Find the top rated running trails in Kalamazoo, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Trail Image | Trail Name | States | Length | Surface | Rating |
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The East West Trail follows an electric utility corridor for more than 2 arrow-straight miles through Kentwood, Michigan. The trail runs along a creek for a short distance and features some short...
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MI | 2.7 mi | Asphalt |
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Located in Eliason Nature Reserve, this multiuse trail provides a paved route through the scenic woods of the reserve. At its northern end, the trail links with the Shaver Road Bikeway, which provides...
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MI | 3.3 mi | Asphalt |
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Jackson County's Falling Waters Trail serves as an important community connector, linking the outskirts of the vibrant City of Jackson to the picturesque Village of Concord, which brims with Victorian...
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MI | 11.25 mi | Asphalt |
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The Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Rail Trail is one component of a network of trails in mid-west Michigan that, when complete, will stretch 125 miles from Alma to Owosso. The trails are named after...
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MI | 15.5 mi | Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone |
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The Fred Meijer Pioneer Trail is the last trail of a dozen trails in western Michigan to be named after philanthropist and Rail-Trail Champion Fred Meijer.
The trail is an important connector...
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MI | 9 mi | Asphalt |
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The Fred Meijer Standale Trail—one of several trails in western Michigan named for the grocery magnate and philanthropist who donated generously to their development—connects retail, civic and...
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MI | 4.9 mi | Asphalt, Concrete |
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The Grand River Edges Trail runs in loops on the east and west banks of the Grand River near downtown Grand Rapids. At the south end, the trail crosses back and forth over the river via pedestrian...
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MI | 5.4 mi | Asphalt |
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The Indiana Michigan River Valley Trail connects the towns of Niles, MI, and Mishawaka, IN via. 17 miles of paved multi-use trails. The trail passes different sites like Notre Dame University as well...
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MI | 17.5 mi | Asphalt, Concrete |
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More than a half-dozen old railroad towns between Kalamazoo and South Haven offer rest and replenishment to travelers using the Kal-Haven Trail. The nearly 34-mile crushed-limestone rail trail links...
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MI | 33.95 mi | Crushed Stone |
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An easy, flat, and well-maintained trail system, the Kent Trails provide transportation and access to nature in the bustling, second-largest metropolitan area in Michigan. The southern trail section...
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MI | 22.1 mi | Asphalt |
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As its name implies, the Northwest Portage Bikeway traverses the northwestern neighborhoods of Portage, a city in the Kalamazoo metro area. The 3-mile paved trail begins just south of Crossroads Mall,...
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MI | 3 mi | Asphalt |
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The Portage Bikeway trail system is a 17.5-mile network of multi-use trails throughout the city of Portage, south of Kalamazoo. The 4-mile segment through Portage Creek Bicentennial Park is cleared of...
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MI | 4.8 mi | Asphalt |
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The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail covers over 18 miles between the towns of Goshen, Middlebury, and Shipshewana. The trail itself is well maintained and includes mile markers. The route is paved, with the...
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IN | 18.6 mi | Asphalt, Crushed Stone |
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Ridge Run Trail, in the northern Indiana town of Middlebury, offers helpful connections in the community. On its southern end, the paved pathway connects with the beloved Pumpkinvine Nature Trail,...
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IN | 1.5 mi | Asphalt |
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The Upper Macatawa Trail is sited within the stunning natural area of the same name, in Zeeland, Michigan. The trail runs 2.8 miles and offers a sensory as it passes through hardwood forest, verdant...
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MI | 2.8 mi | Asphalt, Dirt |
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The Van Buren Trail Spur, which opened in November 2015, offers a paved, off-road route from the southern outskirts of South Haven to Van Buren State Park. The rail-trail begins at 16th Avenue, where...
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MI | 2.5 mi | Asphalt |
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The Battle Creek Linear Park trail encompasses nearly 26 miles of connected trails in Battle Creek. Residents use the loop trails to put some snap, crackle, and pop in their exercise routines, while...
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MI | 25.9 mi | Asphalt |
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Following the north side of the creek, the Buck Creek Trail provides a pleasant route through Grandville's neighborhoods and, with a newer extension, connects the downtown area with a network of...
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MI | 2.5 mi | Asphalt |
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The Butterworth Trail connects several neighborhoods in Grand Rapids on both sides of the Grand River. The majority of the paved trail loops through a large swath of land formerly home to the...
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MI | 3.5 mi | Asphalt, Concrete |
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If you’re looking for a rustic escape form the din of everyday life, consider the Calhoun County Trailway. The Trailway weaves through three of the county’s four parks. The 5.3-mile trail kicks off in...
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MI | 5.3 mi | Crushed Stone |
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The Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Rail Trail links the cities of Lowell, Belding, and Greenville in Kent, Ionia, and Montcalm counties, respectively. Running along a former railroad corridor, the...
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MI | 21.6 mi | Asphalt |
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The Fred Meijer Kenowa Trail begins in the rural community of Jamestown southwest of Grand Rapids and travels nearly 10 miles west, primarily along existing roads, to Zeeland Township. Passing by one...
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MI | 9.8 mi | Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete |
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The Fred Meijer Millennium Trail courses through the 1,500-acre Millennium Park in Walker, a community southwest of Grand Rapids. The trail network has both paved and crushed stone trails, allowing...
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MI | 11 mi | Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone |
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To be in Holland, Michigan, is to experience authentic Dutch culture in the American Midwest, from dikes and canals, to tulip fields and even a windmill. The city sits on the Lake Michigan shoreline...
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MI | 150 mi | Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone |
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The Idema Explorers Trail is a multiuse, ADA-accessible trail that will connect communities, parks, other trails and more between Grand Haven at the edge of Lake Michigan and Grand Rapids,...
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MI | 19.3 mi | Asphalt |
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When complete, the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail will run for 35 miles throughout Kalamazoo County. Currently, the trail consists of two continuous segments connected by bike lanes: one segment extends...
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MI | 20.9 mi | Asphalt |
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The Lakeshore Connector Path runs along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, between Grand Haven and Holland, a distance of nearly 20 miles. The paved path parallels Lakeshore Drive and offers access...
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MI | 20 mi | Asphalt |
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The MapleHeart Trail travels nearly 5 miles from the city of Elkhart south to the outskirts of Goshen. The trail parallels County Road 45 and a Norfolk Southern Railroad corridor through residential...
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IN | 4.8 mi | Asphalt |
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Though the Millennium Trail runs just over a mile, it connects several attractions in the southern Michigan city of Portage. Its east end connects to the scenic Portage Creek Bicentennial Trail,...
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MI | 1.3 mi | Asphalt |
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The Paul Henry-Thornapple Trail is a 31-mile, multi-use recreation trail, extending from Grand Rapids to Vermontville.
The trail passes through farmlands, woodlands, and small towns, coursing...
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MI | 31.1 mi | Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone |
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The Plaster Creek Trail provides a non-motorized way to access Grand Rapids neighborhoods via a pleasant, tree-lined route. The path meanders along a tributary of the Grand River from Ken-O-Sha Park...
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MI | 2.7 mi | Asphalt |
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Shaver Road Bikeway begins on the south side of E. Centre Avenue in the southern Michigan city of Portage. On the north side of the roadway, a connection to the 4-mile Portage Creek Bicentennial Trail...
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MI | 1.8 mi | Asphalt |
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The Vicksburg Trailway runs for nearly 2 miles on a former railroad corridor in a small village south of Kalamazoo. The paved trail is surrounded by dense woodlands for all but the southernmost...
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MI | 1.8 mi | Asphalt |
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The pleasant little Albion River Trail runs along the south bank of the Kalamazoo River through the town of Albion. The trail runs between McClure Riverfront Park on the west end and Victory Park on...
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MI | 1.6 mi | Asphalt |
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Following the Elkhart River through a 120-acre greenway, this multiuse trail provides a green oasis in the middle of the city. The greenway is home to deer, river otter, muskrat, beaver, coyote, fox,...
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IN | 1.9 mi | Asphalt |
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The Fred Meijer M-6 Trail runs for 9 miles, paralleling Michigan Highway 6/Paul B. Henry Expressway south of Grand Rapids (a.k.a. the M-6). As such, it's not the quietest of trails, but it still...
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MI | 9 mi | Asphalt |
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The community of Granger is tucked into the north end of Indiana, bordering Michigan. The community itself, through the Friends of Granger Paths recognized the need for safe, separate areas for...
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IN | 5 mi | Concrete |
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The City of Wyoming’s Interurban Trail follows a former interurban railroad corridor through the heart of the community just south of Grand Rapids. Trains between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo ceased...
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MI | 2 mi | Asphalt |
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The Main Trail runs for just 0.5 mile along an eastwest corridor through the Whitehouse Nature Center. The trail links a series of loop trails through the nature center and begins at the visitor...
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MI | 0.5 mi | Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Woodchips |
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Head for Van Buren Trail State Park and take a walk (or ride) on the wild side. Wildlife abounds on this rural 14.3-mile trail between Hartford and South Haven. While you might see deer, rabbits,...
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MI | 14.3 mi | Ballast |
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Allegan County’s Interurban Trail runs north-south through the City of Wayland. The trail follows a former interurban railroad corridor through the heart of the community between Grand Rapids and...
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MI | 1.3 mi | Dirt, Grass, Gravel |
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The Litchfield Nature Trail meanders through scenic property owned by the City of Litchfield, in some places adjacent to the St. Joseph (St. Joe) River. At one point, the trail passes through...
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MI | 2 mi | Dirt, Grass |
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The Wayne Avenue Trail serves as a pleasant east-west connector through the quiet, tree-filled neighborhoods of Middlebury in northern Indiana.
On its west end, it provides residents with access to...
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IN | 1 mi | Asphalt |
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The Wilden Avenue Trail stretches for roughly 3 miles from the northern Goshen city limits to the community's downtown. In the north, the trail is a direct continuation of the MapleHeart Trail (and is...
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IN | 3.2 mi | Asphalt |
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On the east end of Portage, this paved pathway begins near the intersection of S. Sprinkle Road and Zylman Avenue. On the south side of Zylman Avenue, you can easily reach Ramona Park, which offers a...
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MI | 1.5 mi | Asphalt |
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Lovers Lane Bikeway provides a paved, north-south route through the southern Michigan city of Portage. The paved pathway parallels the east side of Lovers Lane for 2 miles with a wide grassy median...
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MI | 2 mi | Asphalt |
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Romence Road Bikeway is a utilitarian east-west route across Portage, a city just south of Kalamazoo. The west end of the paved pathway begins at Westnedge Avenue, adjacent to a shopping center...
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MI | 1.5 mi | Asphalt |
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Just shy of a mile, Elkhart's Riverwalk offers a pleasant, paved connector through town. It begins downtown, across from City Center Park, and heads north paralleling Waterfall Drive and later Main...
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IN | 0.7 mi | Asphalt |
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We got on at 15 Baldwin Street (near the water treatment plant) and rode 16 miles out and back for 32 total. Temp was perfect with pre rain clouds keeping us cool. Many parts of the trail go through wooded areas with great shade but you also ride on roads in business areas. Pay attention to signs because some of them are hard to notice and it is easy to get off the trail. Also they could do a better marking spots in the asphalt where cracks have formed.
This a trail that alternates between nature and urban, with urban winning out. It has nice scenery and great round trip
The pavement in the bottom half could be a bit nicer, but all things considered, this trail is pretty decent one, as long as you don't mind a mostly sunny trail with not too much to see here.
The Idema Explorers trail is a long term project to create a greenway connection between Grand Haven and Grand Rapids along the Grand River.
Small sections have been completed but they are not connected.
The most recent section, (Built Summer of 2024) has opened up a great loop trail for riders who want to stay on trails and out of roads.
The new section connects existing trail near M-231 with trail along Mercury drive.
We started our ride at the Connor Bayou county park. Rode continuous trail into Grand Haven. There is a short section of surface streets but sidewalks are availble. You can connect to the Grand Haven Waterfront Trail over the US-31 drawbridge (north on side walk from US-31and Jackson Street),then connect to segment of the Lakeside Trail, which connects to the North Bank Trail. North Bank ends at the Spoonerville trail which brings you back across the Grand River on the M-231 bridge. Short trip on the Idema Explorers trail back to Connor Bayou.
While I look forward to completion of more sections of this trail, this 22 mile loop with 2 river crossings is a great ride.
Parked at the Galesburg Augusta Primary school ¿ Meander from school to the trail ¿ Country like setting transitioned to a road-hugging trail¿ Riding alongside car traffic ¿ The trail was pretty smooth and the wildflowers were in bloom.
The entire trail is very uneven throughout, rough, and with nothing to see, I would urge you either skip this trail or maybe walk it.
This sunny trail has some slight hills and tight curves near the end, after taking you through dense woods and weed fields, so consider giving it a try.
It's a great round trip, and it can open up to the sun & wind and other times plant life closes in for some shade.
While smooth, most of the trail is ballast & crushed stone, which for me made it very hard to keep my speed up.
I might consider skipping this one and looking elsewhere.
Traveled from Pennsylvania to ride this trail since we found out about it on TrailLink. We stayed at a local hotel. Trail is paved the entire length from Goshen to Shipshewana. A local told me they just finished paving the last crushed stone section. Trail goes through a few small towns which offers services. We ate lunch in Middlebury. Shipshewana offers many great shops and restaurants. This is in an Amish community. Small hill at mile 2.5. Most of the scenery is flat and open through farms but there are a few wooded sections of the trail as well. Worth driving 5 hours to get to and making it a getaway. Trail was busy for a Saturday but not crowded. Friendly folks along the way. We were lucky to have such great weather too!
Bird poop is common throughout this trail, especially by American Park, to the point you might want to only walk that segment instead of riding a bike.
Pavement is mostly smooth, though American Park turns into loose stone for a stretch, and overall scenery is good for the trail.
A good that's slightly marred by a brief urban stint, you'll thankfully spend most of your time in a nature setting with this route.
Mostly flat, you'll get both sun & shade with this trail, though sights are few.
You can also use this trail to link up with multiple other trails in Portage, including Millennium Trail, Lovers Lane Bikeway, Romence Road Bikeway, Shaver Road Bikeway, and Northwest Portage Bikeway.
This one should be avoided, as with frequent road crossings and nothing to see, you are going to spend almost all of your time in a urban, neighborhood setting.
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