Find the top rated horseback riding trails in Bay City, whether you're looking for an easy short horseback riding trail or a long horseback riding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a horseback riding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
While my daughter was riding her horse across a bridge on 3/21/25 (from Millington to otter lake) the horse's leg went thru one of the boards on the bridge. It appeared that the boards had recently been replaced as there were pieces of cut boards in the creek bed below. Just wanted to let someone know before someone else falls thru and they or their horse gets injured. I'm sorry I don't know which bridge specifically, but like I said it was located between Millington and otter lake. Wasn't sure how else to contact anyone to report it (feel free to delete after whomever needa to know is told)
Nice, straight trail. Plenty of places for parking and amenities in each town. I wish it were paved all the way through, but in general the crushed limestone isn't a huge obstacle between towns. Highly recommend!
Our group of 9 riders rode this trail in addition to the Saginaw Valley Rail Trail. We had a total of 25.7 miles starting in St Charles, MI to the end of the SVRT and then adding on an out and back on the Thomas Twp Trail, which connect easily to the SVRT. The Thomas Twp Trail is a beautiful, meandering trail through a tree farm, past a beautiful school and into neighborhoods in Thomas Township. The trail is in excellent condition and well signed and outstanding trail markers. Kudos to the folks in Thomas Twp who made this happen - we will be back!
Our group of 9 riders rode the Saginaw Valley Rail Trail today and the connecting Thomas Twp Trail. Both beautiful trails and well maintained. We highly recommend Bad River Bar & Grill in St. Charles, MI for lunch or dinner after your ride. Our service and food were very good and the owner even came over to thank us for coming in for lunch!
The trails have great signage and places for a bathroom break. It is especially beautiful this time of year with the falling leaves.
We left out of Evart and headed to Hersey the first day. I think we saw a total of 4 people. The trail winds thru the countryside. We stopped at the abandon railroad bridge. That was cool to see. On the second day we headed the other way towards Lake. Saw a few more people. Riding thru the tunnels was cool. There are 3 of them. Ended up having a drink at Lakeside Bar & Grill before heading back.
This is a good asphalt trail, a little choppy in places but well maintained otherwise. Flat as a pancake and not a lot of cover. The bridges and parks at Midland were very nice.
We rode from Evart to Baldwin. The Asphalt was pretty good up to Reed City. After Reed City the trail was scenic but became increasing difficult to ride. The gravel is loose in most places and not packed down. There was a lot of track imprints from snowmobile treads that made for a bumpy ride. It is remote but you are never far from M-10. We did the 61 mile round trip and it was quite the chore. I would only recommend this trail if you want a stiff workout. We only saw 2 other bikes the whole trip. I would be willing to bet this is more of a winter trail for cross country skis and snowmobiles.
Rode this trail Sept 2024 from St Johns Depot parking lot 18 miles west toward Ionia, stopping soon after the bridge over the Maple River. It was well maintained, firm crushed stone with asphalt passing through towns. Not a problem for my gravel bike with 42 tire. As noted in other reviews, there are a few softer spots that could be a problem for thinner tires. The trail was mostly tree lined, except the section between Fowler and Pewamo is more open farmland with a view of M-21. The road crossings were smooth with almost no traffic. Stopped at the Pewamo Depot restrooms. The restrooms at St Johns Depot were locked.
Rode from Greenville to McBride. Recently resurfaced. Saw lots of wildlife, including sandhill cranes and a fox. Not very crowded, and brief road portion was easy and well marked. Recommend Holly’s in Stanton for a snack or meal.
Very pretty out of Midland. Then we were surprised to see a barricade and had to get on the highway. Then got back on at about mile six. The road gets bumpy then. You are close to the highway much of the way. We stopped in Coleman and had ice cream and pizza. A place called mamas pizza. We only did 20 miles each way. We were told that it’s pretty much the same scenery of trees and some farmland all the way to Clare.
So far this is my favorite trail, 21 miles round trip and super nice trail
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