MapleHeart Trail

The MapleHeart Trail connects Goshen, Indiana to Elkhart and its name brought images of majestic trees, perhaps painted with early fall color.  I'd biked the Pumpkinvine Trail out of Goshen and I expected a bucolic ride through rural Indiana.

But, I was wrong.

The MapleHeart Trail is a purely practical connector between Goshen and Elkhart.   It's neither tree-lined nor rustic.  It's basically a wide side-walk along a county highway.  If you live in Goshen and want to get to Elkhart, the trail takes you there, safely and easily. Transportation over recreation.  Practical bike routes make a lot of sense given the large Amish population in the region, who use the trails to commute.

To be fair, it's a nice ride to the attractive Ox Bow County Park, about halfway between the two towns.  It also connects to the Pumpkinvine Trail, for those wanting a longer ride.

My ride started in Abshire Park, east of Goshen.  From there, it was 9 miles to Elkhart, on a combination of the Pumpkinvine Trail, the Wilden Avenue Connector, and the MapleHeart Trail.  It was a beautiful afternoon and good exercise, even it not exactly what I expected.

Bells to Bells bike ride

The final event for Kalamazoo Bike Week 2013 was a ride from Bell's Eccentric Cafe in downtown Kalamazoo to their production brewery in Comstock.  The ride was about 7 miles each way, half on the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail and half on M-96.  The ride was a fundraiser to build the final 13 miles of the KVRT.

Roughly 75 riders participated, led by Laura Bell, director of marketing at Bell's.  People rode a wide assortment of bikes including mountain bikes, road bikes, hybrids, fixies, and tandems.

At the brewery, Bell's staff led tours showing off their expanded production facilities, including environmentally- friendly features like their energy recovery system and green roof.

The return trip followed the same route.

After the ride, cyclists relaxed over  a beer at the Eccentric Cafe and had the opportunity to win Bell's merchandise in a raffle. 

I didn't win any prizes but I did enjoy a couple of specialty beers.  The weather was perfect, both for the ride and for Bell's beer garden.

The next addition to the trail will run along the Kalamazoo River behind Bell's brewery making future Bells to Bells rides even more attractive.  Long run plans include connecting the trail to Battle Creek's linear park and eventually creating a system of bike trails that link together across the state.

Bakeries and Bikes in Kalamazoo

This week is Kalamazoo Bike Week so it's a great time to visit our local trails.  The newest section of the KRVT offers several places to stop for a snack.  It's hard to beat a bike ride and a cookie on a Spring day.  

I'm not sure if bakeries were a criterion when the planners selected the route for the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, but it almost seems that way.  The section from Comstock to Parchment is particularly rich in baked goods.

Bert's Bakery in Comstock is just across the bridge from the eastern end of the KRVT.  The front of the shop is full of potpourri-type gifts, but if you walk past all that you will see two glass counters full of sweets.  Bert's offers a full selection of the usual cookies like peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chip, frosted sugar, or brownies but they also have some unusually tasty fruit-filled cookies.  These are almost like really flat pies, with a thin layer of fruit filling between cookie crusts.  They come in a variety of flavors: apple, almond, cherry, raspberry, blueberry, etc.  I don't know if they bake bread and I haven't tried their cake but the cookies are good.  (From their website, it appears that they make a lot of wedding cakes.)  You can enjoy your cookies on a bench outside the shop or cross the street to Merrill Park.
Bert's Bakery
309 River Street
Kalamazoo, MI  49048

MacKenzie's Bakery is about 4 miles from Bert's at the edge of downtown Kalamazoo.  It's directly across the street from the trail and it offers a wide variety of treats.  This is MacKenzie's main kitchen that bakes for its retail outlets on Westnedge and West Main.  I enjoy their cookies, donuts, pastries, brownies, and bread.  They also serve sandwiches, if you want a meal.  They have tables inside and outside.  It's my most frequent stop on the KVRT.
MacKenzie's Bakery
527 Harrison
Kalamazoo MI 49007

Sarkosy's Bakery is my favorite bakery in Kalamazoo, particularly for breads.  The original bakery closed after a fire and is in the process of raising money to move to a new location [update: Sarkosy's is open in a new spacious setting.].  The bakery is in Kalamazoo not far from MacKenzie's.  This is the bakery for bread; their oatmeal bread has been the default bread at our house for years.  Cheese crowns, cookies, and other sweets make great snacks.  (And, during Mardi Gras season, their paczkis are legendary.)  The trail isn't clearly defined through downtown, relying on sidewalks and back streets to connect the paved section along the river to the paved section that starts at Westnedge.  In any case, the short detour to Sarkosy's will be worth it.
Sarkosy Bakery

350 E Michigan Ave  [new location]
Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Continuing a few miles north on the trail, brings us to Parchment and Renzema's bakery.  Renzema's is an old-fashioned place near the trail.  I often park nearby and it would be a great stop for a doughnut if they were open later in the day.  For me the problem is timing.  Renzema's is open from midnight to noon and I'm often there in the afternoon.  If you are there in the morning (or late at night), it's worth a stop.  I'm not really a fan of their bread and their cookies are nothing special (but they are inexpensive.) I do recommend the donuts.
Renzema's Bakery
214 Link Ln
Parchment, MI 49004

KRVT wildflowers

Another week of April rain, hail, snow, and work kept me inside, but Saturday was glorious: sunny and warm.  I was torn between a trip to the Kalamazoo Nature Center to see wildflowers or my first bike ride of the season.  The bike ride won, but it turned out to be a good afternoon for wildflowers as well.

I think of the northern leg of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail as the most scenic and the most likely section for nature but today I took the western segment that connects to the Kal-Haven Trail.  This part of the trail runs from Westnedge Avenue near downtown Kalamazoo to the 10th street trailhead with lots of street crossings, light industry, and it includes nearly a mile on the edge of Ravine Road.    

The westernmost part of the KRVT  (around trail marker 1.5 mi) had several nice patches of yellow Trout Lilies and a large number of Toothwort.  They continued nearly all the way to the trailhead parking lot. Mixed in, were a handful of Dutchman's Breeches in bloom.  (Apparently it's still before their peak.)

The highlight was the most impressive display of Bloodroot that I can remember seeing.  There were several large patches of brilliant white Bloodroot flowers, including one with more than 100 blossoms together.  The Bloodroot flowers were so bright and so big, relative to other Spring ephemerals, that I thought the first patch was some kind of domestic flower that escaped a garden.

Individual Bloodroot flowers don't last long so I was happy to have seen them at their peak.

A new Kalamazoo River trail

Construction is essentially done on the newest segment of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.  I'd been watching its progress throughout the summer and early fall but there were always crews still at work.  This morning was clear but cold (cold enough to try out my new winter bike gloves) and the trail was open.  There were a few workers doing some finish work, but the segment from Comstock to Mayor's Park in Kalamazoo is ride-able. 

The new section is about 3 miles long and it offers many views of the Kalamazoo River.  River access (and trail parking) are available at many spots including South Wenke Park, a DNR access site, and Mayor's Riverfront Park.  This section of the trail runs along King Highway (M-96) not through undeveloped woods but it is continuously along the river.  There is one highway crossing and then the trail follows the river through the old Georgia Pacific property where there's a clear view of the osprey perch from the trail.  A 400-foot-long bridge with views of the Grand Elk trainyard crosses the river to Mayor's Park.  From there, you can take the KRVT several miles north through Parchment and the Kalamazoo Nature Center to the D Avenue bridge.  Or, you could take the trail west through Kalamazoo to the KalHaven Trail and continue forty-some miles to Lake Michigan.

This segment parallels the kayak float we took on Labor Day, so it would be possible to boat down the river and then bike back.

White Pine Trail

A couple of days ago, I rode from Belmont to Sand Lake on the White Pine Trail.  The  entire trail runs 92 miles from Grand Rapids to Cadillac; the ride I took was about 17 miles (each way), passing through the towns of Rockford,  Cedar Springs, and Sand Lake.  This segment was paved, with a smooth asphalt surface.  Like other rail-trails, the White Pine Trail is fairly straight and level. 

North of Belmont, the trail passed through woods high above the Rogue River, which could be occasionally seen through the trees.  Approaching Rockford (about 4 miles), houses were visible, and then the trail crossed the river on an old iron bridge.

Rockford surprised me.  It felt like one of the tourist towns along the lakeshore, transplanted to the Rogue River.  The industrial buildings once served by the railroad had been repurposed as delis, restaurants, and wine bars.  A microbrewery was under construction right next to the trail and the smell of hops and roasted malt showed they had already begun brewing.  The river runs right through  town and many people were enjoying the nicely landscaped park where a dam creates an artificial waterfall and others strolled scenic paths along the riverbanks. 

North of Rockford, the trail ran alongside the river and then through farmland and forest.  From Cedar Springs,  the trail paralleled Northland Drive all the way to Sand Lake.  Cedar Springs (about 7 miles from Rockford), and Sand Lake (about 5 miles further) seemed like typical rural Michigan towns, with local family restaurants and some small stores.  After Sand Lake, the trail's pavement ended but the trail continued with a gravel surface.  A sign indicated it was 30 miles to Big Rapids.  The gravel/ cinder surface was rideable, but less fun, and I was getting tired at that point, so I only rode a half mile before turning back to Sand Lake.

Overall, this segment made a great ride.  Numerous trailheads provide access to the trail, so either shorter or longer trips could be put together.  Riding south from Belmont, the trail connects to Grand Rapids.

Officially, the trail is the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park.
The Friends of the White Pine Trail provide trail information and promote various events on the trail.
The Rails to Trails Conservancy also has information in the trail, including user reviews and photos.


Belmont Trailhead
Rogue River Park
6300 Belshire Avenue
Belmont, MI 49306


Rockford offers several access points.  [pdf map]

Thornapple Trail (Caledonia to Dutton)

Last Fall, I rode a short section of the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail starting in Middleville.  A few days ago, I re-rode that section (which was beautiful, with a large number of Sandhill cranes on the millpond) and then decided to try another segment of the trail.  This section started in Caledonia, a few miles north of Middleville.  Since I hadn't planned to ride both parts, I didn't note where the Caledonia trail started but it was easy enough to figure out by considering its history.  The trail runs along an old Grand River Valley Railroad right-of-way which linked industries and businesses that needed freight transportation.  The biggest buildings in Caledonia are in a complex of grain elevators, that were served by the railroad years ago.  Once I saw the elevators, I guessed the trail would be nearby and found it quickly.  (On Main Street, just west of Mill Avenue.)

The trail was smoothly paved asphalt and ran for about 5 miles to suburban Grand Rapids.  The trail seemed to alternate between right-of-ways for the old rail line and current powerlines, so long stretches would be perfectly straight, then a few turns would connect to a new section.  Near Caledonia, the trail offered short connecting paths to Caledonia Lakeside Park  and the Caledonia High School.  Outside of town, the trail passed farms and fields.  Approaching Grand Rapids, new suburban homes sprung up from cornfields and in the distance I could see the airport tower.  The trail ended at the intersection of 68th Street and E. Paris Avenue, next to a Steelcase factory and a landscape supply business.

Future plans are to extend the trail south to Middleville (and beyond) and to connect to the Kent County Trail system to the north.  This will be a great ride when it's complete.

Caledonia trailhead

50 W Main St SE

Caledonia, MI 49316

Dutton trail end
6820 East Paris Ave SE
Caledonia, MI 49316

[Addresses are approximate]

Pumpkinvine Nature Trail

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in northern Indiana is about an hour's drive south of Kalamazoo.  Last summer we rode a section near Goshen.  A few days ago, we rode from Middlebury to Shipshewana,  in the heart of Indiana's Amish community.

In Middlebury, there was plenty of parking available at the Town Hall and some spots available at the neighboring Dairy Queen.  The trail segment started from the Dairy Queen parking lot on a gravel path marked only by the restaurant's "Drive Thru" sign.  Except for a short gravel section at the beginning, the trail was smoothly paved with asphalt.

The ride to Shipshewana was relatively short, about six miles, through pretty countryside.  Windmills and draft horses signaled an Amish farm.  Most of the non-Amish farms seemed to have satellite dishes.  All of the farms were small scale, so the scenery changed frequently as we rode past: some cows, some corn, horses, woods, and pastures.  One farm even had camels.

The trail ended just before Shipshewana, so we rode the few blocks into town on County Road 250 which had a separate lane for buggies and bikes.

Shipshewana itself is a big tourist destination, so there were plenty of options for a mid-ride snack.  Shipshewana does have a parking lot designated for the Pumpkinvine Trail with small signs directing riders through town to the trail.

The Maple City Walk, on the Pumpkinvine Trail out of Goshen, will be Saturday, September 29, 2012

Musketawa Trail

The Musketawa Trail runs 25 miles from the outskirts of Muskegon to Marne, just west of Grand Rapids.  It's a little over an hour's drive from Kalamazoo.  Its surface is asphalt smooth enough to Rollerblade, with the occasional wooden bridge. 

I biked the western section from Muskegon to Ravenna (about 12 miles each way) earlier this week.  Like many rail trails, the Musketawa was fairly straight and level.  Most of the ride was through open farmland.  At the Ravenna trailhead, a railroad water tower and other RR artifacts celebrated the trail's heritage.  Just east of Ravenna, the high trestle bridge, over Crockery Creek, was the most scenic part of my ride.


Muskegon trailhead (approximate address)

2800 E Broadway Ave

Muskegon, MI 49444
(US-31 take exit 112 to Sherman Rd (County Rd B72).  Go east on Sherman for 1 mile following the curve south to Broadway.  Turn left on Broadway at the light.  Continue east on Broadway for one mile.  Trail parking is on the left.)

Ravenna trailhead (approximate address)

3716 Blackmer Rd

Ravenna, MI 49451
(The trailhead is in the southwest corner of the village

Lansing River Trail

When I walked on the Lansing River Trail last winter, I thought it would be a nice place for a bike ride.  Earlier this week, we drove about 75 miles from Kalamazoo to the state capital to try it.

We started at the big parking lot at the Bremke Fish Ladder in Lansing's Old Town neighborhood.  The trail passes through many different environments in a relatively short distance: riverside parks, downtown buildings, the museum district, some light industry, the Potter Park Zoo, and river bottom forests.  The ride to Michigan State wasn't long; it took us about a half hour at a leisurely pace.

MSU's campus is much easier to explore on a bike than by car (lots of construction and parking is inconvenient and expensive) or on foot (too sprawling with too many boring stretches).  We enjoyed visiting the MSU gardens and ate ice cream at the Dairy Store.

 

The River trail does have another leg that heads south to Hawk Island Park and one that heads east to Moores Park but we didn't ride those on this trip.

Mountain Biking Michigan

Mountain Biking Michigan
by Erin Fanning and Keith Radwanski
2002

This book, part of the Falcon Guide series, describes 67 mountain bike destinations throughout the state of Michigan. The rides are grouped by region: Southeastern Michigan, Southwestern Michigan, Northwestern Michigan, Eastern Upper Peninsula, Western Upper Peninsula. Each trail is introduced with a list of its distance, difficulty, hilliness, and access, followed by a a brief description and trail map. Many trails are illustrated with black & white photos.


Mountain Bike Trails in Southwestern Michigan

1. Fort Custer Recreation Area
16.8 mile loop
"offering a rainbow of loops, this well-organized and popular 16-mile multiple use trail system offers something for everyone."
2.5 miles from Augusta

2. Yankee Spring Recreation Area
13.1 mile loop
"Bopping in and out of trees and rolling along a picturesque ridgeline, this fun adn fast mountain-bike-only trail cruises among the tall red pines and past the Devil's Soup Bowl, a sunken area surrounded by thick trees."
4.5 miles south of Middleville.

3. TK Lawless Singletrack
10.4 mile loop
"Popular county park holds a wallop of a fun trail with whoop-de-doos and tight, twisted singletrack."
4.5 miles southeast of Vandalia

4. Bass River Recreation Area
5.4 mile loop
"Twisting continuously, this tight, mostly flat trail system was designed by mountain bikers for mountain bikers."
18.6 miles south of Grand Haven

5. Cannonsburg Ski Area Singletrack
3.7 mile loop
"Cannonsburg offers panoramic views, which come at the end of the rout. A fast, plunging downhill ends the ride with an exclamation point."
10 miles northeast of Grand Rapids

6. North Country Trail: Michigan 20 to South Nichols Lake
35.6 mile loop
"Combine buffed singletrack and fast, twisting downhills with the natural beauty of the North Country Trail and you have the perfect mountain biking mixture."
2.75 miles west of White Cloud

7. Hungerford Lake Mountain Bike Trail
7 mile loop
"Fast downhills on tight mountain bike-only singletrack."
7 miles west of Big Rapids

8. Ionia Recreation Area
7.9 mile loop
"boulder-strewn area unlike any other Michigan ride."
3.1 miles west of South Ionia

9. Jailhouse Trail [McNabb Park]
3.9 mile loop
"Located practically in downtown Ithaca, a small farming community, the Jailhouse Trail shares its space with the fairgrounds, giving it a folksy feeling."
Ithaca

10. Deerfield County Park
5.7 mile loop
"Tranquil river setting with suspension bridges, a covered bridge, and a rolling ridge."
6.6 miles west of Mt Pleasant

11. Sleepy Hollow State Park
10.9 mile loop
"It is an excellent trail for beginners looking for a longer, virtually obstacle-free, mostly singletrack ride."
12 miles southeast of St. Johns

12. Burchfield Park Singletrack
5.9 mile loop
"Challenging obstacle-strewn singletrack; perfect for bike control practice."
5 miles south of Lansing

13. Ella Sharp Singletrack
13.2 mile loop
"Connected by paved roads, the ride consists of thirteen different trails for all skill levels in a pretty urban park."
Jackson

Calumet Trail

The Calumet Trail runs 10 miles through Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It parallels US-12 and the South Shore railroad, with powerlines overhead, so it is not a tranquil wilderness path. There is, however, plenty of nature in the woods and marshes alongside the trail. On a ride last week, I heard Sandhill Cranes and Red-winged Blackbirds calling. Spice bush flowers brightened the understory with even brighter Marsh Marigolds blooming underneath. On the trail itself, I saw a Woodcock (dead) and a little Brown Snake (alive).

The surface of the trail is crushed stone, so it wouldn't work for rollerblades or racing bikes. There were major drainage problems on the day I visited with extensive deep puddles covering big stretches of the trail. Frogs swam in the bigger ones and water striders skated across the surfaces of many.

I started at Cowles Bog and planned to ride to the trail's end near Mount Baldy. It was wet enough that I gave up about halfway and enjoyed a ride on some quiet streets along Lake Michigan.

More info on the Calumet Trail from Indiana Trails Community or Indiana Trails.org

It's All About the Bike

It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels
by Robert Penn
2010

While not a guidebook and not related to Kalamazoo, I couldn't resist mentioning this book on bicycles. Nominally, it's about the author's quest for a custom-built bike. He travels from Wales to workshops and factories around Europe and the United States to observe and report on the manufacturing process of the components-- Brooks saddle, Cinelli handlebars, Campagnolo gears, Chris King headset-- that will complete his bike.

"The torch snapped alight again. We flipped our visors down. Jason picked up a fresh filler rod and the flame roared into action on the seat cluster. He worked methodically round the weld, turning the jig, flipping the cable of the torch from beneath his feet, holding the flame steady at the exact distance from the weld. Ten minutes later, the seat stays were on. The torch went out. Jason pulled off his mask and stepped back, inviting me forward with one arm, like a midwife in a maternity ward introducing an overawed father to his child. The frame of my dream bike-- the diamond soul--- was finished."

"He dropped the spokes one by one through the holes in the flanges of the front hub. Periodically, he gathered all the spokes from one side of the hub together and swept them to the side, like someone tying their hair back. When he'd lined up the label on the hub with the label on the rim-- a nice touch-- he placed the first spoke through the hole on the rim next to the valve and secured it with a blue nipple. All the other nipples would be silver: the blue one was a visual aide, and Gravy's signature. Then he went round the rim once, placing a spoke through every third hole. He flipped the wheel over and laced a second set. Within minutes, the pattern of the wheel began to emerge."

If his visits to these builders are the skeleton of the book, its meat is a wide-spanning history of the bicycle. The time span is wide: from the invention of the first wheeled vehicle in ancient Mesopotamia to the development of the mountain bike in Northern California. Along the way, the reader learns of velocipedes, high-wheelers, the origins of bike racing, Reynolds double-butted tubes, and the connection between bike manufacturing and the development of both automobiles and airplanes.

"By the end of the decade, the bicycle had become a utilitarian form of transport for millions-- the people's nag. For the first time in history, the working class became mobile. As they could now commute, crowded tenements emptied, suburbs expanded and the geography of cities changed. In the countryside, the bicycle helped widen the gene pool: birth records in Britain from the 1890s show how local surnames began to appear far away from the rural locality with which they had been strongly associated for centuries. Everywhere, the bicycle was a catalyst for the campaigns to improve roads, literally paving the way for the motor car."

If you like bikes, I highly recommend this book.

Available from Amazon, other booksellers, and libraries.

Thornapple Trail

The Paul Henry - Thornapple Trail is a developing rail-trail in west Michigan. Only selected segments are currently open, including one out of Middleville, which is about an hour's drive north of Kalamazoo. The paved section of the trail is less than 4 miles long (one-way) so it's not a major adventure, but it runs along a pretty stretch of the Thornapple River. There are no hills and no road crossings on this section, which would make for a kid-friendly outing.

On an afternoon ride earlier this week, I was impressed by the variety of birds & animal life. The mill ponds at Middleville had the usual Canada Geese & Mute Swans but they were joined by a Great Egret hunting in the shallows, a species I associate with Florida. A few minutes later a pair of deer ran across the trail in front of me. On the return trip, a garter snake sped across the trail and two Sandhill Cranes called from the adjoining wetland.

The paved trail ended at McCann Road, which made a fairly short ride. Across the road, an unpaved section continued east. I wasn't sure how well my bike would fare on the grassy path, but it had been mowed and cleared of obstacles so the riding wasn't bad. (Although wider tires would have probably been more comfortable.) That section of trail ended at Irving Road. Eventually the trail will continue to Hastings which would make a really nice ride.


Overall plans for the trail are ambitious. When complete, the trail will run from suburban Grand Rapids through Middleville, Hastings, Nashville, Vermontville, Charlotte, and Eaton Rapids-- over 40 miles. This Google map shows the current and planned route. West Michigan Trails also has a map and information on the trail

The Middleville trailhead is at the gazebo and stagecoach, near the restored downtown. The Village Hall provides restrooms and plenty of parking.

Middleville Village Hall
100 E Main St
Middleville, MI 49333

Hart Montague Trail

The Hart Montague Trail connects a series of small towns in west Michigan on a former railroad right-of-way. It's about two hours north of Kalamazoo. The trail runs 22 miles from Hart to Montague.

We started at the Hart trailhead (a mile from downtown Hart, on Polk Road right next to Hansen's Grocer) and rode to Shelby, about 8 miles each way. The trail passed orchards, woods, and fields of asparagus. Like most rail-trails, it offered easy riding without steep hills. On Labor Day weekend, it was very popular, although not too crowded. It made a very nice ride.

The trailheads at both Hart & Shelby had plenty of parking, several picnic tables, exercise stations, and information signs. The "Get Off The Couch" website has detailed information on the whole trail.



Hart trailhead
3780 West Polk Road
Hart, MI 49420

Pumpkinvine Trail

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is a developing bike trail about an hour south of Kalamazoo in northern Indiana's Amish area. Several sections of the trail are currently open around Goshen and Middlebury.

We started our ride in Goshen. The parking lot was easy to find on 5th street north of Lincoln Ave, but the trail wasn't immediately visible. It's tucked between a grain elevator and the industrial-looking city waterworks, right next to the train tracks, which, in hindsight, was perfectly logical since the trail was a railroad right-of-way. The trail quickly passed through the semi-industrial section, crossing Rock Run Creek on multiple bridges before reaching Abshire Park (which is an alternative starting point.) The trail surface was mostly asphalt but one section of a mile or so was crushed stone-- fine for bikes but not rollerblades.

The trail was surprisingly pretty, with more curves than a typical rail-trail. At times, it passed close to farm fields and in other places it ran through woods. This section of the trail ended at County Rd 33, about six miles from Goshen.

Another six mile section, running from Middlebury toward Shipshewana, was recently completed. Its official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held September 20, 2011. When completed in a few years, the trail will run 17 miles connecting Shipshewana, Middlebury and Goshen.

Thanks to Joann and John Smith for writing about the Pumpkinvine trail on their "Now Showing Near You: Wildflowers" blog.

Pere Marquette Rail Trail

The Pere Marquette Rail Trail starts in Midland, MI, which is a 3 hour drive from Kalamazoo. The section I rode was paved and had mown grass shoulders. It passed through several parks in Midland, then paralleled the Tittabawassee River for several miles northwest of town. A goldfinch flew among the wildflower plantings along the trail. In other areas bracken ferns and woods edged the trail. The Averill Preserve (pdf) offered a river overlook with information about the area's logging history. I had to turn back to Midland shortly past the Averill overlook but the trail continues to Clare (30 miles from Midland).

Overall, the Pere Marquette trail was much more polished than the KalHaven trail with smooth asphalt suitable for rollerblades. Like other rail trails, it was fairly flat and ran pretty much in a straight line. Concrete mileposts marked the distance every half mile. The trailhead at Midland offered drinking fountains, restrooms, and compressed air. The Pere Marquette trail was selected for the Rail Trail Hall of Fame.


A four mile extension, called the Chippewa Trail, links the Pere Marquette trail to the Chippewa Nature Center. The trails are connected by a Y-shaped bridge, known as the Tridge, in Midland. Both trails start at the Tridge, just outside Midland's downtown.

Dow Gardens are also worth seeing if you're in Midland.

Adventure Cycling in Michigan

Adventure Cycling in Michigan: Selected On & Off Road Rides
The Adventure Cycling Association
1997

This guidebook describes 39 bike rides throughout the state, organized into four regions: Upper Peninsula, North Lakes, Southwest Michigan, Southeast Michigan. Detailed directions, accompanied by maps and black and white photos, are given for each tour. Many of them are reasonably close to Kalamazoo.

Southwest Michigan Cycling

1. Kal-Haven Trail
Start: South Haven
End: Kalamazoo
Distance: 33.5 miles
Kal-Haven Trail

2. Paw Paw Way
Start & End: Paw Paw
Distance: 34.8 miles

3. Holland-Saugatuck Connection
Start:Holland
End: Saugatuck
Distance: 15 miles

4. Grand Haven Trail
Start: Grand Haven State Park
End: Holland
Distance: 21 miles
Lakeshore Connector Path

5. Lake Michigan Trek
Start: Holland
End: Mackinac Bridge in Mackinaw City
Distance: 387.3 miles
League of Michigan Bicyclists' Shoreline West Bicycle Tour

6. Coopersville Ramble
Start & End: Coopersville
Via: Nunica, Grand Haven, Eastmanville, Lamont
Distance: 46.2 miles

7. Last Train to Clarksville
Start & End: Ada
Via: Clarksville & Lowell
Distance 41.5 miles

This book appears to be out-of-print but Amazon offered copies through its affiliates. I found it at my local library.

See the Adventure Cycling Association website.

Lakeshore Conector

The Lakeshore Connector is a paved bike path that runs 20 miles along Lakeshore Drive from Holland, Michigan to Grand Haven. The trail itself is pleasant but not particularly scenic since Lake Michigan is hidden behind private homes on wooded dunes and the landscape is more suburban than rural. The trail, however, does connect some great beach parks: Holland State Park in the south, then Tunnel Beach, Kirk Park is near the trail's midpoint, followed by Rosy Mound Natural Area, and then Grand Haven State Park in the north. Any of these parks makes a nice destination.

Another natural area along the trail is the Palomita Reserve, a Great Lakes marsh preserved by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. There's a marsh overlook on the trail and an option for a woodland walk through the reserve. It's a little north of Kirk Park.

On the north, the path ends at the city limits of Grand Haven but riders can continue on sidewalks or streets. Duncan Park, in Grand Haven, offers a scenic but hilly ride through a mature beech woods on the way to the downtown or waterfront. I never saw any signs to the Lakeshore Connector trail but we found our way easily enough.

Trail maps are available in Ottawa County's "Bike Grand Haven & Holland" brochure [pdf]

Approximate distances (one way)
Holland State Park to Tunnel Beach 2.7 miles
Tunnel Beach to Kirk Park 11 miles
Kirk Park to Grand Haven 9 miles

Free.
Parking fee at parks; no park fee for bikes.

Kalamazoo Bike Trail Progress

Another section of the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail opened this week.

A few days ago, the paved trail stopped at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. This afternoon, I was surprised to find new asphalt continuing north. The trail from the nature center to the D Avenue bridge winds downhill through a mature beech forest, making a spectacular ride.


Several groups were already taking advantage of the new trail section. It's a little over a mile, nearly all downhill, to the Kalamazoo River (and then back uphill on the return.) Trail construction continues on the east side of the bridge.