Biking the Little Traverse Wheelway

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Where: Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, Michigan
When: Open year-round for non-motorized use
Fees: None. You can rent bicycles at various locations throughout the area or use your own.

The Great Lakes region is full of beautiful places to ride a bike. One location we have recently added to our list of favorites is the Little Traverse Wheelway. We appreciate this trail for its ease of use, family-friendliness, and beautiful views of Lake Michigan — and we think you will too!

The Little Traverse Wheelway is a 26-mile asphalt bike path that stretches from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, Michigan. The trail includes 12 access points throughout Charlevoix and Emmet counties, located in Charlevoix, Bay Shore, Bay Harbor, Bay View (yes, that’s a lot of “Bays”), Petoskey, and Harbor Springs. The trail is open year round for non-motorized use, so you can walk, bike, or roller blade on the trail, but you don’t have to worry about cars or motorcycles. Most of the portion of the trail that we biked was pretty secluded from main roads as well.

TRAIL ACCESS UPDATE: A 100-yard section of the Little Traverse Wheelway between Magnus Campground and East Park collapsed into Little Traverse Bay on April 13, 2020. The City of Petoskey Parks and Recreation subsequently closed that section of the trail. Wind and waves have contributed to erosion and property damage on this part of the coast in recent years. Please check the Top of Michigan Trails website for updated information regarding trail access before visiting!

Useful information for planning your trip:

• Here is a list of available parking for overnight bikes trips from TrailsCouncil.org
• View a map from Top of Michigan Trails here
• View another map from Michigan Trails Magazine here
• We also love this brochure from Top of Michigan Trails Council, available on the Harbor Springs website

See below for an example of the trail map, located at each access point.

Our first experience with the Little Traverse Wheelway was in late July of 2019 while we stayed in the Petoskey area. We accessed the trail in Magnus Park in Petoskey, which is the site of a cute little campground.

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We then took a quick 10-minute ride west to East Park, near Bay Harbor, and spent some time at their playground. This park offers a fantastic panoramic view of Little Traverse Bay, and the children in our group loved the playground equipment.

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The trip from Magnus Park to East Park and back was about 3.8 miles and would have taken us about 20 minutes total to complete without stopping. We spent closer to an hour and a half on the trail, though, as we stopped to take in several of the breathtaking views, climb the stairs down to the water’s edge near Magnus Park, and we spent about a half an hour at the playground. We especially enjoyed the Rotary Club overlook near Magnus Park. The overlook consisted of a viewing platform with a picnic table, where we saw a beautiful view of the water. We then took a set of stairs down to the shoreline. (Click here for a good run-down of each section of the trail)

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We didn’t have much time to ride during our first trip, but we were nonetheless impressed with the ease of access and beauty of this trail. We found the portion of the Wheelway we accessed to be picturesque, largely situated away from traffic, well-maintained, and filled with plenty of spots to stop and take in the gorgeous view. During our next visit, we definitely plan to spend more time exploring it!

Other Helpful Links: Before heading out on the Little Traverse Wheelway, you may also want to check these helpful websites:

• Top of Michigan Trails Council
• Trail Link
• North Country Trail Association
• Charlevoix County Website
• Emmet County Parks and Recreation
• Michigan Trails Magazine

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