Turtle Pond Nature Trail in New Buffalo

What are you doing this fine Labor Day? New buffalo has built boardwalks through their two acre marshy wildlife preserve and made an interesting Turtle Pond Nature Trail. We zipped through it on mountain bikes and enjoyed the scenery and natural settings. It sidles along the railroad tracks and bridges a little pond.  It's dedicated to the property owner, Elizabeth McNeil, and is pretty serene with plenty of shade and wildflowers.

West Bloomfield Rail Trail

We had an opportunity to hike the West Bloomfield Rail Trail earlier this afternoon and were very pleased with the serene natural beauty. It is about 7 miles long paralleling Pontiac Trail. There is a wee parking lot on Haggarty Road adjacent to the crushed limestone path and a well constructed boardwalk that traverses the low-lying marshy areas. At the opposite end is the Sylvan Manor Park. This is part of a network of hiking paths that extend across our state called the Michigan Airline Trail. Dogs are most welcome on leashes and they provide disposal bags for picking up after them.

Independence Oaks in Clarkston

Michigan's sunny 60 degree weather is perfect for hiking and checking out our beautiful fall colors that are beginning to peak.  The 1000+ acres at Independence Oaks in Clarkston are gorgeous for bikers and fishermen and picnickers as well. With its 68 acre lake all kinds of animal life abound. They have 10 miles of lovely trails, some paved and some left natural. The nature center will give you a map and a list of birds in the are for you to mark off. In the wintertime, this is a great park for cross county skiing.

Polly Ann Trail in Orion Township

What are you doing for Labor Day? Before we head out for a picnic we got our exercise in on the Polly Ann Trail in Oakland County this morning. It's such a glorious day and we should take advantage of the wonderful opportunities around us. Used by joggers, bikers and hikers, the Polly Ann Trail is 14 miles long connecting Leonard, Oxford, Addison and Orion Townships. Originally it was the P,O and N Railroad line, standing for Pontiac, Oxford and Northern --which ran up through the thumb to Caseville. The State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources was able to purchase it in 1993 and work continues on the trail to complete it and connect to others in the area. We parked at Orion Township Library on Joslyn Road which provides access to the trail.

Pointe Mouillee Wildlife Refuge

They call Pointe Mouillee a spit of a piece of land in Monroe County near Rockford.  It's a long skinny finger that juts out into Lake Erie that is great for birders, joggers, bikers and hikers. The French fur trappers named it, meaning Wet Point. The whole area consists of 4000 acres and the US Army Corps of engineers have built dikes to help preserve the wetlands for the huge migrations of fowl that use this area.  The 65th annual Waterfowl Festival takes place September 8-9 here where you'll find hip boot races, duck and goose calling contests as well as beautiful wildlife art displays and duck carvings.

St Clair County's Bridge to Bay Trail

St Clair County has been developing a beautiful hiking/biking trail called Bridge to Bay.  When finished it will stretch 54 miles from Lakeport State Park north of Port Huron down to New Baltimore. Some of it hugs the water and some parts of it are inland, but what a gem it is! It will potentially link us to Canada via ferry to the St Clair Parkway Trail in Lamberton, Ontario. How cool is that? No excuses now, get out and get some fresh Michigan air.

Bloomfield Hills' Cranbrook Institute of Science

The Cranbrook Campus, a National Historic Landmark, consists of 315 acres in Bloomfield Hills.  It began in the early 1900's, a creation of Ellen Scripps Booth and George Booth (of Detroit News) whose father was born in Cranbrook, England. The Institute of Science has Michigan's only fully reproduced T-Rex, an observatory, a planetarium and a live bat show. The Bat Zone is in a separate building containing 150 bats. The Eliel Saarinen designed museum building  is open every day except Monday. The beautiful grounds are frequently used by joggers, hikers and bikers.

Biking Mackinac Island

For many Michiganders, the first long bike ride we've ever taken is around Mackinac Island. The views are just superb.  It's a healthy 8, almost 9 miles around and for the inexperienced, you can get a little winded. However, there are lots of places to rest and enjoy the scenery. Some people bring their bikes on the boat, while others rent them on this carless island. For a friend's special birthday, we all gathered with her here to hike around the historic loop. It was a memory we will never forget.

Adrian's Riverview Trail

Adrian has a beautiful trail system that follows the river. The Kiwanis Trail was created using an old railroad corridor from Adrian almost all the way to Tecumseh. The area in Adrian that borders the river is called the Riverview Trail and it is lit up at night. Sometimes this seven mile paved stretch is called the River Raisin Greenway.  It's flat and has lots of shade and therefore used by parents pushing strollers, skaters, joggers, bikers and hikers.

The Paint Creek Trail in Rochester

The Paint Creek Trail runs for almost 9 miles in Oakland County running though Rochester and Lake Orion. It has the distinction of being the first converted Rail to Tail in Michigan and has about 100,000 walkers or bikers a year. The US Department of the Interior named it a National Recreation Trail six years ago and rightfully so!  It's a beauty.

River Bends Park in Shelby

River Bends Park in Shelby was just glorious in yesterday's sunshine. These lovely paved trails make walking easy. Although it was President's Day, we saw very few users--mostly friendly dog owners with their pooches on leash in the 800+ acre park.  This particular loop is 2 and a quarter miles long.  According to the map, it connects to another section of River Bends on Ryan road which gives you another 1.4 mile loop. Then, behind their nature center (see tomorrow's blog), they have a gorgeous boardwalk trail that winds through the marshes (2 miles if you go out and back).  All this makes for some pretty awesome scenery for Macomb County!

Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills

All year round, Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills is a favorite for hikers, bikers, sledding, and letting out energies on the playgrounds. Built in 1924, it was a state park until 18 years ago, when the city took over.  Our beloved dogs on leashes are permitted. At 200+ acres, it is pretty huge and awesome for a city park. They also have Michigan's only velodrome which we featured here.

Clinton River Trail in Oakland County

Graced with another sunshiny, gorgeous Saturday in November, we hit the Clinton River Trail in Oakland County. This 16 mile beautifully maintained path is for joggers, bikers, hikers and anybody who wants to use their own human power to propel themselves out in nature. We picked up the trail in downtown Rochester, but it also runs through Sylvan Lake, Pontiac and Auburn Hills.  It connects to the Paint Creek Trail and the Macomb Orchard Trail which together provide one of the most well connected networks in the country.

Waterford's Dodge #4 State Park

When weather like this hits in November, you have to forego football games and get out to take it all in. Dodge #4 State Park in Waterford was sublime yesterday. We saw hikers and dogs, picnickers, boaters, bikers, fishermen and lots of photographers.  In 1922 the Dodge Brothers Corporation donated 139 acres for use as a park.  With its mile of sidewalks and paths on Cass Lake, it's a beauty.

Zoo-de-Mackinac Bike Adventure

Magnificent views on the Zoo-de-Mackinac make this a popular bike ride in northern Michigan. Starting in Harbor Springs, participants made a whole weekend of it May 20th-22nd, biking 50 miles up to the bridge then ferrying over to Mackinac Island. There were parties, great bands and thousands of friendly pedal-pushing outdoorsy types. Begun in 1990, it's a keeper and something to put on your bucket list. Thanks, Patty Weidman, for the great photo.

Pere Marquette Railtrail starts in Midland

May is Bike Month in Michigan. The weather this past weekend was perfect.  This is a peek at the Père Marquette Rail Trail which runs 30 miles from Midland all the way to Clare. It is 12 feet wide and the asphalt surface makes it a pleasure for walking, hiking, roller blading, jogging, biking and pushing babies in strollers. Michigan is one of the leading states in converting abandoned railroad lines to these beautiful trails. Users are delighted with the views from the PMRT of bridges, parks, rivers, historical sites, bogs, picnic areas, farmland and a portion even goes through Northwood University. Restrooms are provided at approximately the 10 and 20 mile marks. Where it cuts through towns, ice cream shops welcome everyone.

Peace, Love and Mom in Clarkston

Happy Mother's Day to all! Today we would like moms and their entourages to know that there was a special bike ride up in Clarkston called the Back 40 Challenge. The Flying Rhino Cycling Club organized this event in some beautiful scenic areas encompassing Oakland County.  There was even a gently sloping 8 mile ride for families and beginners.  The more challenging routes consisted of 14, 24 and 48 miles for those super fit mamacitas. The sponsors offered a sag wagon if you broke down or got tired, snacks and a commemorative t-shirt called Peace, Love and Mom! Don't you love it? Riders left at any time after 7:30 and the sag wagons were out until 3pm.  Get out and enjoy our beautiful state. Organized rides by various clubs occur every weekend.

Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop

Voted the Detroit area's best cycling store, we had to investigate Downtown Ferndale's Bike Shop for ourselves.  It's a friendly place with a very knowledgeable staff. The owner, Jon Huhges, is the grandson of Mike Walden (poster above!), the biking coach for whom the vélodrome in Rochester Hills is named. It's all in the family, as Jon's father, Dale Hughes, built the vélodrome and several others throughout the world. Jon helped on all of them. An MSU grad with a political science degree, Jon's heart lies in biking and the cycling fever is contagious in his shop which specializes in fixed gear bikes. Come on in and get fitted cause it's springtime and perfect for the bazillion or so organized rides coming down the pike in glorious Michigan.

Velodrome at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills

Did you know that Detroit is a popular city for cycling? According to New Yorker, David Byrnes (musician and avid cyclist), the Detroit area is one of the top 8 biking areas of the world. This includes the Bloomer Park Velodrome in Rochester Hills at the end of John R Road. It was funded privately and built and maintained by volunteers. Designer Dale Hughes, who built the olympic bike tracks for Atlanta and Seoul, is Bloomer's architect as well. Yesterday, we were lucky to catch these guys biking, because you can really see how angled the marine plywood track is in the corners --44 degrees is a lot!  On Saturday mornings, they offer to give you a lesson and even provide the bike and the helmet.  This is the  only velodrome (vélo is French for bike) in Michigan and it is dedicated to the memory of Detroit biker and coach Mike Walden. Get out and enjoy our Spring! Bloomer Park has extensive hiking trails, lots of playground equipment and many picnic tables. Thanks to veteran cyclist, Gene Diggs, for giving us all the lowdown.

Biking Clinton River Spillway Trail in Mt Clemens

The Clinton River Spillway Trail in Mt Clemens affords many delightful views along the path. This was taken from Shadyside Park downtown near Gratiot. Hard to believe these tranquil spots exist right in the middle of a busy city. It's almost time to put the bikes away for the winter....