Bay City, MI Running Trails and Maps

488 Reviews

Looking for the best Running trails around Bay City?

Find the top rated running trails in Bay City, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type
37 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Applewood Trail

1.8 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Concrete

Bay-Zil Rail Trail

7 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Bicentennial Park Pathway

2.7 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Black Creek Nature Trail

1.7 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Chevy Commons Trail

0.89 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Chippewa Trail

4.1 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail

41.3 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Fred Meijer Heartland Trail

41.9 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Genesee Valley Trail

4.43 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Hampton Township Nature Trail

2.4 mi
State: MI
Gravel

Harger Line Rail-Trail

10.1 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Kettering Gateway Trail

0.7 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

M-21 Non-Motorized Path

1.66 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Concrete

Pere Marquette Rail Trail

30.1 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Pere Marquette State Trail

55 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Saginaw Valley Rail Trail

11 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Southern Links Trailway

10.2 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Woodchips

Tawas Bay Pedestrian and Bike Path

13.9 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Concrete

Thomas Township Trail

3.1 mi
State: MI
Asphalt
Accordion

Vassar Rail Trail

2 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Zilwaukee Pathway

2 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Bay County Riverwalk/Bangor Rail Trail

17.8 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete

Flint River Trail (MI)

27 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Grand Blanc Bike Path

1.6 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Linear Park Pathway

2.3 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Polly Ann Trail

36.7 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone

Saginaw Township Pathway

3 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Tittabawassee Township Path

5.2 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Trolley Line Trail (MI)

2.8 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

George Atkin Jr. Recreational Trail

4.2 mi
State: MI
Concrete

Cass City Walking Trail

1.4 mi
State: MI
Grass, Gravel

Gale Road Trail

2.3 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Genessee Road Trail

0.8 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Grand Curve Trail

4.2 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Jewett Trail

1 mi
State: MI
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
Overview The 1.8-mile 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. About the...
MI 1.8 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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...
MI 7 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 2.7 mi Asphalt
Overview  The Black Creek Nature Trail runs through the Davison Township for 1.7 miles. The tree-lined route runs along the Black Creek and connects Davison Township to the city of...
MI 1.7 mi Asphalt
Clocking in at just under a mile long, the Chevy Commons Trail is part of the Genesee Valley Trail and serves as its northeastern-most portion. Named for the Chevy Commons County Park through which...
MI 0.89 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 4.1 mi Asphalt
Overview 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...
MI 41.3 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Overview The paved Fred Meijer Heartland Trail rolls for nearly 42 miles through farmland and forests in central Michigan as it links a half-dozen rural towns with recreational...
MI 41.9 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 4.43 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 2.4 mi Gravel
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...
MI 10.1 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 0.7 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 7 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 1.66 mi Asphalt, Concrete
Overview Many factors contribute to the Pere Marquette Rail Trail’s popularity. It runs for 30.1 miles on smooth asphalt that is well maintained and, at 14 feet, wide enough to ride or walk...
MI 30.1 mi Asphalt
Overview The Pere Marquette State Trail runs 55 miles through beautiful woodlands and fields between Baldwin and Clare. About the Route The section between Baldwin and Reed City is about 17...
MI 55 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Overview 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...
MI 11 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 10.2 mi Asphalt, Woodchips
The Tawas Bay Pedestrian and Bike Path follows both US 23 and the shore of Tawas Bay in northern Michigan. The scenic route, which offers stunning water views at several points along the way, connects...
MI 13.9 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Thomas Township Trail provides a 3-mile paved, north-south route through this Michigan community. Running along a power line corridor, the route offers a mix of wooded patches, open farm fields,...
MI 3.1 mi Asphalt
Accordion
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...
MI 2 mi Asphalt
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,...
MI 2 mi Asphalt
Overview  The 17.7 miles of the Bay County Riverwalk/Bangor Rail Trail 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....
MI 17.8 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete
The Flint River Trail system encompasses 27 miles of multi-use, paved trails stretching across Genesee County. Meandering alongside the Flint River and C.S. Mott Lake, the trail passes through a...
MI 27 mi Asphalt
This is a dedicated sidepath in Grand Blanc that is suitable for a casual stroll, a quick jog or an easy ride. The trail sits on the north side of Grand Blanc Road, through mainly residential...
MI 1.6 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 2.3 mi Asphalt
Overview The Polly Ann Trail is a 36.7-mile long, non-motorized trail extending north from suburban Detroit on a former Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad corridor. The trail is managed separately...
MI 36.7 mi Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone
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...
MI 3 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 5.2 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 2.8 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 4.2 mi Concrete
This short trail through the village of Cass City begins at the Hills and Dales Hospital and follows a linear park to the Cass River, where the trail dead ends. The gravel and grass trail is suitable...
MI 1.4 mi Grass, Gravel
Overview The Fraser Township Trail runs for 4 miles through Bay County, MI which borders the shores of Lake Huron. About the Route The Fraser Township Trail travels through Bay County, MI, a...
MI 4 mi Gravel
This unassuming recreational path in Goodrich, Genesee County is actually a part of the Iron Belle Trail, Michigan's state-spanning multiuse trail system. The Gale Road Trail starts near Perry Road...
MI 2.3 mi Asphalt
The Genesse Road Trail sits on the western side of Genessee Road in Grand Blanc. The neighborhood trail extends for just over 3/4-mile, from Perry Road in the South to Kings Fairway Lane at the north...
MI 0.8 mi Asphalt
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...
MI 4.2 mi Asphalt
Jewett Trail is both the name of the road, as well as the off-street bike-ped path, circling the Grand Blanc Community High School complex. The pathway, which sits on the southern edge of the trail,...
MI 1 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Thomas Township Trail

A great extension to the Saginaw Valley Rail Trail

September, 2024 by milkshake

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!

Saginaw Valley Rail Trail

Biking Bunch from Linden MI loves this trail

September, 2024 by milkshake

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.

Pere Marquette State Trail

Hersey to Lake

September, 2024 by cpalady1990

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.

Accordion

Pere Marquette Rail Trail

Pere Marquette Rail Trail

September, 2024 by bobcatdtc

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.

Pere Marquette State Trail

Pere Marquette State Trail

September, 2024 by bobcatdtc

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.

Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail

Nice ride through farmland

September, 2024 by dhalblei

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.

Fred Meijer Heartland Trail

nice country ride

August, 2024 by couillarjg

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.

Pere Marquette Rail Trail

closed mile3

July, 2024 by simonsays60

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.

Southern Links Trailway

favorite trail

July, 2024 by rgragg701

So far this is my favorite trail, 21 miles round trip and super nice trail

Fred Meijer Heartland Trail

A lovely ride from Alma

July, 2024 by dhalblei

July 2024 Rode from Alma to Cedar Lake and back for a total of 34 miles. The trail is tree lined with a total canopy of shade in several places; there are glimpses of farmland along the way and a wetland area near Cedar Lake. The asphalt was smooth and well maintained with only a few bumps. The trail is flat; a fast ride out and even faster on the way back with a nice west tailwind. The road crossings are mostly local county roads (several are gravel) with almost no traffic on a Saturday. All the crossings were a smooth transition from trail to road.

There’s a small parking area at Riverside Park, the actual start of the trail, then a mile or so on sidewalk/neighborhood roads (not well marked) to Alma College. There’s parking at the college in lots marked public access on the weekends (avoid the ones requiring a college permit).

Pere Marquette Rail Trail

The most boring trail I've walked. To close to traffic, nothing interesting to look at.

July, 2024 by sallyetcher

The most boring trail I've walked. To close to traffic, nothing interesting to look at.

Polly Ann Trail

I ride the trail often. I live in Lake Orion and ride it through Leonard to the Oakland Lapeer County line. It is well maintained and is very scenic. I will see lots of wildlife.

July, 2024 by jimhege522

I ride the trail often. I live in Lake Orion and ride it through Leonard to the Oakland Lapeer County line. It is well maintained and is very scenic. I will see lots of wildlife.

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