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The Hart- Montague Bike Trail is one of the first Rail to Trails in Michigan. This 22 mile trail takes you through the scenic country side with produce and dairy farms. We are loving the shade provided by the trees, passing cows and seeing the cherry tree orchards. . A nice midway stop would be the Country Dairy Farm in New Era which has working Dairy farm tours, restaurant, takeout, local specialities and homemade ice cream. . If camping near the trail is your style- you have John Gurney Park Campground in Hart Michigan (we stayed here) and Trailway Campground (City Campground) in Montague on each end of the trail. There are also more upscale Rv camping options in nearby Silver Lake but that area is not real close to the bike trail. . This is a great trail to ride for a short stopover or for a single night stay. We found the Trailhead hard to find so if you are in Hart, MI there is easy to find Trailhead access next to Hansen’s Grocery store. . Check out The Silver Lake Sand Dunes area if you want more fun things to do in this area.
Starting from the Tower Park Trail head this path is a very easy 7 mile loop. M-91 was the only road crossing that was a challenge with higher speed heavy traffic. All other road crossing were light travel neighborhood streets.
The trail follows the river for the first half of the loop and you will cross M-57 and M-91 for the second time on trail under the road bridge.
The second half of the trail follow the roadway around the Greenville schools and a tunnel allows passage back under M-57.
A mile or so later you descend down a long hill to the beach at Baldwin Lake. When you reach the beach turn left and follow the lake front road. A left turn at Makoka lake road (just before crossing the small concrete bridge) will lead you back to the starting point, a loop of about 7.5 miles. Baldwin lake road circles the entire lake adding a couple of very enjoyable miles.
Overall the trail was great, in the shade most of the first half. I love that you can circle back to the start point almost all the way on trail.
Rode 20 miles roundtrip north from Big Rapids. Much of the trail is very rough and bumpy. I rode this section two years ago and it has clearly gotten worse. It is apparent that snowmobiles are causing damage as the worst of the pavement is found in open areas that get more sun. It is a very pretty section of trail with views of the river and a lot of deer in the fields. I hope DNR decides to invest in this trail's maintenance before it becomes unrideable for road bikes.
Wow! Recently updated and paved. Such a great scenic route north. Walked 8 miles and so much wildlife and amazing scenery. Park at Creekside Park and walk a few minutes to the trail head.
My favorite trail, with some challenging inclines, but are rewarded with the cruise back from Hart, going South. Lots of woods, orchards, creeks, and farmland. Even in the heat of summer there is plenty of shade. Plenty of picnic table stops and very smooth blacktop! Well maintained ¿¿
Trail is a bit bumpy, with very little tree canopy for relief from the sun. Not as scenic as some trails. I’d probably ride it more in the Fall or Spring when you want sun for warmth. Summer is pretty brutal, not a lot of shaded areas.
Smooth enough for any wheels
Highly recommend this trail. We began at the parking lot of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church (signs posted welcoming cyclists to use their lot) a short distance North of the trailhead. The trail turns into a wooded area a short distance North. A couple of miles of shaded, hilly trail (not strenuous but not typical rails to trails flat) is followed by a longer stretches of flat, more exposed areas - trees are cleared about 15' either side of the trail for approximately 80% of this portion of the trail until the the end at White Lake Road. We continued along the White Lake Pathway (begins on the other side of White Lake Road) - be sure to stay left at the next road intersection (Warner St) and follow the path across the street through a shady couple of miles with some more grade changes. The trail then descends to White Lake and continues to Montague (There were a couple of inches of water on the trail in this area at two points - both short and passable for all riders). The White Lake Pathway leads directly to the Hart Montague Trail which we continued to follow for a few more miles before backtracking the same route. All 17.5 miles (one way) were on dedicated bike paths with no road riding. The entire length of trail was exceptionally smooth asphalt. Even though this was perfect riding weather, the trail was lightly used. We will return to this trail in the future. A great ride.
Biked this trail from Belmont entrance all the way past downtown Rockford, its just a straight away trail with no loops or anything. There was a lot of green scenery & neighborhoods to look at.
Fun ride a with a few crossroads ; hope they put up the trail crossing signs soon drivers flying by
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