We attempted to ride this trail in two different towns. The trail has not been kept up. Some areas had Thick Loose gravel and other areas it was a grassy field with no path. We couldn’t ride it. No stars can be given!

The trail is a mixed bag. The northern end is presently under development. I rode the trail in early October 2021, and they were in the process of paving the northern 3 or 4 miles. It will be wide and nice, while at the same time traversing multiple crossroads that will require you to stop more often then desired, As you move south, the trail connects with Ottawa park, which also includes multiple connected trails that are in pretty good condition and cut through woods and recreation areas, definitely one of the nicer aspects of the trail. Continuing further south, most riders will be disappointed. The trail, while paved, is old with multiple tree trunk bumps, (roots that have heaved the asphalt) some that will jar your nerves as much as your hands and seat. At the far south end, the trail will once again become worth riding. It's not a trail you will want to travel a distance to come ride. But if you are local and just want to get out and go, this might be a good option. I am semi local, and probably won't go out of my way again until more improvements are done, especially when Toledo has so many great trails within a short drive multiple directions. (See university trail, wabash, or Towpath, as three examples)

Very good trail and lake, great workout and beautiful scenery.

Only ride thru the park/lake area. If you leave the park it’s all sidewalks and main streets. The lake is beautiful to look at but that’s about it!!

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.

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.

This trail would be so much nicer but need mowed on the sides, better signs and trail markers. We are from Pennsylvania and it was nice to see the river and would have loved to see the rowing team practicing hence our neighbor is a rowing coach. Will or would we come back to this trail…..not anytime soon….

If you're looking for a very easy, flat ride that traverses through lush, green countryside (at least in mid-August), this is one for you. Really, this trail was in remarkably good shape. It's extremely straight (we celebrated the 3 or 4 curves!). Very few walkers and just a few bikers on a Saturday morning. The trail is wide (8 - 10 ft) and there are spotless bathroom facilities at both ends. Park at the Black Swamp trail head--the trail head that's listed on Google Maps is at a Montessori school and there are signs posted there that prohibit parking. 26 - 27 miles out and back on the Slippery Elm.

We rode the Slippery Elm in the morning and then drove over to Providence Park in Grand Rapids, Ohio (about 20 minutes from Bowling Green) and rode about 5 miles out and back of the 10 mile gravel Towpath Ohio - Erie through the woods in the afternoon. Totally contrasting experiences--really nice for one full day of biking, about 37 miles total. Found a great restaurant in Bowling Green--"The Clay Pot"--for dinner. Highly recommended if you're looking for slightly upscale, delicious food!