Where to Rollerski

Rails to Trails
bike path

Somewhere around Adrian, there's a new paved, rails-to-trails that's several miles long... There's also a huge controversy about extending the Greenways.

About 3 miles of paved bike trail, relatively easy hills. Some flat hiking trails. One of my favorite roller ski places in the fall. Can be crowded with walkers, bikers, and skaters in the summer months.

7 miles of asphalt pavement from Belmont to just north of Rockford.

Premier southeast Michigan training area: a hilly 8-mile well-paved bike path for roller skiing, hilly roads for road biking, hilly horse trails for running. (The bike path connects to the paved path at Island Lake State Park and to the new South Lyon/Wixom paved trail system.) 

The hilly 8-mile bike path is outstanding.

Note: By law, the park requires helmets on all "wheeled" individuals - that includes rollerskiers.

Across the highway from Kensington Metropark, Island lake has 5 miles of paved bike path (5 miles out & back), a roller-skiable & bikable road, and 12 miles of mountain bike trail that can be hiked. The paved path connects to Kensington Metropark and South Lyon/ Wixom paved trails.

Very good on the paved trail & on the park roads. Be careful going downhill into the beach area (many people crossing path in the summer) and at the end where the path dead ends into the entrance to a park lot. The roads can be busy in the summer!

The Musketawa Trail is a 25 mile multi-use recreation trail between Marne (just west of Grand Rapids) and Muskegon, Michigan. It passes through farmlands and wetlands, over creeks, and through villages. The trail is a 4 season adventure for the outdoor enthusiast, living healthy and having fun. It provides a safe and natural environment for individual, family, and organizational use. This trail is enjoyed by bikers, snowmobilers, horseback riders, rollerbladers, cross-country skiers, wheelchair travelers, hikers, and nature lovers. Trail has a 12 ft. wide paved surface. Trail has a 4 to 8 ft. wide gravel shoulder.

Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team's "Flatbeiner 50" Rollerski Tour uses this trail. 

Rollerski the roads thru the park as well as McGinnis Road. Some rough spots, but lots of hills, speed reducers advised on some downhills. Not an area for novices. Auto traffic minimal and parts of park closed to autos in Oct. Out and back, including some parking areas, over 8 miles, on south part of park. Less hilly north park where camping is allowed, approximately 5 miles.

Not an area for novices but great for more advanced skiers with speed reducers.

 Hiking trails, south park for ski walking/running. Mountain bike trails (Holdridge lakes area) close by, enter off Hess road by going west at corner of Dixie and Grange Hall Road.

Paved and unpaved trails for walking, biking and in-line skating are well suited for family adventures close to downtown Gaylord. Don't forget to stop by the boundary shared with Elk Park to view the elk, sika and fallow deer herds. Trails are groomed in the winter for cross-country skiing or break your own trail on a pair of snow shoes. The entire park is lit until 11:00 p.m. year round.

The Musketawa Trail is a 25 mile multi-use recreation trail between Marne (just west of Grand Rapids) and Muskegon, Michigan. It passes through farmlands and wetlands, over creeks, and through villages. The trail is a 4 season adventure for the outdoor enthusiast, living healthy and having fun. It provides a safe and natural environment for individual, family, and organizational use. This trail is enjoyed by bikers, snowmobilers, horseback riders, rollerbladers, cross-country skiers, wheelchair travelers, hikers, and nature lovers. Trail has a 12 ft. wide paved surface. Trail has a 4 to 8 ft. wide gravel shoulder.

Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team's "Flatbeiner 50" Rollerski Tour uses this trail. 

As of October 2002, two sections were paved: 7.5 miles from Belmont to 13 Mile Road in Rockford, and 13 miles from Big Rapids to Reed City. 

November 19, 2002 Update from Dell Todd (GRNST):
"It is actually now paved for at least 13 miles. It may well be further than that. The mile markers north of Belmont have all been in, starting at "4." I think they go to 13 Mile Road, where they may end at "13." (I know the mile mark numbers go at least that far, but I've been battling a condition which has limited my endurance since mid-July so I don't recall perfectly, but 13 is for sure. I'm thinking we had 14 & perhaps 15 installed last summer.)
If you go south from Belmont (where the "4" is), this is newly paved. The markers aren't in yet. However, judging from the time it took me to ski south to the end of the pavement, where there is a jobsite, it was past 5/3 Ballpark, where it seemed "0" would be. 
  Perhaps we'll have our own '00' here in Grand Rapids!
  At any rate, going for an estimate 1k south of "0", north to at least "14" we would have nearly 15 miles of pavement in one direction. Double it, and a skier is dangerously close to 50k's."

Also see the Friends of the White Pine Trail website.

While not a 'trail', I have used M-60, from Homer to Tekonsha as a rollerblade training route for quite some time. It is fairly new pavement, with few cracks, and a very nice wide shoulder that allows you to roll along without too much fear of traffic. It is rolling hills, usually clear of gravel, about 11 miles one way. From the factory on the west side of Homer to the stop light on old 27, just before I-69.
 - Ray Drysdale

The trail follows Portage Creek from Kilgore Road to Centre Street, although after Celery Flats you have to cross a road with considerable traffic. (Portage Creek is in Portage, south of Kalamazoo) The stretch from Kilgore to Celery Flats is one stretch, 3.1 miles, asphalt, three wooden bridges, one road crossing bridge (Milham), and lots of turns. It is fairly flat, with the only hill being the bridge over Milham Road. There are parking lots at Kilgore, Milham, and Celery Flats. Good surface, well drained, somewhat protected from wind, and it even passes under I-94!
 - Ray Drysdale

8 mile paved, flat loop around the island. You cannot rollerski through town - that eliminates about a mile of pathway. You can also rollerski up into the island interior. Better walk down... Occasional rocks, some wind for the big lakes, but not bad. 

The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail of Mid-Michigan is a linear park that extends from downtown Midland to Clare, 30 miles one-way. There are eight bathrooms along the route, and several places to get food.

Flat and straight but really nice pavement. Great place for a long slow distance workout or flat intervals: A few miles outside of Midland and you almost have the trail to yourself!

The Musketawa Trail is a 25 mile multi-use recreation trail between Marne (just west of Grand Rapids) and Muskegon, Michigan. It passes through farmlands and wetlands, over creeks, and through villages. The trail is a 4 season adventure for the outdoor enthusiast, living healthy and having fun. It provides a safe and natural environment for individual, family, and organizational use. This trail is enjoyed by bikers, snowmobilers, horseback riders, rollerbladers, cross-country skiers, wheelchair travelers, hikers, and nature lovers.Trail has a 12 ft. wide paved surface. Trail has a 4 to 8 ft. wide gravel shoulder.

Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team's "Flatbeiner 50" Rollerski Tour uses this trail. 

This 21 mile paved, mostly flat trail was one of the first rails-to- trails projects in Michigan. The DNR is pursuing acquisition of an additional 10 miles south of Montague. A very nice trail for rollerskiing.

Trail encompasses a paved path and local sidewalks, and runs from the west end of Petoskey city limits on U.S. 31 through Bay View. In Petoskey, the path winds through beautiful Bayfront Park. Some nice sections, others have many road crossing. Parts are great. Watch for traffic, racks and sand. 

A very nice paved bike path, 3 miles down to a two mile loop, then 3 miles back for a total of 8 miles. One hill at the very beginning then pretty flat.

There are also nature paths. My favorite bike path for early long, slow distance rolls when I'm not ready to tackle lots of hills. Much less crowded then the other Metropark bike paths.

Willow Metropark
(exit 11B on 275 South)

Oakwoods Metropark complex

Willow:
A winding 4.5 mile paved trail circles the park

Oakwoods:
A 3 mile paved trail, connecting to the trail in Willow, leads to the Nature Study Area

Rick says: There are 3 Metroparks in close proximity here. The Willow park loop is a flat 3 mile loop. There is an interconnect (3 miles long) that links this to Huron River Metropark. This path is basically a path along the river (up and back about 4 miles). The south side of Willow connects to the Oakwoods Metropark trail that is again up and back about 6 miles. All of the terrain is pretty flat. This system is relatively new and really little used. Not a great deal of traffic even in summer.

Trail Map 1 

Trail Map 2 

A freshly paved six mile section of Hines Drive is closed to traffic on Saturdays between 9:00am and 3:30pm from May 1 to September 25, between Outer Drive and Ann Arbor Trail. Watch out for kids on bikes and wild inline skaters.
  There are also 17 miles of paved bike paths along much of the road. 

The closed portion of the road is wonderful for roller skiing - mostly flat with one hill. The paved bike paths can be rocky and bumpy, although parts have been recently repaved.

There is a 4.5 mile long paved biking trail just outside the back door of the Dow Environmental Engineering & Sciences Building and the Minerals & Materials Building. The trail runs from the Houghton beachfront to the Isle Royale Sands.

The nicest thing about roller skiing in Stanton Twp. is the very low volume of traffic and the courteous drivers. Of course, that's true for most of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Granted, our roller season is fairly short by most standards but that means our ski season is long!

Here are nice 8 and 12 mile loops. The nearest town is Atlantic Mine (about five miles away). Houghton is about eight miles away. Get to Schmidt's (below) from Houghton by going north on the Houghton Canal Road just west of town on M-26: 

12 Mile Loop: Park at the Schmidt's Corner Bar & Grill 4.25 miles out the Houghton Canal road. From there you can roll down the Canal road toward Oskar and the Stanton Township park at Lake Superior (a 12 mile round trip over freshly re-paved roads). 

8 Mile Loop: Park at the Schmidt's Corner Bar & Grill 4.25 miles out the Houghton Canal road. Roll west from on the Liminga road. Turning left after .75 miles on the Rauhala road, you can head south 2.25 miles to the Covered road. Turn right and go west about a mile to the newly paved South Superior road. Turn right again and enjoy a fast 2.25 mile trip that is mostly downhill. At the Liminga road, turn right and head back east 1.75 miles to Schmidt's Corner where you started. Total mileage is about 8 miles.

     -Michael Abbott

To Get There: Take US41 / M28 North into Marquette. Follow the sign for downtown Marquette. Look for Three Happiness Chinese Food Restaurant and Brew Bakers Coffee Shop. Take a right on the road next to Three Happiness and follow this road past an Iron ore Dock. Nearby is a city park : Elwood Mattson Lower Harbor Park. This is a great place to park your car as the trail runs right by here. The trail runs North to Presque Isle park and West out to Sugarloaf (starts at the junction with Hewitt / County Road 550.

To Get There: Take US41 / M28 North into Marquette. follow the sign for downtown Marquette. Look for Three Happiness Chinese Food Restaurant and Brew Bakers Coffee Shop. Take a right on the road next to Three Happiness and follow this road past an Iron ore Dock. Nearby is a city park : Elwood Mattson Lower Harbor Park. This is a great place to park your car, and as the trail runs right by here. The trail runs North to Presque Isle park and West out to Sugarloaf (starts at the junction with Hewitt / County Road 550.