US-MI-Betsie+River+Bike+Trail


 * =Birding in Michigan=

Benzie County
=Betsie Valley Trail= Waterfront Drive Frankfort, MI 49635 [|Betsie Valley Trail web site]

media type="custom" key="28147453"

Betsie River Bike Trail
Coordinates: 44.6157974, -86.2086439 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

Betsie Valley Trailway (Thompsonville area)
Coordinates: 44.5307951, -85.9498966 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Betsie Valley Trail
There is off road parking next to the trail in Frankfort and Elberta, at River Road, at Mollineaux Road, and in Beulah. The Betsie Valley Trail starts at Frankfort's Lake Michigan Beach and passes through Cannon Park at the west end of Main Street. It shares 3 blocks of Waterfront Street along Betsie Bay, the only part of the trail to share a road, then passes through Frankfort's waterfront parks to 10th Street, where it officially becomes the DNR owned Betsie Valley Trail. From Cannon Park to Mollineaux Road (6.7 miles) the trail is asphalt and excellent for road bicycles, roller blades, and wheel chairs. It crosses the Betsie River twice near Elberta with beautiful views of Betsie Lake and its marshland, then travels to Crystal Lake with periodic views of the Betsie River.

The trail from Mollineaux Road to Beulah (3 miles) runs along Crystal Lake. The fine limestone surface is hard enough for road bikes but mountain bikes work better. The first mile passes through the Benzie County owned Railroad Point Natural Area with access to the beach and Crystal Lake. The two mile portion closest to Beulah runs through private property on a 10 ft. easement. Special use restrictions apply here and are listed on trail side signs. Please stay on the trail in this area.

The 13 mile trail from Beulah to Thompsonville has an excellent aggregate trail surface, hard enough for road bikes, but cross bikes or mountain bikes work better. It is remote, almost devoid of structures, and passes through mile after mile of pine and hardwood upland forests, including 6.5 miles of the Pere Marquette State Forest. There is a gradual 50 foot incline over the 5.3 miles from Beulah to Aylsworth Road. Between Landis and Haze Roads, there is much wetland and excellent birding in the spring. At Wolf Road, the trail passes the old turbine which once produced the first electricity in this area, powered by the nearby Betsie River. In 2006 the old bridge over the Betsie River near Thompsonville was renovated and the trail has been completed to Thompson Avenue in Thompsonville, one block south of Lindy Road. There is trail-side parking in the ballpark just north of Lindy Road in Thompsonville (entrance beside the trail as it crosses Lindy Road). While there is access to the trail at the road crossings indicated on the trail map, there is no designated parking between Beulah and Thompsonville. From [|Betsie Valley Trail web site]

|| media type="custom" key="27381778"

|| L585847 US US-MI US-MI-019 44.6157974 -86.2086439 Betsie River Bike Trail L3794952 US US-MI US-MI-019 44.5307951 -85.9498966 Betsie Valley Trailway (Thompsonville area)