Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Howell, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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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...
The Clinton River Trail is a 16-mile recreational trail on an abandoned rail line through the heart of Oakland County, including the cities of Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and...
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Clocking in at over four and a half miles, the ITC Corridor Trail in Novi is a fantastic recreational asset for the community, providing a paved pathway that connects neighborhoods and recreation...
With 4,461 acres of prime recreational lands, this top-rated park's scenic, hilly terrain surrounds beautiful 500-acre Stony Creek Lake. Park features include a nature center, a hike-bike trail,...
The Border-to-Border Trail is a work in progress, which when complete, will stretch across Washtenaw County from its border with Livingston County in the northwest to Wayne County in the east. Much of...
The Black Creek Nature Trail begins at the Davison Township Municipal Center and winds its way to the trail system in the City of Davison’s Jack Abernathy Regional Park. Travelers on the trail will...
The Martin Luther King Equality Trail, formerly called the Jackson Intercity Trail, follows the old rail bed of what was once the Michigan Central Railroad for 3.4 miles through the southwest section...
The Kensington Metropark Trail forms a paved loop around Kent Lake in western Oakland County. The scenic area, which features 4,481 acres of hilly terrain around the large lake, is one of the most...
Planners in Jackson Michigan had originally wanted to build a rail with trail, but when they face resistance from the local railroad, they took a different route, one which gave us the Grand River...
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 miles, the...
Tradition says that Michigan has 11,000 lakes. The eastern section of the Lakelands Trail State Park passes through a chain of them as it rolls from the town of Hamburg and Lakeland to Munith some 26...
Paved and mostly flat, the Huron Valley Trail links several suburban communities, parks, and a large recreation area while providing connections to a growing network of trails. Forming a lowercase...
The Lansing River Trail traces the course of three waterways for more than 25 miles across Michigan’s capital city. Visiting all four main points of the compass in Lansing, the trail provides a route...
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...
You won’t find this trail’s name on the ground: the continuous stretch is actually made up of the scenic trails within Oakwoods Metropark, Willow Metropark and Lower Huron Metropark, as well as a...
The I-275 Metro Trail began back in the 1970s as the Michigan Department of Transportation's response to the then-fuel crisis. The original trail linked Wayne, Oakland and Monroe counties along a...
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The Kiwanis Trail occupies an old railroad bed between Adrian and the southern edge of Tecumseh. The trail is currently the only open component of a much longer proposed regional greenway trail. In...
The Polly Ann Trail is a 34-mile long, non-motorized trail extending north from suburban Detroit on a former Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad corridor. The trail is managed separately by groups in...
The Island Lake Pathway runs east–west through the densely-wooded landscape of the Island Lake Recreation Area southeast of Brighton. Although relatively short, the paved trail may prove a challenge...
The West Bloomfield Trail sails along for nearly 7 miles through a municipality that claims to be one of the wettest in the nation—not from rainfall but from the sheer number of lakes (28), ponds...
The Border-to-Border Trail is a work in progress, which when complete, will stretch across Washtenaw County from its border with Livingston County in the northwest to Wayne County in the east. Much of...
Tradition says that Michigan has 11,000 lakes. The eastern section of the Lakelands Trail State Park passes through a chain of them as it rolls from the town of Hamburg and Lakeland to Munith some 26...
The Black Creek Nature Trail begins at the Davison Township Municipal Center and winds its way to the trail system in the City of Davison’s Jack Abernathy Regional Park. Travelers on the trail will...
The Clinton River Trail is a 16-mile recreational trail on an abandoned rail line through the heart of Oakland County, including the cities of Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and...
The Polly Ann Trail is a 34-mile long, non-motorized trail extending north from suburban Detroit on a former Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad corridor. The trail is managed separately by groups in...
You won’t find this trail’s name on the ground: the continuous stretch is actually made up of the scenic trails within Oakwoods Metropark, Willow Metropark and Lower Huron Metropark, as well as a...
The Russell Street to Patterson Street Trail links the two roads via a former railroad corridor in Tecumseh. Located in a residential area nearly equidistant between downtown Tecumseh to the north and...
The automotive industry has the most impact on Macomb County’s economy, but it’s the freshly picked apples and squeezed cider that leave lasting impressions on visitors to the Macomb Orchard Trail....
The I-275 Metro Trail began back in the 1970s as the Michigan Department of Transportation's response to the then-fuel crisis. The original trail linked Wayne, Oakland and Monroe counties along a...
The Kiwanis Trail occupies an old railroad bed between Adrian and the southern edge of Tecumseh. The trail is currently the only open component of a much longer proposed regional greenway trail. In...
With 4,461 acres of prime recreational lands, this top-rated park's scenic, hilly terrain surrounds beautiful 500-acre Stony Creek Lake. Park features include a nature center, a hike-bike trail,...
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 miles, the...
Planners in Jackson Michigan had originally wanted to build a rail with trail, but when they face resistance from the local railroad, they took a different route, one which gave us the Grand River...
Paved and mostly flat, the Huron Valley Trail links several suburban communities, parks, and a large recreation area while providing connections to a growing network of trails. Forming a lowercase...
The Kensington Metropark Trail forms a paved loop around Kent Lake in western Oakland County. The scenic area, which features 4,481 acres of hilly terrain around the large lake, is one of the most...
Clocking in at over four and a half miles, the ITC Corridor Trail in Novi is a fantastic recreational asset for the community, providing a paved pathway that connects neighborhoods and recreation...
The Granger Meadows Park Trail forms a loop around the 76-acre park in DeWitt Township, just north of Lansing. The park was built and donated by Granger III and Associates, a local trash and recycling...
The Martin Luther King Equality Trail, formerly called the Jackson Intercity Trail, follows the old rail bed of what was once the Michigan Central Railroad for 3.4 miles through the southwest section...
The Chelsea Community Wellness Path weaves through a large campus home to many of Chelsea’s amenities. Although the total length of the trail is less than 2 miles, it is divided into three separate...
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...
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...
The Granger Meadows Park Trail forms a loop around the 76-acre park in DeWitt Township, just north of Lansing. The park was built and donated by Granger III and Associates, a local trash and recycling...
The Black Creek Nature Trail begins at the Davison Township Municipal Center and winds its way to the trail system in the City of Davison’s Jack Abernathy Regional Park. Travelers on the trail will...
The Polly Ann Trail is a 34-mile long, non-motorized trail extending north from suburban Detroit on a former Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad corridor. The trail is managed separately by groups in...
The automotive industry has the most impact on Macomb County’s economy, but it’s the freshly picked apples and squeezed cider that leave lasting impressions on visitors to the Macomb Orchard Trail....
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...
The West Bloomfield Trail sails along for nearly 7 miles through a municipality that claims to be one of the wettest in the nation—not from rainfall but from the sheer number of lakes (28), ponds...
The Chelsea Community Wellness Path weaves through a large campus home to many of Chelsea’s amenities. Although the total length of the trail is less than 2 miles, it is divided into three separate...
Planners in Jackson Michigan had originally wanted to build a rail with trail, but when they face resistance from the local railroad, they took a different route, one which gave us the Grand River...
The Lansing River Trail traces the course of three waterways for more than 25 miles across Michigan’s capital city. Visiting all four main points of the compass in Lansing, the trail provides a route...
The Kiwanis Trail occupies an old railroad bed between Adrian and the southern edge of Tecumseh. The trail is currently the only open component of a much longer proposed regional greenway trail. In...
Paved and mostly flat, the Huron Valley Trail links several suburban communities, parks, and a large recreation area while providing connections to a growing network of trails. Forming a lowercase...
The Island Lake Pathway runs east–west through the densely-wooded landscape of the Island Lake Recreation Area southeast of Brighton. Although relatively short, the paved trail may prove a challenge...
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...
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...
The Russell Street to Patterson Street Trail links the two roads via a former railroad corridor in Tecumseh. Located in a residential area nearly equidistant between downtown Tecumseh to the north and...
The Kensington Metropark Trail forms a paved loop around Kent Lake in western Oakland County. The scenic area, which features 4,481 acres of hilly terrain around the large lake, is one of the most...
The Border-to-Border Trail is a work in progress, which when complete, will stretch across Washtenaw County from its border with Livingston County in the northwest to Wayne County in the east. Much of...
The I-275 Metro Trail began back in the 1970s as the Michigan Department of Transportation's response to the then-fuel crisis. The original trail linked Wayne, Oakland and Monroe counties along a...
With 4,461 acres of prime recreational lands, this top-rated park's scenic, hilly terrain surrounds beautiful 500-acre Stony Creek Lake. Park features include a nature center, a hike-bike trail,...
We have come back to this one many times because of the mostly flat, paved trail. It’s lovely with its tree-covered tunnels along most of the trail.
This is a very nice trail for walkers and scenery, 4 miles one-way, and includes nice beach access with a large grassy area and wide beach, plenty of parking.
The trail connects to Kensington Metropark's paved trail (9 mile circle) so one can have an extended ride - however - Island Lake's trail is much like Michigan roads: bumpy, hole-y, poor condition. Recently a small section was repaved through the pine trees (beautiful portion of ride, nice smells!) but the rest of the trail just beats up the bike (IMO).
Lots of road bikers just ride the main road instead which is much, much smoother than the trail and most of the cars are respectful of bikers. (put lights on your bike!)
There is a dirt path off the paved trail that goes down to Trout Lake (not the main lake at the beach) which is rather sandy but a nice challenge to ride around the lake. This lake is where a lot of beachgoers walk to for more privacy in little beaches scattered around the lake. Plus, the water is very clear.
There are plans for the trail to be extended through the entire park to meet up with the Lakeland Trail, which current ends at US23/M36 but will be extended along US 23 (under the bridge at Silver Lake) to meet up with the paved trail on the east side of US23 that goes to the Green Oak Mall behind JCPenny where many bikers park and ride into Island Lake.
When the connection is made, the entire Lakeland Trail (western end at Munith) will then connect to all the trail that go all the way to Port Huron.
I haven’t had a problem with this trail. This is the trail that I have been on my hole life and it’s the best one
This has become a decidedly favorite weekend trail of mine. We see a wide range of bikers on this trail -- from families biking with kids, to hand cyclists and recumbent bikers, and to even a full on peloton. This trail offers a little something for cyclists of any age and level. We also see lots of runners/walkers as well as a handful of roller skaters. The trails are nice and wide and there's ample space to pass.
We start near the eastern terminus of the trail in a lot in Hamburg. The trail starts off paved -- there's some bumps and ruts in the asphalt, but for the most part it's nice and smooth. The path does cross roads a bit -- but other than these crossings there is no having to deal with cars or traffic. After some point the path does turn into crushed limestone -- here is where you'll run into horses on the trail. Just make sure to know how to pass/approach them before hand and you'll be all set. The trail goes right by the Pinckney equestrian trail entrance, so on nice days there can be quite a few riders out there. My favorite part is when the path turns into the crushed limestone -- this is where it starts to get a bit more secluded and the scenery is oh so nice (lots of farmland and animals to see off the trail).
This trail goes through several towns, so if you need to stop for bathroom breaks (there's port-a-potties or vault restrooms at each of the main trail parking lots), or grab a snack or drink from a local gas station, you're all set. Most of the main trailhead parking lots along this trail also have picnic tables, so you can sit down to eat.
In Pinckney there's an ice cream place right off the trail -- Cap'n Frosty Ice Cream -- perfect for either a mid-ride or post-ride ice cream. There's also a restaurant also right off the trail with bike parking -- Zukey Lake Tavern.
Overall I give this trail a solid 5 stars. Nicely maintained, great mileage, nice scenery and fun stops along the way to make an adventure out of it.
This trail is a short distance from my home. Traveled it for almost 20 years. Badly needs resurfacing. I hope they don’t just let it go. Still able to ride just painful on the spine when you hit those “speed bumps” every few yards. Love the nice little connector from the path to Kibby rd. Not sure what they named that little section.
I’ve been riding & walking this trail for years. (Even before it was paved) Well maintained with benches & trash cans. It’s pretty flat making for a fast ride.
Started at the trailhead in St. Charles, plenty of parking, single unisex pit toilet, water fountain, and bike repair station. The path heads north and immediately crosses the Bad River on a former train trestle, then proceeds for about 9.5 miles through alternating areas of trees and farmlands. There are a few gazebos with picnic tables along the trail if you want to stop, and restrooms are also available at about the mid-point trailhead at Van Wormer and Swan Creek Roads.
At Stroebel Road there's another trailhead, and from here the trail heads southeast as a suburban bike path. Per the TrailLink map, it ends at Center Road, but if you want a bit more mileage you can continue north along the west side of Center for about another mile to the intersection with Michigan, where the roadside trail ends. If you choose to take that last section, you'll also cross the Tittabawassee River.
The trail is very well-maintained asphalt all the way, with very few bumps or irregularities. The grade is very gentle the whole way, no significant hills or rises; a smooth, nice ride! As with most longer trails, the Saginaw Valley Rail-Trail is busier at each end, and I had the center section pretty much to myself on a Friday afternoon.
We parked in the middle and rode to the Jackson West end and had an amazing view of the water. Trail is well maintained and wide enough to pass.
Paved, free from debris and very scenic...definitely one of my favorite trails¿¿¿¿¿
For those heading east from Ann Arbor, this map and local b2b marker for the area around ypsi and emu is poorly mapped and labeled. When you pass the emu stadium, map to frog island park and go through the emu camps.
I rode this trail in late April, catching it at Dequindre and riding west. It was a mess. Ruts everywhere, and, worse, broken (not crushed) asphalt was placed everywhere. It made for a very difficult ride. Instead of enjoying the lovely scenery, I was forced to watch every inch of the path to avoid crashing.
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