Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trails, Michigan

Map of the Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trails

Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trails

Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trails Map Area

The Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trails consists of four trails that combine to create a 125-mile long trail system in Central Michigan to the east of Grand Rapids and to the nortwest of Lansing. These trails go through multiple small communities in a very beautiful part of Michigan. The system starts in Alma and makes a wide loop that passes through Edmore, Greenville, Lowell, Ionia and St. Johns and extends to just west of Owasso.

The trail system is also known as the Midwest Regional Trail Rail-Trail Network. The trails are: Fred Meijer Heartland Trail, Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail, Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail and the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawasee Trail.

These trails travel across lovely farmland, through thick forests, across wetlands and through multiple local farming communities. There are multiple old railroad bridges to take you across the many creeks and rivers. the grades are gentle and there are relatively few road crossings.

The trails go past the following communities: Alma, Elwell, Riverdale, Vestaburg, Cedar Lake, Edmore, McBride, Stanton, Sidney, Greenville, Belding, Smyrna, Lowell, Saranac, Ionia, Muir, Pewamo, Fowler, St. Johns, Ovid and the outskirts of Owosso.

Fred Meijer Heartland Trail

The Fred Meijer Heartland Trail is a 45.8-mile long paved trail that extends from Alma to Greenville in Central Michigan.

The northeast end of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail is located at Prospect Avenue near W. Center Street in the middle of Alma. There is a small trailhead with parking on Park Avenue. The trail then heads to the north and passes by Alma College. After leaving Alma, the trail travels west as far as Edmore then dips to the south.

There is a gap in the trail to the northeast of Greenville where trail uses need to travel along Lake Road and Peck Road to reach the next section. South of Peck Road, the trail makes a wide loop and ends at Lafayette Street in Greenville. At this point trail users can continue south on the Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail

Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail

The Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail is a 22-mile long paved and unpaved trail that extends from Greenville to Lowell in Central Iowa.

The north end of the Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail is located at N. Lafayette Street and W Congress Street in Greenville. This point is also the south end of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail. there is a small trailhead with parking at this location. From the trailhead, the trail heads to the southeast and twice intersects with the Flat River Trail, a local trail that wraps around the City of Greenville and connects several local parks. There is also a parking area at Jackson's Landing Park on W. Carson City Road. Be sure to take the correct trail south of W. Carson City Road, the Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail is to the east and is straighter.

South of Greenville, the trail goes through a large area of thick forest then wraps around to head into Belding. After crossing the Flat River, the trail goes past Belding Park, where there is parking and restrooms. Between Belding and Lowell, the trail travels through wide open farmland.

The south end of the Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail is located at Foreman Street SE near Cherry Creek Elementary School. Trail users will need to ride along local streets to get to the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Rail Trail.

Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail

The Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail is a 13-mile paved and unpaved trail that extends from a point just east of Lowell to Ionia.

The west end of the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Rail Trail is located at the intersection of Grand River Drive SE and Montcalm Avenue SE on the southeast side of Lowell. There is also a trailhead off of North Bridge Street and parking at Scheid Park in the community af Saranac.

The east end of the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Rail Trail is located at W. Adams Street off of S Dexter Street in Ionia. This point is very close to the Ionia River Trail which you can travel along to Cleveland Street and connect with the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawasee Trail. The trail has not been improved along the railroad right-of-way on the south side of Ionia to connect directly.

Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawasee Trail

The Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawasee Trail is a 42-mile long trail that extends from Ionia to a point just west of Owosso. The trail gets it name from the three counties that it passes through. The trail is improved with compacted crushed limestone and has sections paved with asphalt.. This surface may not be suitable for all types of bicycles.

The west end of the trail is located in Ionia near the intersection of Cleveland Street and E. Main Street on the southeast side of town.

The west end of the trail is located on Smith Road, just north of W. Main Street on the west side of Owosso.