Little Traverse Wheelway: Take this bayfront bike trail into Petoskey State Park

PETOSKEY, MI – There are some Michigan bike trails that surprise you with their raw magnificence – and then there are the kinds you slide a minor more in appreciate with each and every time you pedal your favourite stretches. The Small Traverse Wheelway is amid the latter for a good deal of biking fans.

Our Lovable Michigan video clip above demonstrates off a single of the Wheelway’s sweetest parts – a section from downtown Petoskey with a woodsy offshoot into the common Petoskey Point out Park. As soon as you roll into the park, you can cruise its forested campsites and then spin your wheels all the way to the seaside. Do a very little off-bicycle stretch, stroll the shoreline for the popular Petoskey stones, or make it a entire seaside cease with some sand-and-solar time.

In the lyrics of “Queen,” our most effective advice for checking out Petoskey’s trails usually starts with “Get on your bikes and journey!” but in this article are a few particulars for initial-timers on the Small Traverse Wheelway:

Where does this path go? The Wheelway is a beautiful 26 miles extensive, connecting Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, with the Petoskey area sitting gorgeously in the middle. Riders go by way of forested places, by means of aspect of city, swing past neighborhoods and gated communities. The finest areas are the miles that hug Tiny Traverse Bay. These waterfront views in no way disappoint. The bayfront portion also requires riders previous the tidy marina, a museum, a stairway linked to downtown shops – even an observation deck and a little Instagram-worthy waterfall tucked into a park.

You are going to recognize some neat path signals via this segment, too. The people at Major of Michigan Trails Council describe it definitely well on their website’s Wheelway webpage:

“The element in between Petoskey’s Bayfront Park to Petoskey Condition Park follows closely the route of the primary Minimal Traverse Wheelway that stretched from Petoskey to Harbor Springs in the 1880s and ‘90s. A gate more than the path at the east conclude of Bayfront Park proclaims “No Teaming or Driving,” and replicates the first gate that stood at approximately the similar place. This gate is a reminder of a time when persons were prohibited from driving horses or horse-drawn carriages on the path. Two other similar gates have been crafted to the west on Petoskey’s part of the path.”

**To observe: There is a part of trail between Petoskey and Bay Harbor currently shut simply because of erosion concerns.

Pro Trail Ideas:

• No matter if you are walking or pedaling, use the Wheelway as a corridor to examine Petoskey’s quite bayside place. You can constantly lock your bike and take the stairway up into the downtown small business district for a snack, a superior meal, or some purchasing. Really don’t skip The Again Ton.
• The marina and encompassing path places are terrific places to catch a sunset.
• The trip just south of Petoskey’s downtown is a good, shaded stretch. If you make it all the way to Bay Harbor, quit in at Knot Just a Bar for a snack or perfectly-earned beverage.
• Driving in the vicinity of Petoskey Condition Park? Never overlook to test out Petoskey Brewing, just across M-119 from the park. Find a comfortable seat inside or preserve the out of doors vibe going by settling on to their patio in the back.