Find the top rated birding trails in Midland, 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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I start my ride in Alma at the College. It is one of my favorite trails as I drive 37 miles just to ride it. It goes through a ghost town and you cross a few bridges along the way. My only complaint is I wish there were mile markers along the way. If your thirsty along the way stop in at the Ghost Town Saloon in Elwell!
I rode this trail for the first time Aug 31st, 2017 traveling from Midland to Coleman and back. Smooth asphalt trail well maintained with very nice benches, tables, and rest rooms all along the trail! Quiet, great scenic ride that is easy to keep your speed up. I was not up for a 60 mile trip to traverse all the way to Clare, so my next visit will be to Clare for an out-and-back taking in the rest this trail has to offer!
This is an out and back trail (not a loop), roughly 2.5 miles long. There are trailheads at Jones and Finn Rd. The section from Knight to Jones is prettier. Nice and easy gravel trail. We saw rabbit, an egret, lots of frogs, and turtles.
The George Atkin Jr. Recreational Trail is a nice little trail, but as the previous two reviewers had mentioned, is quite rough. There are many cracks in the pavement that you need to be careful, throughout every portion of the trail. Most have been spray painted to alert users of the danger, but even still it's hard to see. I'd recommend the trail to cyclists, but if you are a roadie, I wouldn't necessarily bring my best bike. A hybrid or any bike with larger diameter tires is best suited to handle the terrain of the aging trail.
With the negatives out of the way, the positives are quite nice. The engineering of the trail is outstanding. There are signs at ever spur in the trail and all parts of the trails avoid roads, bypassing M-57 (Vienna Rd) and Mill St. in Clio and the railroad tracks just as it connects with the Trolley Line Rail Trail/spurs towards the Business Park off of Vienna.
Terrain-wise, For those who want a good workout with elevation, the trail provides some nice little climbs, mostly heading south towards Wilson Rd. The trail is very wooded, basically like riding/walking/running on a trail through the woods. In some spots the trail is quite overgrown, but never enough to not have a path on the trail. Some of the spots on the trail are apt to be muddy or have a tiny amount of water going through it. It's never enough to make it impassible but might make you wet if your bike tire splashes it up! There is a small spot where water runs over the creek, near the Church and near Vienna Rd. Again, it's never impassible but you should probably slow down through it.
Length-wise, with the connecting Trolley Line Trail, I was able to get about 12 miles into it taking all of the spurs but, missing out on probably 3 or so miles on the Trolley due to it being closed about 1.5 miles from it's end point. (as of August 2017)
The trail has always been lightly used when I've been on it. I've never saw more than a handful of people in the numerous times I've walked or rode it.
To summarize, it's a good trail that is showing it's age. You can get a nice little workout and it gets you to most businesses and places in Clio. If you live in Mt. Morris or just outside the Downtown portion of Clio you could ride the trail into the city, to run errands as the spurs give you great access to many important portions of the city. Be safe, don't ride at extremely fast pace and keep your eyes on the trail (for the cracks) and you should have a nice time and get back in one piece.
I rode from Clare to Sears and back on a beautiful summer day: July 29, 2017. I saw less than 20 people or groups along the way there and back. There was only one water crossing. Mostly the path traveled through woodlands. I often wished for a picnic table or water fountain, but there were none. Still, I enjoyed the utter solitude and would travel this path again.
First time here on 7-29-17 and we rode it for 9 miles out of Clare. The trail was really well maintained and excellent for people with joint issues as it is mostly flat with gentle sloping grades at times. Will be back to ride more.
Bay County Riverwalk/Rail trail is a well-marked and picturesque trail. It covers a diverse area, going through a residential areas in the city, the woods, the marshes, and the river front. Although it was cloudy and rainy throughout the day, we really enjoyed our ride. We also biked through the 5-mile unpaved loop in the woods. The view from the two wooden observatories located about a mile from one another inside the unpaved loop is priceless. I do not recommend the trail for kids as there were many cross-roads, but it is a perfect and gorgeous trail - rain or shine- for adults.
This has the potential to be a great trail, but as of this writing there are a few problems. It is a new trail having opened just last fall (2016) and has limited amenities so far. I did not see any water along the way and only a couple of places to stop and rest. The only trail head with parking is at the north end in Bay City though there are plans for a southern trail head at the Saginaw end. There are also plans to connect the trail with the Bay City loop trail and with trails in Saginaw.
The trail is flat and runs along the west side of the Saginaw River through woods, marsh and farm fields. In two places bridges cross open water and the views from these bridges are spectacular.
As I road this route I saw numerous wildlife including a few birds I'm not sure I have seen before. Unfortunately you are likely to see way more Canada geese and their leavings than you may want to see. At one point I could imagine how the riders in the Tour de France feel with the crowds pushing in on both sides except this crowd was waddling along and hissing. Aside from the geese you are likely to see quite a few egrets, herons, ducks, deer, etc. I think I may have also seen a couple of Osprey.
Starting in the the down town City of Coleman Michigan. You will see a bright Yellow 7ft Sun sitting next to the trail Just head southeast along the rail trail for 6 miles to see the rest of the 9 planet's of our solar system. Great Educational tool for the whole Family.
My husband and I rode this trail on the morning of July 4th. If you love farmland, this is a great trail! We clocked it at 9.5 miles (19 mile round trip) and found the asphalt to be mostly smooth. There are plenty of benches along the way nestled into shade, and miles are marked at each road that the path crosses. There are good staging areas at either end of the trail.
The trail is relatively flat, and we did very little shifting as we rode. However, we started on the east end of the trail and found our time was a bit faster on the return trip; Thus, it appears there is the slightest of upward grades riding east to west. We enjoyed the countryside and seeing all of the crops. We also enjoyed seeing several other riders on the trail, and a couple of walkers.
There are no restroom facilities for this trail; expanding the size of one of the staging areas and adding some kind of restroom might be a nice addition.
However, closer to the east end of the trail there is a sign that points you toward an ice cream place 1/2 mile down a crossroad (Portsmouth Rd) that is actually part of a bigger shopping complex (cafe, shops, and restrooms). Not far from the east end of the trail you can find fast food and other restaurants a short distance away heading east on Hwy 46. On the west side of the trail, it is a short distance south on Hwy 15 to the town of Richfield, that has a couple of local eateries worth visiting.
All-in-all, it's a nice trail with pleasant scenery, some wildlife (mostly birds), and based on our experience some very friendly people along the way.
Nice quiet path, not too many road crossings. Flat flat flat. Hope you like fields!
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