Pere Marquette Rail Trail — Attraction in Sanford

One awesome rail trail. Stretching from Midland to Reed City nonstop and all paved. Approximately 70 + miles. Expected to have a new 7 mile portion from Midland east to Freeland completed in 2027, including a passage over the Tittabawasse river on the restored Bailey bridge. Trailheads include the first one at the beginning of the trail at the Tridge in downtown Midland. From there, you can travel west or go over the Tridge and go 4 miles to the Chippewa Nature Center for a quick and beautiful side trip. Other trailheads, in stopping order from the Tridge, are the Duck Memorial, The Averill Rollaway, Sanford, North Bradley, Coleman, Loomis, Clare, Farwell, Lake, Evart, Hershey and finally Reed City. The scenery varies from urban in Midland to completely rural out past Sanford to wilderness around the village of Lake. Along the way you will travel under 6 roadways, including tunnels at Sanford (M30) ,Loomis and Clare. Most of the trailheads offer amenities such as bathrooms and shelters. Multiple parks are adjacent to the trail in various towns, along with opportunities to stop at memorials and other attractions. You may notice strange little "globes" along the trail, starting past North Bradley. This is the solar system, spaced out in correct distances from one another and sized appropriately. Finally, you will encounter the sun in Coleman. There is also an equestrian trail adjacent to the rail trail, from North Bradley to Coleman. Trail conditions overall are very good, especially closer to Midland, with a 3 mile stretch that was repaved in 2024 and also the entire portion from Clare west is excellent. Out past Coleman, which is 23 miles from Midland, there are stretches that are rough but certainly passable. Note also that from Midland to Sanford, the trail is plowed all winter. This trail is designated non- motorized, but snowmobiles are apparently allowed from Clare west. The trail conditions from Evart west, which is about 55 miles from Midland, can be rough, but there are some beautiful stretches of trail as it continues about 15 miles further to Reed City. The trail continues after Reed City but is hard packed gravel going west. You can stay on paved trail going south to West Branch from Reed City and also north to Cadillac. Update: 10/15/25 The trail is fully connected with a paved pathway through Clare. After traveling over the entire PMRT several times, I have realized that the approximately 20 mile portion from Clare to Evart offers the best combination of scenery and conditions. This is the most recent paved portion ( with the exception of a 3 mile chunk east of Averill) and is in very good condition. The only caution is the abundance of debris on the trail from the dense forest you travel through on this stretch. The scenery is so beautiful, especially in the Autumn. Simply stunning in my most...

This is a very nice rail trail. 30 miles Clare to Midland. Best to get Michigan trails magazine for parking/staging areas. There is also the chippewa nature trail from the tridge to the chippewa nature center. About 3 miles. Trail stops in Clare and there is 2.5 mile gap that picks up at the Moose lodge. From there the trail continues west to Baldwin(about 60 miles). Very diverse with a variety of habitats. Swamp, woods, lots of agriculture, rivers, and streams. Other than the areas around cities and towns the trail is very lightly used. Super overlook of the Muskegon River between Evart and Hersey. The trails magazine and a pamphlet explaining the Clare gap can be picked up at Ray's bike shop in Clare. I generally ride 10 to 15 miles out and back. I've covered the trail from Midalnd to Hersey and look forward to completing the section from Hersey to Baldwin in the...

Pretty decent trail. Just an idea: removed the stanchions “closing off” the areas in Sanford. People just go around them and continue on the trail anyways, and the sand/dirt and rocks on the paths going around them are more dangerous than just opening up the trail. Also what’s up with the old, rusted out appliances, ice machines and hot tub pieces in the one section? It’s literally called the “post apocalyptic”...