Images
Dequindre Cut
Fred Meijer Heartland Trail
Kal-Haven Trail
Kiwanis Trail
Paint Creek Trail
Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
White Pine Trail
This list of rail trails in Michigan lists former railroad rights-of-way in Michigan that have been converted to rail trails for public use. A rail trail may still include rails, such as light rail or streetcar. By virtue of their characteristic shape (long and flat), some shorter rail trails are known as greenways and linear parks. As of 2015 [update] , Michigan has the most total mileage (2,381) of any state. [1]
| Trail name | Length (mi) | Length (km) | Counties | Original railroad | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail | 5.3 | 8.5 | Berrien | Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway | [87] [88] |
| Kal-Haven Trail | 34.5 | 55.5 | Kalamazoo, Van Buren | Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad | [89] |
| Kalamazoo River Valley Trail | 20.9 | 33.6 | Kalamazoo | Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad | [90] |
| Main Trail | 0.5 | 0.80 | Calhoun | Michigan United Railways | [91] |
| Paul Henry–Thornapple Rail Trail | 42 | 68 | Barry, Eaton, Kent | Michigan Central Railroad | [92] [93] [94] |
| Shaver Road Bikeway | 1.8 | 2.9 | Kalamazoo | Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad | [95] |
| Van Buren Trail State Park | 14 | 23 | Van Buren | Toledo and South Haven Railroad | [96] |
| Vicksburg Trailway | 1.8 | 2.9 | Kalamazoo | Grand Trunk Western Railroad | [97] |
Greenville is a city in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population 8,816 at the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Montcalm County. The city is the location of the establishment of the Meijer chain of stores.
The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections included Buffalo; Toledo; and Chicago. The company was named after Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste Marie.
The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal trailheads are the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the northern California coast on the Pacific Ocean. The trail has northern and southern alternates for part of its distance, passing through Chicago and St. Louis respectively. The total length of the trail, including both the north and south routes, is 6,800 miles (10,900 km). The northern route covers 4,834 miles (7,780 km) with the southern route covering 5,057 miles (8,138 km). It is the only non-motorized coast-to-coast trail.
Mayfield is an unincorporated community in Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Paradise Township between Kingsley and Traverse City along South Garfield Road. As an unincorporated community, Mayfield has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics of its own.
Riverdale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of the CDP was 281 at the 2020 census. The community is located within Seville Township.
Michigan Services are three Amtrak passenger rail routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with the Michigan cities of Grand Rapids, Port Huron, and Pontiac, and stations en route. The group falls under the Amtrak Midwest brand and is a component of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.
Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park is a 92-mile (148 km) long linear state park in the U.S. state of Michigan.
The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail (PMRT) is a rail trail in Michigan occupying a 28-mile (45 km) abandoned CSX railroad corridor in Midland County and Isabella County that was once part of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad. In 1874, the tracks stretched from Ludington to Flint, transporting supplies to the timber industry in southern Michigan's mills. It is currently a Michigan Rails to Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame trail.
The Pere Marquette is a passenger train operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services on the 176-mile (283 km) route between Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois. It is funded in part by the Michigan Department of Transportation and is train 370 eastbound and train 371 westbound. The westbound train leaves Grand Rapids during the morning rush, with the eastbound train leaving Chicago after the afternoon rush, enabling same-day business travel between the two cities.
The Thornapple River is an 88.1-mile-long (141.8 km) tributary of Michigan's longest river, the Grand River. The Thornapple rises in Eaton County, Michigan and drains a primarily rural farming area in Central Michigan. It joins the Grand in Ada, Michigan, 10 miles (16 km) east of Grand Rapids.
The Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails are a system of non-motorized trails in and around Traverse City, Michigan, extending further into Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. The system was established in 1998.
The Ionia and Lansing Rail Road is a defunct railroad which operated in the state of Michigan in the 1860s and 1870s. The company incorporated on November 13, 1865; the investors hailed primarily from Lansing, Ionia and Portland. The original charter called for a 34-mile (55 km) line from Ionia to Lansing; on January 13, 1869 this was amended with a much grander vision: a 125-mile (201 km) line from Lansing to the mouth of the Pentwater River at Pentwater, on the shores of Lake Michigan.
The Paul Henry–Thornapple Rail Trail is a rail trail that when complete will be 42 miles (68 km) long, running from Grand Rapids to Vermontville, Michigan. The trail closely follows the original route of the Grand River Valley Railroad, constructed in 1868-69 and in operation from 1870 to 1983. The trail is managed by multiple different agencies. The trail has multiple paved sections still to be connected, with a 21⁄2 mile gap between Caledonia and Middleville, a 5-mile gap between Middleville and Hastings, and multiple smaller gaps between Hastings and Nashville. Completed sections of the trail have a 10-foot (3.0 m) wide paved surface with a gravel shoulder. The longest paved section of trail is within Kent county between the trail terminus at Kalamazoo Ave in Kentwood and 108th St in Caledonia Township. The trail has connections with the Frederik Meijer Trail and the East-West Trail, both in Kentwood. A section of the trail from Irving to Middleville is part of the North Country National Scenic Trail.
The Frederik Meijer M-6 Trail, formerly called the M-6 Trail, is a rail trail in Kent County, Michigan. It connects the Paul Henry–Thornapple Rail Trail with the Kent Trails in Byron Township, Michigan.
The Plymouth Subdivision is a freight railroad line in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is owned by CSX. It connects the Plymouth Diamond at milepost CH 24.5 to Grand Rapids at CH 148.1, passing through the Lansing metropolitan area en route. Other towns served include South Lyon, Brighton, Howell, Fowlerville, Williamston, Grand Ledge, Lake Odessa, Clarksville, and Alto. Operationally, it is part of the CSX Chicago Division, dispatched from Jacksonville, Florida.
Chester Valley Rail Trail is a 19-mile (31 km) rail trail which runs largely through the Great Valley of Pennsylvania in Chester and Montgomery counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. The west end is in Exton, while the east end is in Norristown. Phase 1 of the trail was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Phase 2 of the trail's construction was completed in March 2023, adding 7.6 miles (12.2 km).