumseh to the north and...
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 Genesee Valley Trail provides a pleasant, nearly 2-mile route on the western outskirts of Flint. The paved trail runs mostly at a diagonal from just north of Genesee Valley Center to Corunna...
Clinton River Park Trail winds along the east bank of its namesake river in Sterling Heights, a northern suburb of Detroit. The paved trail runs through a tranquil, wooded area; keep a lookout for...
Just want to advise that parking for the Kiwanis Trail is available at Bent Oak Crossing park, located where the trail crosses Bent Oak Highway
Signage could be improved, especially at crossroads within the trails and parks. I walked the paved path to the end and then took the dirt (bike) path back. The variety was nice.
I’ve walked, ran and rode this trail since mid nineties, and before it was widened, grated and crushed limestone base added. Never had a problem with adjacent property owners until recently. There’s a “home caretaker “ about a quarter mile east of Lowell road, south side (pond berm butts up against rail trail, windmill clearly visible) that likes to stand out there at his “post” and ensure neither you nor your dogs land a foot off the limestone and onto “his land”. I’m aware that this same kid has had run-ins with DNR and deer hunters exercising their right to hunt on buffers. Other than that, I’ve had no problems, and enjoy my time out there.
I would give this 5 Stars for everything north of Dort Highway! Definitely would recommend the northern segments traveling through the Genesee Recreational Area.
I tackled most of this trail entirely on inline skates starting from Kettering University to where it splits at Stepping Stone Falls. From the Falls, the trail links to Bluebell Beach and then back around through the Bluegill Boat Launch park. From Bluegill, the trail continues East as part of the huge ongoing Michigan Iron Belle Trail project! I have not yet skated on the two short branches that end at McLaren Hospital and Mott Community College.
The northern segment past Dort Hwy. winds through the woods surrounding Mott Lake with plenty of gradual slopes. The very twisty segment through Bluegill is a blast on inline skates!
The urban segments of the trail start by McLaren Hospital and Kettering University and then passes Atwood Stadium and Carriage Town into downtown Flint. In the downtown segment you can pass through UofM's campus and branch over to Mott CC. This urban section is pretty fun on skates and is a nice change of pace from my usual skate through wooded areas!
Now I would caution users traveling between 5th Ave and Dort Highway that this segment passes through a rougher residential area and is not very well maintained. As it currently is, I would consider this the skippable segment which knocked one star off of my rating. Now maybe this segment has a brighter future since it is part of the ongoing MI Iron Belle Trail project, but I am unaware if there are any current plans for renovation.
With that being said, there are several volunteer organizations in addition to the police that patrol the trail to keep it safe for all users. The Genesee Rec. Area definitely feels very safe throughout and again I highly recommend the northern portions of trail.
Rode this trail on inline skates with ease! This is a nice trail that manages to escape the commercial sections of Flint.
I parked at Kettering University which has video surveillance and rode all the way to where the trail currently ends at the Genesee Valley Mall. From Kettering, the trail passes through some residential areas before briefly traveling along the busy Corunna Road stretch. But then the trail makes a turn into a quiet wooded area where it would not seem like a mall is nearby! I saw quite a few people were biking and running the trail including several Crim Fitness groups.
The busy crossings at Court St. and Corunna Rd. both have push-to-cross buttons to stop cars for trail users. The other relatively busy crossings at Ballenger Hwy. and Lennon Rd. have "buffer curbs" so trail users can cross half of the road and safely stand in the middle before crossing the second half.
This trail connects to the Flint River Trail and the ongoing huge MI Iron Belle trail. If you head North East on the Flint River trail, you can get to downtown flint including the University of Michigan and then continue all the way into the Genesee Recreational Area.
Decided to post this review because there are no recent ones. This is an amazing trail! We rode it today, from Columbiaville to Millington, had lunch at the Millington Inn (great breakfasts and burgers), and rode back to Columbiaville, 20 miles. True to the description, it had gentle slope increases to Otter Lake, and then down again, with some leveling off. Lots of sun and tons of shade; we never got hot. All asphalt, in great shape! Wildlife included chipmunks, squirrels, and a woodchuck! Such a gem! It will be a gorgeous ride in the fall when the colors change. Highly recommend!!!!
I was ready to abandon gravel-surfaced trails after riding from Ovid through St. Johns to Fowler. In this section it is all farmland (although picturesque farmhouses and fields), very little tree canopy, the surface is sometimes rough, you rarely see another rider, and you can hear M21 the whole way.
And THEN I discovered what happens once you hit Pewamo and west to Saranac. The trail completely changes into wooded forest/wetland/river views, lots of bridges over rivers and streams, and even the gravel surface gets more uniform, perhaps because of higher traffic.
I WILL say that St. Johns, Fowler, and Pewamo, have newly-restored depots with beautiful facilities. Someone has spent a lot of money, and I couldn't help but think how much more they'd be used if these trails were paved. It would increase usage twenty fold. Even tiny Muir has a lovely park along the trail, as did Saranac and Ionia.
Good condition for cycling and flat. The lakes make for a scenic ride and you can increase the distance easily with a few detours.
Sad that I can’t give this a higher rating, as I use to run on it for many years. Now as a cyclist I see it from a different aspect and it it not a great biking trail . For being such an urban gem, parts of it are just horrible to ride. A shame that with this being the capital city and where many associations are located that there is so little improvement and expansion of this trail.
Moved from Lake Orion to Imlay City and boy were we spoiled. We had the Paint Creek Trail and a portion of the Polly Ann Trail available to us in Lake Orion, both were very nice. In Imlay City, though? It's hardly a "bike path." The portion within the city is paved and nice, but beyond the city north or south is overgrown and impossible to bike. We have been quite disappointed with this trail since our move. I would love to be able to bike all the way to Lake Orion again and connect to the Paint Creek for Rochester. This trail needs some serious attention!
Tried this on a new bike yesterday and it was DELIGHTFUL!! It was a wonderful trip through open meadows, wetlands and climax forest areas along the south bank of the Huron River (not always visible - but close based on chatter from people in rafts/canoes/etc.). There’s a small street connector thru Dexter but this is minimal - and Dexter is a wonderful town for a meal/rest/drink/chat.
Pavement is smooth as a baby’s butt and there are no challenging hills. It’s just a very pleasant, easy ride and I enjoyed myself very much!
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