Find the top rated birding trails in Kalamazoo, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Well maintained asphalt paved trail in very good condition provides for a fast and flat ride.
Parked at the Weatherwax Road Trailhead in Jackson and biked to Concord and back. Concord is just over 10 miles away.
Trail goes through wooded areas and open areas of farm fields. You will also pass by Lime Lake.
Mid point there is another trailhead and parking. The trail passes accross several back side roads, some of which are dirt.
People along the trail were friendly.
At the Jackson end of the trail, Falling Waters connects with Martin Luther King Equality Trail for an additional 4 miles of trail.
Services in Jackson include many places to eat a few miles off the trail.
Biked the trail from Middleville south on a cool clear weekday in late September. Trail was not crowded but a bit bumpy in a few spots. We also biked the new portion a mile long and it was beautiful. Nice restaurants in town near the trai.
We rode out 16 miles from South Haven at the beginning of the trail head. Although the trail was pretty, it was very monotonous. The total trip was 33 miles (we did not go all the way to Kalamazoo). I thought there would be towns that we could get off at and explore a bit, or grab a bite to eat or have coffee...but there was nothing. We should of investigated the trail further before beginning.
If you start in Goshen, do yourself a favor Abshire Park to start. Very nice trail all around. Very well maintained trail offering plenty of beautiful scenery.
For full disclosure, I'm the VP for the Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail so my review will be a tad biased. But I'm a generally honest guy. Promise.
I've been on this trail from end to end multiple times and it never gets boring. And while some have complained about the surface being rutted or pot-holed, now that the MDNR has taken control of maintenance, they've got a person dedicated to maintaining the trail for its length in Van Buren County. The Kalamazoo Parks Department maintains the trail in Kalamazoo County.
Still, running through the countryside, Amish farms, orchards and small towns in southwest Michigan and almost always under the shade of trees, the Kal-Haven is a nice respite on hot summer days. And come winter, it's a snowmoblie haven.
With the introduction this year of Michigan's first Heritage Trail project led by Dan Spegel of the Michigan History Center, the Kal-Haven offers more than just a tree-covered 34 mile run/ride from Kalamazoo to South Haven and Lake Michigan. Now the history of 'what once was' and the geology and weather of the corridor will come alive. Mentha, Columbia, Williams, Kibbie and other now vanished towns will have a chance to live again.
This project, the first of its kind in Michigan, should be fully installed by August and comes with a mobile app for the visually impaired that will read to you each of the ~30 panels as you come upon them.
Near the 10th Street (Kalamazoo) trail head there's an active native wildflower restoration project under the care of our master gardener, Sue Hodapp. Upgrades for this year will include all new signage including the native names of many of the plants along the way.
We're also proud to be the first leg and Route #1 of Michigan's first Great Lake To Lake trail that will run from South Haven to Port Huron, some 250 miles, with an inaugural ride planned for September 13, 2019.
We're currently in the engineering phase of resurfacing the trail from Bloomingdale to South Haven but we need to find the near $1 million it will cost to do the actual work. The caboose at the depot in Bloomingdale is slated for refurbishment and an interactive exhibit exists 1/4 mile east of Mentha where you can taste some of the actual mint that AM Todd grew on these 2000 acres of mucklands at the beginning of the 20th century.
Visit us at kalhaven.org or on social media.
While it's a nice, if not scenic trail, it is in need of pot hole filling. I must have hit 25 of the 40 or 50 chuck holes. The State of Michigan needs to do a better job maintaining the surface. The Fred Meijer trails are in much better condition.
We started at the Hartford trailhead and road in 7 miles, about half way. This end of the trail is primitive two-track through field and swamp. As of the end of June 2019 we had to go through up to 16 inches of water at a couple of points. It was fun for us but not for everyone.
This trail is OK with a gravel or mountain bike. No chance with a road bike. I would not recommend for families with children as the water is too deep. Maybe try in August.
We live a block off Kent Trails and reading the reviews here can be confusing...The trail begins off Butterworth Rd in Grand Rapids near John Ball Zoo. The other end of the trail is on 84th Street in Byron Center, MI.
To get from one end ot the other you have to leave the trail for city streets for a few block with limited signage to connect the two paved path sections.
The path is paved the entire portion and in good shape. There are a few busy steets to be crossed so need caution if biking with children or inattentive adults. Great trail if you are patient with the lack of signage.
Path is well cared for and marked. We found it difficult to find a parking spot to start the trail in Grand Haven. Parked in the church parking lot at the corner of Sheldon and Robbins.
We tried to go West from Saranac, but the trail was unfit for riding. The Michigan Trails book said it was going to be finished by June 2019, so we wanted to give it a try. Not able to ride it. We rode on April 22, 2019.
Going East from Saranac was great. The crushed concrete was in good shape. Of course not quite the same as the paved areas, but really quite enjoyable. No traffic through the Ionia State Wildlife area, very peaceful and enjoyable. Nice bridge over the busy M66 highway in Ionia.
We're from the Grand Rapids area and decided to try this trail this past weekend. Like most trails, signage is non-existent. I download all maps and keep these within sight on my bike. This is crucial for this trail especially. At one point, Greenly and 24th street, there is actually a trail that goes north, but the Kenowa trail goes south on 24th street. It would be very confusing if you didn't have a map and gps. There are a couple spots that you have to ride on the road. We have lights on our bikes for safety but I would much rather ride on a trail than the road. Because we are from the GR area, we wanted to start at the trailhead in Jamestown. Unfortunately there is NO public parking nearby. It's the in the middle of a very rural area so we ended up parking down the road at a church. Two or three parking spots at the trailhead (both ends) would be nice. In whole, the trail itself is ok. It's a little hilly, so a great workout but not for kids or families. Also, we like to break up the ride with a small lunch before we turn around and return back. We decided to head into Zeeland to do lunch but I wouldn't suggest it. There was no good way to get under 131 and into town. We road on the side of the road, mostly in the soft dirt due to the construction. We probably won't do this trail again, mainly because of this. It was really too busy for bikes, especially during the construction, but I think even after, I wouldn't suggest it.
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