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Print Friendly MapLocated 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 Park, a distance of approximately 6.5 miles. The trail—also known as the Wayne C. Koppa Trail after the chairman of the Crawford County Multi-Purpose Pathway Committee—is paved with asphalt, with the exception of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ heavy equipment gravel driveway (about 50 feet).
The trail is mostly flat between downtown Grayling and Grayling High School, while several small hills may prove a challenge on the stretch from the school to Hartwick Pines State Park. This section runs through pine forest but is never far away from State Route 93. A bike-ped bridge, completed in 2017, takes users across I-75. Exercise caution when entering the newly constructed bridge as motorized vehicles entering I-75 cross paths with trail users.
Parking for the Grayling Bicycle Turnpike is available near its midpoint at Grayling High School (1135 North Old US 27).
Rode the trail from the state park into Grayling. Lots of hills but the ride was very smooth. Not the prettiest trail we’ve been. Not sure we’d go back. Lots of riding next to the road. Kind of noisy.
After many years of having to cross I-75 on a two lane highway bridge the new pedestrian only bridge was completed late last fall and is now seeing lots of usage. The trip out to Hardwick Pines State Park is now much safer and a lot more fun!
Started the ride at Hartwick Pines state park (love this park) with my friend, Kathie from Traverse City. We've snowshoed and hiked at Hartwick before, this was our first time biking here. Found the "turnpike" trail very scenic and enjoyable. The hills gave it a "roller coaster" feel. Noticed that a new trail I-75 crossing is under construction which would make this ride very cool! Kudos to the trail managers for their foresight. Hope to ride this trail again when the crossing is finished.
We just parked at the DNR office off I-75 and rode the trail to Hartwick Pines. We then did some bike trails inside the park returning to the main trail to return to our vehicle. Very nice ride.
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The trail was nice, but there should be a sign where you have to turn. We missed the turn and lost the trail at the high school. The turn is just before you get to the high school. Once we figured out our mistake, it was nice. We loved ending up at the park!
We started this trail at the hospital. You have to travel a short distance along the rode before you hit the trail but from then on it is smooth biking. Nice trail with rolling hills, - nothing steep here - actually a lot of fun and well marked.
Rode this trail on Sunday morning. It was smooth and other than going over 75, it was pretty cool. I ride my longboard on the trails and the hills were awesome. Could use a bit of cleanup but other than that it's great. I parked at Grayling High School and went downtown until the trail went to sidewalk. Then I skated up to Hartwick Pines and then back to the high school. Needs to be extended.
Other than the I75 crossing, I thought that this was an excellent trail. I am confused about one person's statement of steep hills as my children, aged five and eight, enjoyed the full 13 mile round trip with no trouble at all. We were especially pleased by Bright and Glory Lakes, even cooling our feet for a while. The staff at Hartwick Pines were courteous, and I was impressed with the visitor center. The next time we set out, we're going to pack a lunch and explore more of the park. I recommend this trail for a family looking to get a bit of exercise.
"This trail is better than nothing but it has several real safety issues and some very steep hills which are dangerous too. It has not been maintained very well, is not marked very well but the idea of it was good... and that was to get riders from Hartwick State Pines Park a way to ride into Grayling without having to ride along the roadside. This trail is poor when compared to some others in Northern Michigan but it is better than riding in the road for the nearly 7 miles that it covers."
"This trail needs some major saftey and repair work as it includes a crossing at a three-way intersection and a ride across I-75 on a dirty bridge shoulder. The trail is nice, but in sections it is dangerously close to M-93 where vehicles travel at up to 70 miles per hour on a regular basis.
It also includes some very steep hills, which take a lot of fun out of what could have been a great ride. Whoever built this trail needs to re-think what they have done with our tax money in hopes of not making the same mistakes the next time. Much of it was shamefully wasted on this debacle!"
"This is a poorly designed trail. I am an avid cyclist. For me, the trail was excellent. However, this is not a trail that is accessible to anyone. The grades are way too steep. Individuals in wheelchairs or even cyclists pulling baby carts would never be able to ascend the grades safely.
In addition, the road crossings are extremely dangerous in regards to signage for motorists. I'm just waiting for the first person to get wiped out crossing over I-75 on the bridge. Because this project was federally funded (and thereby MUST be accessible to everyone), I was very disappointed to see that the trail designers failed to anticipate usage by wheelchair users and hand cyclists. Moreover, individuals using Amigos, joggers pushing baby carts and cyclists pulling baby trailers would not be able to complete several of the hills on the trail."
"This asphalt-surfaced trail is now close to 6.5 long and runs north along old US-27 north out of Grayling and turns east at the high school and goes all the way out to Hartwick Pines State Park.
The trail does not have any water stops but it is shaded for the most part as it passes through the forest edge for its entire route. It is very hilly out near the park and it also requires caustion to users as it does run along side M-93 in places and it crosses the I-75 bridges close to the traffic lanes. The trail also crosses old US-27 near the high school which is ONLY a three-way stop sign intersection, leaving north bound traffic to cross the bike trail without having to stop first.
Even though it's a nice ride, for the most part trail users must excercize caution and some trail users will strain some in order to pass through the hilly area.
The trail does connect with a roadside pathway that goes into Grayling where folks can find plenty of shopping, restaurants andd so on."
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