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We rode from Greenville to Sidney in early fall, 2018. We were planning to go to Stanton that day but it was rainy and cold so cut it short. It's a nice/easy ride, for the part we did. We're planning on doing it again in the spring and going much further.
I’ve walked, ran and rode this trail since mid nineties, and before it was widened, grated and crushed limestone base added. Never had a problem with adjacent property owners until recently. There’s a “home caretaker “ about a quarter mile east of Lowell road, south side (pond berm butts up against rail trail, windmill clearly visible) that likes to stand out there at his “post” and ensure neither you nor your dogs land a foot off the limestone and onto “his land”. I’m aware that this same kid has had run-ins with DNR and deer hunters exercising their right to hunt on buffers. Other than that, I’ve had no problems, and enjoy my time out there.
This trail connects Clio's downtown park and continues to the older George Atkin Jr. Trail. The entire length runs along the railroad through the rural area north of Clio with very light traffic crossings. Being a very flat and straight trail, it makes it very easy for a beginner inline skater but also would appeal to a seasoned speed skater.
This trail is mostly in the open fields so there is hardly any shade on a hot day. There are benches periodically placed along the trail though.
I have ridden this trail several times on a bike a couple of times on inline skates. It is very easy to continue your ride on a bike into the rural roads.
If you are a beginner inline skater and want to head South into the Clio Park, there is a tricky downhill South of Field Road. This hill has very limited grass on the sides to fall onto if you loose control, so just make sure you have a decent slow-down technique. This downhill segment is technically part of the George Atkins Jr. Trail.
I would give this 5 Stars for everything north of Dort Highway! Definitely would recommend the northern segments traveling through the Genesee Recreational Area.
I tackled most of this trail entirely on inline skates starting from Kettering University to where it splits at Stepping Stone Falls. From the Falls, the trail links to Bluebell Beach and then back around through the Bluegill Boat Launch park. From Bluegill, the trail continues East as part of the huge ongoing Michigan Iron Belle Trail project! I have not yet skated on the two short branches that end at McLaren Hospital and Mott Community College.
The northern segment past Dort Hwy. winds through the woods surrounding Mott Lake with plenty of gradual slopes. The very twisty segment through Bluegill is a blast on inline skates!
The urban segments of the trail start by McLaren Hospital and Kettering University and then passes Atwood Stadium and Carriage Town into downtown Flint. In the downtown segment you can pass through UofM's campus and branch over to Mott CC. This urban section is pretty fun on skates and is a nice change of pace from my usual skate through wooded areas!
Now I would caution users traveling between 5th Ave and Dort Highway that this segment passes through a rougher residential area and is not very well maintained. As it currently is, I would consider this the skippable segment which knocked one star off of my rating. Now maybe this segment has a brighter future since it is part of the ongoing MI Iron Belle Trail project, but I am unaware if there are any current plans for renovation.
With that being said, there are several volunteer organizations in addition to the police that patrol the trail to keep it safe for all users. The Genesee Rec. Area definitely feels very safe throughout and again I highly recommend the northern portions of trail.
Rode this trail on inline skates with ease! This is a nice trail that manages to escape the commercial sections of Flint.
I parked at Kettering University which has video surveillance and rode all the way to where the trail currently ends at the Genesee Valley Mall. From Kettering, the trail passes through some residential areas before briefly traveling along the busy Corunna Road stretch. But then the trail makes a turn into a quiet wooded area where it would not seem like a mall is nearby! I saw quite a few people were biking and running the trail including several Crim Fitness groups.
The busy crossings at Court St. and Corunna Rd. both have push-to-cross buttons to stop cars for trail users. The other relatively busy crossings at Ballenger Hwy. and Lennon Rd. have "buffer curbs" so trail users can cross half of the road and safely stand in the middle before crossing the second half.
This trail connects to the Flint River Trail and the ongoing huge MI Iron Belle trail. If you head North East on the Flint River trail, you can get to downtown flint including the University of Michigan and then continue all the way into the Genesee Recreational Area.
Lots of benches and spots to stop and relax.
The trail is very good shape, new coating of asphalt on most of it.
St Charles is charming with any needed food/supplies available.
Go Ride, enjoy!
Decided to post this review because there are no recent ones. This is an amazing trail! We rode it today, from Columbiaville to Millington, had lunch at the Millington Inn (great breakfasts and burgers), and rode back to Columbiaville, 20 miles. True to the description, it had gentle slope increases to Otter Lake, and then down again, with some leveling off. Lots of sun and tons of shade; we never got hot. All asphalt, in great shape! Wildlife included chipmunks, squirrels, and a woodchuck! Such a gem! It will be a gorgeous ride in the fall when the colors change. Highly recommend!!!!
I was looking for a trail with smooth pavement and shade. This looked like what I wanted, I was a little concerned as the last review was 2 years old. I was very pleased as the pavement is still in great shape. It looks like it is well cared for in all maintenance aspects.
I was ready to abandon gravel-surfaced trails after riding from Ovid through St. Johns to Fowler. In this section it is all farmland (although picturesque farmhouses and fields), very little tree canopy, the surface is sometimes rough, you rarely see another rider, and you can hear M21 the whole way.
And THEN I discovered what happens once you hit Pewamo and west to Saranac. The trail completely changes into wooded forest/wetland/river views, lots of bridges over rivers and streams, and even the gravel surface gets more uniform, perhaps because of higher traffic.
I WILL say that St. Johns, Fowler, and Pewamo, have newly-restored depots with beautiful facilities. Someone has spent a lot of money, and I couldn't help but think how much more they'd be used if these trails were paved. It would increase usage twenty fold. Even tiny Muir has a lovely park along the trail, as did Saranac and Ionia.
The section between Reed City and Baldwin has been ruined by horse traffic. I have 32c tires on my hybrid bike and was hoping to ride that section yesterday, but turned around almost immediately due to the rough condition. If you have a mountain bike, it might be doable, but I don't imagine it would be very pleasant.
Also, be forewarned that there are no restrooms on the trail itself on the Clare to Reed City segment. There are a few options in town of Evart.
Overall, the Farwell to Baldwin section is decent. The older section between Evart and Reed City is starting to show it's age with cracks the have gone unsealed so have vegetation growing from them.
The Midland to Clare section is very well maintained and offers two permanent bathroom facilities, one each at about 12 miles from each trailhead.
As part of my Seattle to Savannah cross-country ride I used these rails-to-trail paths to get from Baldwin to Midland. The first 17 miles from Baldwin to Reed City is crushed limestone. I rode about 100 yards of the trail in Baldwin and decided that this crushed limestone was too loose to ride. I jumped on Route 10 and found a reasonable shoulder to ride. I checked the trail about 10 miles from Baldwin, the stone was more packed and could support a ride, but Route 10 was still considered the best ride option.
Just to the east of Reed City on Route 10 signage appeared for the Pere Marquette State Trail. I jumped on the trail here and rode to the old Reed City Depot Station. The trail was a bit rough with grass growing in open seams. The same was true for about 8 miles east of Reed City. The trail was still a pretty good ride. The rest of the trail to Midland was mostly smooth with only small sections with rough seams.
Since the trail runs close to Route 10, there were options to dart into small towns for water and food.
Just east of Clare the State Trail ends. I was required to ride about 4 miles on the highway and through Clare to rejoin the trail system. I used Google Maps for Bikes to find my way.
Thank you Michigan for such a nice ride.
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