Great 40 mile ride from Vanderbilt to Indian River and back.The 7 mile stretch north of Vanderbilt was especially stunning at the peak of the fall colors.

We did this as a part of a ride from Charlevoix to Alpena and this was the best part of the ride by far. We parked the car for the week at the Charlevoix Township Hall and left a note on the dash of our route and contact info. Everything is paved and the signage was good. There are a couple of spots where the trail was washed out by high water, but it was easy to navigate around them. We just had to ride along the wide shoulder of the highway for a while. We were carrying full packs with camping gear so the smooth pavement was really nice.

We only rode a portion of the trail, but it was nice. We went in September 2020 after a hard rain the night before. In the areas near cities the trail had too much loose gravel but greatly improved as we got farther from towns. It was mostly hard packed clay and fairly smooth. Best suited for off-road bikes.

Worst trail ever! Loose gravel all the way to mackinaw. It would be better to ride on the actual railroad ties than to ride this trail. Needs ALOT of work.

We parked our car on the roadside, near Shady Lane Winery, on Shady Lane Road( off of M 22). We rode into Suttons Bay and enjoyed the shops and lunch. You can ride back through the beautiful countryside and then go to the Shady Lane Cellars. The winery is gorgeous and welcomes cyclists.

My favorite is the non paved section between Sand Lake and Big Rapids. Very unpopular section for most cyclist and families. That’s why it is very quiet. Don’t have to deal with walkers or bikers taking over the trail walking or biking multiple people across. I ride it few times a week.

First off, the hills and grades were no big deal. The trail had beautiful scenery and is probably the best maintained trail in Michigan. Definitely worth coming back to ride again and again. However, would it be too much to ask to spray paint trail turns on the asphalt, especially in the Glen Arbor area. Since many of the signs are obscured or missing altogether, it would be very helpful if the tarmac was marked. I plan to come back once the pending trail extensions are completed.

Moved to Rockford because I wanted access to the White Pine Trail system. The trail is incredibly rough, especially for road bikes. The sections just north of Rockford after clearing the newly paved area are dangerous. I recently hit one bumpy series of ridges, and it instantly blew my front tire and I crashed. Additionally, the trail looks like a war zone with all the trees that have been uprooted and fallen across it from Rockford pretty much all the way up to Sand Lake. The windy conditions are not just a night time occurrence and it is just a matter of time before a tree falls and causes injury or worse to people during daytime hours when so many of us are on the trail. There needs to be a robust clearing of those trees that get uprooted so easily right on the trail. Finally, the ability to see at some of the road crossings is really limited and cyclists nearly have to get out into the roads before being able to see if cars are coming, and cars likely can't see the cyclists either because there is very little trimming of the heavy growth of vegetation. It's disappointing that a trail system that gets so much use, and that is one of the highlights that Rockford business people use as a selling point to attract residents, has not been maintained at a better level. I understand there are different townships the trail passes through, but the Rockford area (both north and south) is getting too rough and needs a great deal of work. There are rough spots all the way from 5/3 Stadium to Sand Lake that also need attention. What could be an outstanding trail has fallen into a state of disrepair in multiple places. Thank you.

I rode this very nice trail starting in Comstock Park going north. From there to Sand Lake, the trail is a very nice one to ride: gently uphill, some small towns, smooth asphalt, and spots to rest. However, north of Sand Lake, the trail turns from asphalt to a gravel two-track, and sometimes just a one-track. It is a rough ride that a road-biker would not enjoy. It's a shame that this part hasn't been improved since it is a Michigan State Park. That's why I only give it 3 stars.