Export to Trail Guide
Create Guidebook 
Download GPX 
Print Friendly MapThe Kiwanis Trail occupies an old railroad bed between Adrian and the southern edge of Tecumseh. The trail is currently the only open component of a much longer proposed regional greenway trail. In the future, the River Raisin Greenway will roughly follow the River Raisin north from Adrian to Manchester.
The Kiwanis Trail primarily runs through a secluded wooded corridor, but the surroundings become more urban as the trail enters the college town of Adrian. The segment of trail in the city is also known as the Riverview Trail, so don’t be surprised if you see the name on signs along this portion.
North of Maple Street in Adrian, the Kiwanis Trail passes through Trestle Park, which features a historic amphitheater. The amphitheater is home to the Adrian City Band, the second-longest continuously running community band in the United States.
Parking for the Kiwanis Trail can be found just south of Tecumseh at a small trailhead at the intersection of Ives Road and Green Highway. In Adrian, parking is available at Trestle Park on Hunt Street and at Riverside Park on McKenzie Street. Trestle Park also offers restrooms.
KT is an fun nature trail that has some issues that keep it from being perfect. The first is road crossings, which are quite frequent. Another is that the trial is somewhat bumpy, with said bumps being invisible until ride over them with your bike.
Still, the trail is a pretty good length, and keeps you away from urban noises and distractions for the most part, as it keeps you in a nature setting for the whole trip.
I would definitely recommend this trail to anyone considering it.
Nice trail with plenty of shade. Very easy ride, nice and flat. Wish it was longer though
Excellent trail. Great condition (8/22). Lots of shade. Highly recommend it.
As others have said, this flat 16 miles is great for a leisurely ride or to work towards getting back in shape. We saw about 20 kids and adults walking and biking on a June Tuesday morning. Lots of shade. The northern 3/4 mile section needs crack filling soon; vegetation is growing in them and will cause more damage.
I am grateful for beautiful trails like this and the organizations that provide benches and gazebos along the way for the public to use.
Rode this on a beautiful Sunday. Awesome trail if you’re looking for a leisurely ride. On a hot day this is a perfect trail -the tree canopy keeps the sun at bay. The trail is well maintained-bumps are not an issue. I would suggest parking in Adrian instead of Tecumseh. The parking area in Adrian has a covered pavilion, drinking fountain and ample parking.
Just want to advise that parking for the Kiwanis Trail is available at Bent Oak Crossing park, located where the trail crosses Bent Oak Highway
My wife and I discovered the Kiwanis Trail this year. We park at the trailhead at Green Hwy. and Ives Rd, and walk 3 or 4 miles round trip a few times a week. It is paved, has adequate shade, and is quite pretty with trees and wildflowers along the way. I have one suggestion and one question: The suggestion is to keep the weeds and growth cleared from each side of the trail: The trail is fairly narrow to begin with, and when you have runners and cyclists in each direction, the growth cuts the effective width of the trail by several inches. My question is: Why is it that the first half mile marker (when beginning at Ives and Green) is less than a half mile? All of the other markers are accurate at a half mile or mile, except the first marker is only about .4 miles. Overall though, an excellent trail for fitness and family walks.
This is an excellent little trail to get back in shape on. It is the perfect length out and back 16 miles round trip. It's flat with nice parks to take breaks or cook a meal before you ride back to the north endpoint. Only a couple busy road intersections to deal with. All around excellent trail for a short ride.
I have logged 2,000 miles a year on this trail for 7 years using this trail as a go between to get to Tecumseh or Saline from Adrian. It is a safe wonderful family trail, flat easy riding. There is a mix of joggers, walkers, bikers and inline. There is currently a 20 ft or so section awaiting new black top after the repair the spring. Other than that this a blacktop all the way. The parking is at either end and at Riverside or the church on Valley. Once you reach the end on Green and Ives, you have a short ride to Tecumseh heading left on a not busy 45 mph rd, for a wonderful small town visit.
Other than about .25 miles under construction the path was awesome, very smooth and not a lot of elevation sorry and easy ride for the whole family.
This is our family's second year riding this trail. We noted that a new parking lot has been installed at the northern terminus near Tecumseh, Michigan.
St. John's Lutheran Church, where the trail crosses Adrian Highway, is still providing a port-a-pot to travelers on the trail. We stopped when they were making cotton candy for a community fair in the church parking lot, and the folks were friendly.
A local pastor was preaching an open-air sermon in Trestle Park, with congregants sitting in lawn chairs along the trail. This makes the first time we've ever ridden bikes right through the middle of a church service! Even so, we received nothing but smiles. When we returned through the park, the congregation was carrying-in food for a picnic and grilling hamburgers.
Caution: heavy rains have eroded the old railroad bed in a couple places along the Raisin River, with very small areas of the pavement's edge breaking away into the deep ravine. The subsidences were marked with thin painted lines for repair.
Just started riding this year and wanted to get off the main road. Heard of this trail and decided to try it. Hitched my bike to the car and drove to the Tecumseh end to start. Other than maybe a .5 mile section of bumpy paved section the rest of the 6 miles I rode was amazing! Quiet and serene and beautiful. The few roads I crossed were not too difficult but crosswalk lights like in Saline would be helpful. 98% smooth riding! Will definitely ride again, hopefully the whole trail. Would LOVE to see this expand to Manchester! Looking forward to bringing some friends with me.
Pretty nice, just wish it was a little longer!
Our family rode the whole trail and really enjoyed it. We'll be back for sure.
Just got back from riding this trail for the first time this year (we ride it 2 or 3 times a year). It's a nice little trail - about 17 miles round trip from end to end. Nicely shaded for most of the way, and the wild flowers were in bloom along most of the trail. Just a couple of cautions though...there are a couple of roads that are tough to cross, especially M52 (Adrian Hwy), and the path just southwest of Occidental Hwy is very bumpy for about 1.2 miles (at least for our road bikes). Be especially careful about 3/4's of mile into the bumpy section as their are areas of the path that have big cracks that run parallel with the path (good way to trash a wheel set and/or get some road rash). Also, on the Adrian end just past Trestle Park, it gets a little tricky to find the path, but you should be able to figure it out.
Our school group just rode this trail on 4/18/15. The path is nice towards the southern half and there is a church pavilion that you can stop off for a quick bite right in the middle of the route. They provide a port-a-john for bathroom breaks if needed. It was even clean as well.
Towards the northern half of the route, the asphalt has cracks in it that have been marked but it makes for a bit of rougher riding compared to the southern trail. Walking or running should be no problem though.
I would highly recommend this trail and plan to visit it again.
We took this bike ride later in October. Most of the color was already gone from the trees, but it appears it could be a good shady trail during the summer. We started at the trail head near Tecumseh. There was a portion of the trail that is definitely in need of work and we had to dodge some holes and decaying black top. The trail was a bit difficult to follow in town, but we had this app and GPS to help us. The park around the old rail depots was awesome. What a great way to preserve part of the railway that makes up that trail. They have done a very nice job with it. We would ride again some time. It does appear that they plan to fix the part of the trail is not in good condition though by witnessing all the paint circles marking bad spots in the asphalt.
Today my husband and I rode this entire trail for a very enjoyable morning. We started at the Riverside Park off of McKenzie. There is a nice boardwalk ramp that takes you to the trail. The section through the city was not well marked and we were glad that we had the downloaded map. Once we got to Trestle Park and rode through the two pavilions the trail was easy to follow. Most to the trail looks to be recently resurfaced so it was smooth. There was about 1.25 mile section close to the Tecumseh that had not been resurfaced so was rougher. There are a number of wooden bridges that are crossed that are also a little bumpy but add character to the ride. The trail is shaded for most of the way and the mostly rural setting made for nice scenery. Flat, shaded and smooth...a perfect combination for us.
My wife and I rode the trail a couple weeks ago. There were lots of cracks pretty much the entire trail. Some were deep enough that someone had spray painted them oragnge so people wouldn't ride into them and crash. Disappointing for a trail rated 4 stars.
Rode the Kiwanis Trail twice yesterday (there and back). It's an excellent trail for the beginner. It is dead flat, very shady (at times it feels like you're in a tunnel of trees) and mostly smooth. The majority of the trail is blacktop. There is a short section (2 miles?) near the Tecumseh side that is concrete and has a lot of cracks and potholes. Not enough to diminish the enjoyment.
The trail was fairly busy with other bikers, inline skaters, joggers and baby strollers. Everyone was pleasant and friendly and easy to pass when needed.
The trail winds through the woods, neighborhoods, the city of Adrian and past some water. There are a couple cool little wooden bridges to traverse. Enough changing scenery to keep you interested. The trail crosses a couple busy intersections (M52 for one), so keep your head up.
I parked at the Tecumseh end. Drive into town on M50, head south on Adrian St., (which becomes Green St.) about two miles to Ives Rd. There's a little gravel lot there, or you can park by the side of the road if it's full.
Not exactly a workout, but a lot of fun.
While the 7-mile trail isn't long enough for me to make a day of it as I prefer to do when I am out biking, there are some things about this trail that make it a nice ride. First of all, this trail is a fun, quick ride that I can accomplish in a short period of time if indeed I have a day that time is limited. My ride includes the Adrian city trail (less than 2 miles) and a short jaunt up an off-trail country road in Tecumseh (about a mile). In a little less than an hour I can ride from Adrian to Tecumseh where I can have a nice lunch and a pot of tea at the British Pantry, or a latte at the Daily Grind. Then, in less than an hour, I am back where I started. My total ride is approximately 10 miles. I park at the Wendy's on the corner of Beecher and M-52 and hop on the city trail which begins just north of Beecher off M-52. I continue through the city of Adrian, through Trestle Park and then connect to the Kiwanis trail. The trail portion of the ride is relatively smooth and scenic with farms and an occasional wildlife sighting. At the end, I turn left onto Green Rd. and ride less than a mile to Tecumseh's main drag, Chicago Road. Turn right and you are into downtown Tecumseh with a few options for things to do. A visit to this trail is certainly worthwhile.
We rode the Kiwanis Trail yesterday, August 13, 2008. Since we were visiting my Aunt in Tecumseh, we parked in the gravel area at Ives & Green, right at the north end of the trail. Much of the trail was newly surfaced and smooth; however, a 3 mile stretch between Occidental Hwy and Valley Rd. had cracks across the trail every 10-20 ft, some of them jarring. There were also some deeper holes and depressions that were marked with paint. In spite of this, we had a very enjoyable ride. There was ample shade. Sometimes we were riding in a tunnel of trees. There was a stream nearby that we could often see & hear. Trestle Park in Adrian provided us with some photos ops. We rode off the trail a couple of blocks in Adrian and found a Subway that had outside picnic tables for lunch. On the way back we saw a doe and two fawns in the middle of the trail, a very pretty sight! Many thanks to the Kiwanis for making this trail and our fun day a reality! A trail map can be found at: http://www.ci.adrian.mi.us/documents%5CParks%20&%20Recreation/kiwanis%20trail%20map.jpg
We rode the Kiwanis Trail yesterday, August 13, 2008. We were visiting my Aunt in Tecumseh, so therefore we parked at the patch of gravel at Green & Ives, right at the end of the trail. Much of the trail is newly surfaced and smooth. There was a 3 mile stretch between Occidental Hwy and Valley Rd. that had cracks running across the trail every 10 or 20 ft. A few were very jarring. There were also a few larger holes or depressions which had been marked off with paint. Despite these imperfections, we truly enjoyed our ride. There was ample shade, and we sometimes found ourselves riding in a tunnel of trees. We enjoyed seeing and hearing the running water in the nearby stream along the way. Trestle Park in Adrian was very nice and well maintained. We rode off the trail in Adrian a couple of blocks and found a Subway that had outdoor seating for lunch. On the way back we saw a doe & two fawns standing right in the middle of the trail. Thank you, Kiwanis, for making this trail and our fun day a reality. A trail map can be found at: http://www.ci.adrian.mi.us/documents%5CParks%20&%20Recreation/kiwanis%20trail%20map.jpg
Visited in May 2008. Trees have grown alongside path since previous entries and they provided plenty of areas with shade now. Path is paved and fine for bicycling. We experienced a quiet, peaceful, & relaxing ride enjoying the wildlife, streams, and the open country.
"Observations from a Ten-Year-Old Cyclist, by Amelia D.
On Mother’s Day, our family decided to go bike riding on Kiwanis trail. Me, as a 10 year old, got pretty excited. We brought snacks and stuff and were ready to go. The car ride was about an hour from Ann Arbor but when we got out of the car, it was hot! Correction: steaming hot! Boiling! So maybe this wasn’t the best day. But any day you go, you should bring lots of water. But we still rode and while I was riding, I didn’t notice really any trash or gross stuff along the trail. That was good but then, I noticed there was hardly any shade. There were benches, sure yeah- but not in the shade. No benches in the shade but there were trees. Oh yeah! Lots of trees! So here I was--boiling hot, pedaling hard and with no shade. But I have to admit, I am a 10 year-old and not so used to bike riding long distances, but I do exercise a lot. I also have to admit that the path was like su-mooooth!!!! (smooth) So the trail was perfect for bikes, skateboards, etc. Now, rolleorblades, those would work but there were some cracks. Not big ones, just the ones that go all the way across the trail. So there you have it. Well, if you really just want to skip the details, here’s it straightforward: Generally, it was a great trail. Relaxing, lots of birds: cardinals, redwing blackbirds, robins. Also houses, farms, horses. The most interesting part is a small waterfall near Adrian where you can eat lunch (but don’t forget to take out your trash out with you and leave it nice for everyone else!) It was what you might call long though—seven miles each way, so I rode a total of 14 miles. It took my family about 2 and a half hours to finish. But at the end, we went to this one dairy in Adrian called “Spotted Cow” which was a REALLY great place. It had basically everything you could want! And it made all that hard work worth it. So, out of ten-one being the worst, ten being the best, I’d give it a 8.75 probably."
"(this is from Amelia's 12-year-old brother): A good trail, but lacks some shade. The path through the forest near Adrian is nice, but after you leave it there is not enough shade and little scenery. There is a nice, tranquil waterhole with a small waterfall that makes a good place to rest. Everything else is fine otherwise.
-opinions of a 12-year old biker"
"Whoever is repairing the trail has never rollerbladed. One 8-foot-wide cut in the trail has never been repaved. And at two other places very soft asphalt fill was used. Hit any of them at any speed and it is a guaranteed fall. I went down myself and I've been skating 40 years. I also saw a high school age young lady take a serious header coming off one of the bridges onto the soft fill.
It makes the rollerblades essentially stop when you hit it, but unfortunately you keep going. Hopefully they'll realize the hazard they've created and fix it, but I wouldn't count on it. The dirt and gravel patch has been there two years."
"I just started biking this and the trail is good for me. It is a little bumpy due to rough asphalt, but it isn't discouraging. The scenery is good, although I rode on the 1st of April. There are a couple of small water falls or rock tumbles to look see.
I rode alone, it took me about two and a half hours to go round trip starting from Maumee street and like I said I just started biking and I am about 60lbs. over-weight, so people who are fit might find it a little to easy. It overall is a good trail for biking and/or walking."
"This trail doesn't officially start until north of Trestle Park, along a highway, but park at a station in this beautiful park and cross the trestle (there are picnic tables on the trestle) going north; you'll find the trail, but there are no signs for it in the park. The trail itself is in good repair, shaded and peaceful, and follows the Raisin River."
"The only thing that comes second to the beatuy of this trail is the hard work the Kiwanis club has put into creating a wonderful playground for SE Michigan bikers, roller bladers, runners & and anyone else who wants to enjoy the nature along the way. The trail is ribboned through farm land, woods, and rural back yards. The fourteen mile round trip can be accomplished by even the novice biker in one to two hours."
This is a short trail but well maintained and peaceful. Not a lot of places to park on the Tecumseh end of the trail. Fun for a quick ride with the kids.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails conservancy
(a non-profit) and we need your support!
