Traverse City, MI Walking Trails and Maps

352 Reviews

Looking for the best Walking trails around Traverse City?

Find the top rated walking trails in Traverse City, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Activities
Length
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Type
17 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Betsie Valley Trail

42.8 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Boardman Lake Loop Trail

4 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Boyne Valley Trailway

6.3 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park

92.6 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Grayling Bicycle Turnpike

6.5 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Gravel

Leelanau Trail

16.6 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Little Traverse Wheelway

26 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

North Central State Trail

74.9 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

21.2 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone

Arcadia Marsh Trail

0.75 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Grass River Natural Area Rail Trail

2.2 mi
State: MI
Crushed Stone

Clam River Greenway

1.6 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Boardwalk

Spring Brook Pathway

5 mi
State: MI
Ballast, Dirt

Big M Trail

18.6 mi
State: MI
Dirt, Grass, Sand
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
Overview Remoteness and solitude describe a trip along the 42.8-mile Betsie Valley Trail in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. The trail slopes gently downhill in the Betsie River Valley through...
MI 42.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The Boardman Lake Trail connects Traverse City neighborhoods, businesses, two parks and the district's library on a scenic route along the eastern shoreline of a large natural lake. Completely...
MI 4 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Though the plan for a trail along the former Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad has existed since at least 2000, it took two decades to see the trail come to fruition. Thanks to the persistent...
MI 6.3 mi Asphalt
The Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park connects a bustling Grand Rapids community to the forests, farmlands, and friendly towns of Northern Lower Michigan. At nearly 93 miles, it is the state’s...
MI 92.6 mi Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Gravel
Located in Grayling, Michigan, the Grayling Bicycle Turnpike runs from the north side of the Grayling downtown area at North Down River Road all the way out to the entrance of Hartwick Pines State...
MI 6.5 mi Asphalt, Gravel
Overview The 16.6-mile Leelanau Trail runs up a Lake Michigan peninsula that is known for its abundance of cherry orchards and Riesling grape vineyards. Located in northern Michigan, the paved...
MI 16.6 mi Asphalt
Closure notice: Dangerous conditions due to erosion of the trail have necessitated the closure of the trail between East Park and Magnus Park. Visit the trail manager's website for closure details as...
MI 26 mi Asphalt
Overview The nearly 75-mile North Central State Trail offers a multi-use trail adventure into the hills, agricultural areas, woods, and waterways of Michigan, with connections to well-established...
MI 74.9 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Overview When completed, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail winds 21.2 miles through the stunning Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan in the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower...
MI 21.2 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone
The 13-mile Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trail provides trail users with extended waterfront access in Traverse City, the self-proclaimed Cherry Capital of the World, brushing by...
MI 13 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Arcadia Marsh Trail is a short boardwalk trail that crosses the swamp in Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve. This universally accessible path follows the route of a former railroad and offers a prime...
MI 0.75 mi Asphalt
The Grass River Natural Area has a system of six trails through wetlands and woodland, a beautiful retreat south of Lake Bellaire in northern Michigan. The preserve's rail-trail provides just over 2...
MI 2.2 mi Crushed Stone
The Irons Area Tourist Association maintains 60 miles of groomed trails for snowmobiles and ATVs in the Manistee National Forest. For more information, contact the tourist association or the national...
MI 60 mi Ballast
The Clam River Greenway represents a citizen-led effort to create a safe and beautiful recreational asset in what had been a neglected space. Today, the trail connects Bob Meyer Jr. Park in the north...
MI 1.6 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
The 5-mile Spring Brook Trail crosses flat to hilly terrain in Mackinaw State Forest. The trail accommodates hikers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers. The trail meanders along a wooded creek...
MI 5 mi Ballast, Dirt
The Big M Trail in Manistee National Forest is suitable for cross-country skiing, trail mountain biking, and hiking. There are actually four segments, each with varying levels of difficulty, from...
MI 18.6 mi Dirt, Grass, Sand
The Wellston Area Tourist Association maintains about 64 miles of groomed trails for snowmobiling in the Manistee–Huron National Forest. For more information and maps, contact the Tourist...
MI 64 mi Ballast

Recent Trail Reviews

Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park

Needs work north of GR

October, 2024 by glrand1

Too bumpy between GR and Belmont for a road bike. Not enjoyable. North of Belmont is great!

Boardman Lake Loop Trail

great walk

October, 2024 by 9qqkt6jbkb

Easy, mostly flat. Stroller friendly. Lovely views of the lake, trees and all kinds of birds and animals.

Little Traverse Wheelway

no e-bike signage?

October, 2024 by bsys7p67cf

Great trail. Ridden it several times but earlier this month there was a sign posted "no e-bikes". This was not a hand-made sign - a permanent one Just south of the Petoskey park. We ran into another couple who was forced to turn around and told "ride on the road". We didn't feel like having a confrontation so we just headed back to Charlevoix. I'm not sure I can recommend this area of the trail due to the signage. Otherwise, avoiding this, it is a beautiful and well maintained trail.

Accordion

North Central State Trail

Rode to this trail Vanderbilt to Wolverine and from Indian River to Cheboygan.The trails are crushed limestone and well maintained.Beautiful scenery.

September, 2024 by jimhege522

Rode to this trail Vanderbilt to Wolverine and from Indian River to Cheboygan.The trails are crushed limestone and well maintained.Beautiful scenery.

Little Traverse Wheelway

Rode this trail above 2 days.Although part of the trail was washed into the Little Traverse bay a detour is provided. This is one of the nicest trails I have ridden in Michigan.

September, 2024 by jimhege522

Rode this trail above 2 days.Although part of the trail was washed into the Little Traverse bay a detour is provided. This is one of the nicest trails I have ridden in Michigan.

Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park

The trail is paved and mostly flat. Lots of trees and birds. The trail is not busy but there are friendly bikers and walkers along the way.

September, 2024 by marisstellamary

The trail is paved and mostly flat. Lots of trees and birds. The trail is not busy but there are friendly bikers and walkers along the way.

Little Traverse Wheelway

Beautiful Trail

September, 2024 by 8x46pfyzzf

I highly recommend this trail. We broke our tour into two legs. Leg one from Magnus Park to Harbor Springs. Leg two from West End to Charlevoix. Wonderfully maintained, clearly marked, with lots of little detours to the coastline. The only thing we didn’t like was riding along US31 in the bike lane without a physical barrier…but that’s just us. Otherwise a fantastic trail.

Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park

Big rapids to Reed city is only good for walking, for biking it is very rough I don't recommend. Starting in Reed City going North is much smoother.

August, 2024 by mojohoover

Big rapids to Reed city is only good for walking, for biking it is very rough I don't recommend. Starting in Reed City going North is much smoother.

Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park

White Pine Trail

August, 2024 by khamel2_tl

This trail saved my sanity during Covid and I've returned to ride it multiple times. I start at the newly renovated trailhead in Cadillac outside the Depot. Usually ride to Tustin and back. It's a slight downhill grade to Tustin and then uphill going back. Surface varies. Mostly forest but there are small farms and homes to see along the way. I have seen turtles twice on the path. Shoutout to Madeline Krentz for her description of this trail. My husband did have a spill once on roots that had pushed up the asphalt but fortunately no injury.

Betsie Valley Trail

Betsie Valley Trail

August, 2024 by khamel2_tl

Drove to Frankfort from Cadillac and parked. Easy to hop on the bike trail. Rode to Beulah for lunch and also explored along Crystal Lake. Beautiful ride. Thank you to Madeline Krentz for the recommend.

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

Wildlife

July, 2024 by mdschultzy

Started in Empire and rode a few miles or so past Glen Arbor, where it turned to loose pea stone. Wife wasn’t crazy about that so we turned around. We spotted a porcupine strolling down the trail the first day and a bobcat the second. A truly amazing and beautiful trail!

Betsie Valley Trail

Very nice for walking and biking. First aprox. 10 miles starting from Frankfort are well maintained and are good for regular bikes. The last half of the trail is only recommendable for mountain bikes.

July, 2024 by jelazaz

Very nice for walking and biking. First aprox. 10 miles starting from Frankfort are well maintained and are good for regular bikes. The last half of the trail is only recommendable for mountain bikes.

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