Explore the best rated trails in Tawas City, MI, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Tawas Bay Pedestrian and Bike Path and Fraser Township Trail (Iron Belle Trail) . With more than 6 trails covering 46 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.
My wife and myself enjoyed this trail so much. Very smooth and well maintained trail.
This is one of my local trails so I know the route, but I can see how a new rider would get lost because it isn’t marked well at all. I like to park at the trailhead on Young’s Ditch over by Meijer and ride the city loop, then I take the trail up to the state park to ride the trails through the marsh. It totals roughly 30 miles since the trail up to the State Park is an out-and-back trail. Im giving it 3 stars for the public since it isn’t marked well, but I would personally give it 5 stars since I know the route…
Rode from Bay City State park into town and onto the boardwalk area. Without a map this trail would be very hard to follow. The painted arrows on the pavement are worn off and barely visible. They are also only in 20% of the places needed. The attendant at the state park gave us a heads up about the poor signage and where to turn when passing Castaways to keep with the trail through a neighborhood to connect back up.
I didn’t see this trail listed. It connects to the Tawas Trail. It is 6.5 miles long. It parallels US 23 , but does go up and around. There is a bridge and and off path which lead to the water! I think it needs to be added.
Rode from Bay City State Park, very pretty and well paved. Not so great into the city area—rough pavement, trail goes on sidewalks through neighborhoods and into industrial areas, poorly marked; existing arrows on pavement need repainting. Nice again along Saginaw River. Very glad for Trail Link when I lost my way.
Part of this trail runs along US 23, which is boring, but the trail goes closer to the water by Alabaster (search the history of the gypsum mine). We parked in Tawas, rode north to the lighthouse, came back and had lunch, then drove to Alabaster Road and rode the trail there.
This trail is not made for road biking.
Wonderful ride today. I went a little off course so not only did I do the route, I managed to get in 26 miles. Lots of scenery, different kinds of turns and twists. Great overall. Nice paved sidewalks for most of the time.
My sister talked me into doing the Lansing Riverwalk trail a week ago, and I was hooked for my first time ever riding a bike on a trail. As I impatiently waited for our next trail ride to Bay City, we looked up reviews, and I'm glad we did. Thankfully, we were prepared for the challenges. We parked at Veteran's Memorial Park and headed out from there. As several reviews stated the trail was poorly marked, so our first stop was not far at the ice cream shop where we asked for directions. As we got a little further into an industrial section, a gentleman passing by overheard us question if we were going the right way, so he casually responded, yes you are. After crossing a couple busy intersections with traffic, we rode until we came to the state park, and when the water view emerges, the view is breathtaking and worth the ride. Our view & course changed again when we entered into a forest area. Again, it was breathtaking, even with a few bouts of challenging sand. Once we got back to our starting point, we rode a little further the other way, and discovered a whole new area of beauty on the waterfront. We kept getting an aroma in the air of what smelled like peanut butter, but was informed by some locals it was the sugar beet plant. Overall we rode 25 miles, and for only my 2nd course and a few challenges, I am even more hooked now. The fact that it does not cost a cent, you get to see some really cool things along the way, meet some amazing people, and the memories are priceless make it well worth the adventure. We also decided to start trying new eating spots as well before our ride, so this time we stopped at Mr. Hot Dog in Bay City. Food was awesome and it was actually cheaper than stopping at fast food. Our Lansing ride took us to The People's Kitchen which I gave 5 stars!!! I think if you plan ahead for this one by printing the trail maps and know that you will be going through a variety of terrain & a mixture of city and trails, stay hydrated, and don't get frustrated, you're in for some real treats with the views. I cannot wait to get a few more trails in this fall, and look forward to our next adventure with the leaves changing color. Happy riding. :)
I’m very disappointed with the maintenance program for the Bay County rail trail/river walk. The surfaces are almost unridable in several areas for bicycles. Several areas are in desperate need of resurfacing. Some areas are like a washboard, some areas have rough seam cracks about every 20 ft. And some areas are just in need of a good cleaning. In the Marquette St area the ride surface is ridiculously rough. I’m afraid I’ll break my bike in this area. The sidewalk is to narrow and close to the buildings to safely ride a bicycle. I don’t like to complain this much but the trails are a beautiful system and if they aren’t maintained they’ll be lost to the same degree as the roads and highways in Michigan. If you take care of them, people will come to the area to ride, walk or just enjoy the trails. Please!
Great ride. Mostly smooth, with a few areas that are bumpy (from age of the trail). Many cross streets. Could be marked better, but you can still see the arrows. We had a great time.
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