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The Michigan Air Line Trail stretches nearly 7 miles across the communities of Wixom, Walled Lake and Commerce Township in Oakland County.
About the Route
At its western end, the trail connects seamlessly with the Huron Valley Trail. Heading east in the former railroad right-of-way, the trail passes by commercial, residential and natural areas as well as community facilities like Gunnar Mettala Park in Wixom and Walled Lake Western High School.
Throughout much of the trail's length, overhead power lines stretch overhead. The route does feature a number of street crossings, but they are well-marked and have push-button activated beacons so that trail users can cross safely, with the exception of the M-5 crossing in Commerce Township, which consists of a bike-ped bridge across the busy highway. The trail's eastern end is on Haggerty Road at the Commerce Township-West Bloomfield line.
Connections
While the trail is worth riding for its own sake, it's the connections that it makes that make it all the more special.
At the trail's eastern end, it connects with the West Bloomfield Trail, which occupies 6.8 miles of the same converted railroad corridor as the Air Line Trail. Not far from there, across M-5, trail users will encounter the M-5 Metro Trail, which continues south for over two-and-a-half miles.
At its western end, the trail connects seamlessly with the Huron Valley Trail.
From west to east, parking is available at:
Visit the TrailLink map for all options and detailed directions.
The trail is perfectly smooth, with no bumps or pothole that I recall and runs mostly straight throughout. It starts off completely nature oriented with a switch between nature and urban fairly quickly, so if you're looking for a fully nature experience, you might want to try the West Bloom field trail that's just a few miles down the road. The trail is also rather short, clocking in at around 12 miles (round trip).
With that said, this is a very good that I very much enjoyed and look forward to completing again.
Individuals looking for a good trail should definitely consider this one.
Nice ride - part way - from Haggerty to Wixom Rd and return. Planning on riding the whole length soon
The Air Line trail has quickly become one of my favorite regular rides. The surface is nearly new and very smooth. The entire length of trail is surprisingly scenic considering it navigates a suburban area. The road crossings are well marked with safety lights available. This is a welcome and valuable addition to the growing network of trails in the Detroit metro area.
Even though the Air Line itself is fairly short, it seamlessly connects to a much larger network at both ends, providing access to days of riding if desired.
Well paved, plenty of space on and plenty of branch off spots on this trail.
Clean, and smooth
Seriously for inline skating it doesn’t get smoother than the Airline trail! Wow. Love the mellow grade changes. Parked at On the Dune sports bar parking lot. Went all the way to Old Plank road and back. Only negative thing I can think to say about this trail is the gap that was under construction (as of 7/27/22) but looks to be finished in the 2 weeks? So fast and smooth for inlines!!
At the east end this trail starts near On The Dunes bar and sports venue. Lots of room for parking. The trail ends in Wixom, with several good options for snacks or a beverage. Our choice was the Drafting Table Brewery. Lots of other cyclers were headed further west for more drinking in South Lyon. Had a bite at On The Dunes when we got back to our car. As others have said, those with kids or serious riders may want to avoid due to the many roads that are crossed.
New trail makes for a smooth ride. Mixed scenery amongst industrial areas. Connects between West Bloomfield trail and Huron Valley.
Just rode this today and it was great! Very scenic and smooth ride
This is a newly setup trail and is fun to ride. Quiet family friendly. One thing to keep in mind is that it crosses a lot of roads and that might slow down serious riders. Really good for a casual family ride.
This trail is newly completed so the blacktop surface is pristine for wheels! It passes through developed areas and wetlands. There's no shade between Wixom Rd and Haggerty Rd, so go when it's cooler outside. The trail has an entrance to Gunnar Mettala park in Wixom and there are bathrooms there.
The trail crosses some roads and, where appropriate, has crossing signals. There's a bridge over M-5, but as of July 2020, Google Maps doesn't know about it, so it will reroute you on busy streets to get across M-5. Ignore the reroute; the trail is clear.
As the description states, the trail is a great connector between the Huron Valley Trail and the West Bloomfield Trail. Many people have eagerly awaited for years for that!
As of July 2020, there is an installation of the Detroit Institute of Art's "Inside Out", with 4 reproductions of prints found in the DIA displayed right on the path (they are spread out; you'll need wheels to see them all). I believe this will last during the summer months but not sure.
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