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I will preface this by saying I am only reviewing the portion of the trail between the Marne endpoint and the long rail trestle just shy of Ravenna, AND I am reviewing this from the standpoint of road cyclists. Rail trails (especially rural ones) are usually very good to great for road cyclists. This is one of the few that I would say to simply not even bother with. It is obvious this trail was put down years ago and then has had little (very little) money spent on maintenance through the years. There are so many trouble spots which were painted so long ago that the paint has now faded and is barely visible. The repairs were never done.
If you have a bike that can absorb a lot (and I mean "A LOT!") of impact without discomfort, this might be OK, IF you are capable of quick reactions and have good riding skills. We traveled an hour to reach this trail via car and it truly was not worth it.
Starting at the trailhead outside of Marne, the parking is plentiful, paved, and quite inviting. There is a larger portable toilet provided, which was well-maintained on this day. The parking leads directly onto the trail without using any roads or connectors, which is good.
The first three miles are truly the worst paved trail we have ever ridden on and we have ridden trails in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Utah, ... We had been told that the pavement was "not the best" but we kinda underestimated just what that meant. By the time those first three miles were finished, my hands and wrists hurt so badly, I needed some ibuprofen, and this has NEVER happened to me in my years of riding. Sadly, I had none with me. There were so many spots where the grass is actually growing up through the pavement right in the middle that it is starting to look like a 2-track. There were several ruts/bumps that were so severe, they could possibly damage a rim if taken at any speed above 10 mph. The worst part is, this section is mostly shady, so your eyes can't pick up on these hazards too well.
The next three miles improved slightly. Not a great trail, but not as dangerous as the first three. This took us to Conklin, which is about one block long. Fortunately, they have a real nice little store there from which you can buy some refreshments or maybe some ibuprofen!
After you leave Conklin and continue on, the trail again gets marginally better. It is beginning to deteriorate, though. There are places where you can see the asphalt is eroding because it hasn't been sealed in so long and the hard surface is becoming almost a gravel. We rode for another five miles or so until we reached the long trestle over Crockery Creek. This is one of the very few sights to see on this trail, but it is a good one. A nice place to simply stop and listen to the rapids beneath you (probably 60 feet down, or so). Nice photo opportunity.
The positives I can give for this trail are (1) they did a great job squaring the crossings to the street (they almost always made sure you were seeing traffic at a 90-degree angle, instead of the actual angle of the trail at the road), and (2) signage was very good (stop signs were well marked and always had the name of the cross-street so you knew exactly where you were on the map).
The good news about the negatives is, these problems are fixable. It simply takes commitment of resources. Some communities do this, some don't. I truly hope that those in control of this trail allocate what is needed to bring this trail up to the standard it could be at. Houses can be run down but have "good bones". This trail has GREAT bones. It could be fabulous. Hopefully, it will be.
Since repaving and connection with the Michigan Airline Trail, this trail has gone from one of the worst to one of the best trails around.
Excellent trail. Great condition (8/22). Lots of shade. Highly recommend it.
The only reason why I rated this 2 stars is for the segment that is downtown. We started from this trailhead to do the westernmost loop. For the most part the trail is awful. It is not maintained. There is very little signage, even at obvious junctions and spurs. And it is covered with goose droppings and overgrowth. Such a shame because it could be a nice way to get to know the city.
Goods: Very nice views. Mostly covered with trees. Decent wildlife viewing. I spotted couple deers, rabbits but the big one was a huge Owl. Downward incline towards South Haven. Reaching South Haven and enjoying the town is the big prize for the 34 mile effort. Took me Two and Half hours.
Not so good: Limestone and gravel so your bike will turn ash color. Too much traction. No steady decline so you have to paddle 95% of the way and cannot get a breather. Couple of places you can get lost, the signs at confusing intersection are not there.
I love this trail so much. I’ve been jogging and biking Lower Huron Metro Park most of my teens and twenties. It’s a great big park and the paths are varied with trips through fields and meadows, through wooded “tunnels”, it travels along the river, and has plenty of hills to vary the terrain. These trails are quiet, secluded, and a ton of fun. This was the first place I took my first “real” bike on and I’ve been regularly coming back since. It easily beats other trails around me. 3 Metro Parks are connected directly by this trail and the fourth (Lake Eerie Metro) is connected via a long connecting trail I haven’t done yet but am excited to do one day. All 4 parks have plenty of bathrooms, water fountains, map stations, and awesome bike racks for pumping up your tires or doing repairs with all the necessary tools included. The paths are all smooth and very well maintained from branches, leaves, and other debris. For as popular and well maintained these parks are, the bike paths are never crowded which is awesome. Whoever thought out the trails, details, and accessories did an awesome job. The bike repair stations are an amazing touch to these great trails. I’ve tried other trails like Hines Drive but found the section I did to be loud from traffic (you’re right next to the road the whole time) and boring (no varied terrain or paths through nature). It’s hard to go anywhere else other than this Metro Park trail because it’s easily the best trail around. The others pale in comparison.
I road the trail to the Hawkins Road trail head last week. It looks like there is great progress extending the trail further toward Jackson. That new section of the trail appears complete as far as the eye can see, but it is not yet open.
We enjoyed the trail on a Sunday summer evening. There was sufficient shade on a hot day. We want to go again and bring our dog. Not too busy.
Most of this trail is a part of park.It is comfortable for daily walk and ride.
This trail is one of the best out there; flat, shaded, well-maintained, perfect for a road-bike. Not all trails are like this one. Take advantage of it!
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