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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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...
Remoteness and solitude describe a trip along the 22-mile Betsie Valley Trail in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. Starting at the old logging town of Thompsonville, the trail slopes gently...
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...
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. One day, it's...
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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...
Closure notice: As of April 2020, dangerous conditions due to erosion of the trail have necessitated the closure of portions of this trail. Visit the trail manager's website for closure details as...
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...
The 62-mile North Central State Trail offers a multiuse trail adventure into the hills, agricultural areas, woods, and waterways of Michigan, with connections to well-established tourist towns at both...
When completed, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will wind for 27 miles through the stunning Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore—a national park on the shores of Lake Michigan in the northwest...
The 17-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 trail connects the...
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...
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. One day, it's...
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...
The 62-mile North Central State Trail offers a multiuse trail adventure into the hills, agricultural areas, woods, and waterways of Michigan, with connections to well-established tourist towns at both...
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...
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...
The 17-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 trail connects the...
Remoteness and solitude describe a trip along the 22-mile Betsie Valley Trail in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. Starting at the old logging town of Thompsonville, the trail slopes gently...
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...
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...
When completed, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will wind for 27 miles through the stunning Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore—a national park on the shores of Lake Michigan in the northwest...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Closure notice: As of April 2020, dangerous conditions due to erosion of the trail have necessitated the closure of portions of this trail. Visit the trail manager's website for closure details as...
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...
The 17-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 trail connects the...
Remoteness and solitude describe a trip along the 22-mile Betsie Valley Trail in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. Starting at the old logging town of Thompsonville, the trail slopes gently...
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. One day, it's...
The 62-mile North Central State Trail offers a multiuse trail adventure into the hills, agricultural areas, woods, and waterways of Michigan, with connections to well-established tourist towns at both...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Closure notice: As of April 2020, dangerous conditions due to erosion of the trail have necessitated the closure of portions of this trail. Visit the trail manager's website for closure details as...
When completed, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will wind for 27 miles through the stunning Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore—a national park on the shores of Lake Michigan in the northwest...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
This is an absolutely beautiful trail! Since it was paved from Traverse City to Sutton’s Bay, the trail is smooth, with gentle inclines and descents. It winds through forests, orchards, vineyards, and farms. Absolutely spectacular scenery. And a great workout without huge hills that stress the joints! My husband and I have ridden many rails to trails pathways in many states and this one is in the top 5! Love it!
so hard to find a good smooth trail for inline skating in northern mi. this trail definitely is made for it! a flat rail trail with great scenery.
Rode from Riverside Park to Rockford and back. Beautiful trail! Plenty of varied scenery along the way to keep from getting bored. First five miles or so follows alongside the Grand River. Rockford has a perfect setting for refreshments (food, ice cream, beverages) along with a very nice riverside park. Trail was paved the entire way and in reasonable shape, just minor bumps. Definitely worth a repeat visit -- I'll try to go further next time.
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.
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