Great Lakes - Where can I go to ride without getting into a car

I live in the Metro Detroit area. I am trying to train for a major summer ride. I would like to put in a few training miles without stopping and shopping (bookstores are my favorite places) . I would also like to get there without jumping into a car (which I gave up) and putting my bike on a rack. I know about Kenningston Park but I would have to drive to get there. I want to be able to ride my bike to the training spot and enjoy a nice ride, like I did while I was in Boulder, Col.


Gas, .69 cents the price of a can of beans

Hi, Urban, I live in Ann Arbor, and I can always just jump on my bike and go out my back door. Where do you live? Pm me if you like.

I'm a former Denverite so I know Boulder, sort of. Detroit is not Boulder nor is it even Denver.

Road Fan

Bike downtown to John K. King Books (http://www.rarebooklink.com/cgi-bin/kingbooks/index.html) on Lafayette.You can do some training laps on Belle Isle too.

I live in the Metro Detroit area. I am trying to train for a major summer ride. I would like to put in a few training miles without stopping and shopping (bookstores are my favorite places) . I would also like to get there without jumping into a car (which I gave up) and putting my bike on a rack. I know about Kenningston Park but I would have to drive to get there. I want to be able to ride my bike to the training spot and enjoy a nice ride, like I did while I was in Boulder, Col.

Again, need to know where you live. I am a Detroit native and visit Macomb county about three times per year, often when training for a century, and I have that same question. There was a recent thread on the Great Lakes Forum: "Question for Detroit area commuters":

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=524828

that discussed east-west riding between Macomb and Oakland counties, in particular the I696 service road. Most of my riding currently when visiting Michigan is in Macomb and Oakland counties. When I have done some long training rides (> 60 miles), I have taken the bike to Stony Creek or Kensington and done laps as well as occasionally ride outside the park. Once I did a loop from Fraser (where my mother lives) down Jefferson, around Belle Isle, then out Woodward to around 14 Mile Road and back. I had sent a PM to one Michigan subscriber and he replied:


Truthfully on the east side of town the streets are straight and the east/west and north/south roads are busy with lots of lights. One suggestion would be to find a road that goes east all the way to Jefferson by the lake and ride that north. Otherwise your idea to ride out by Rochester Hills and further north is a good one. The farther north you go the lighter the traffic and the nicer the roads. If you don't mind driving to the start of the ride, you can go west to Milford or Ann Arbor and ride Huron River Drive west from town. There are a lot of serious riders out that way as well.

Perhaps cycling groups in the area can give you further ideas. In Macomb county I have ridden some nice routes with the Clinton River Riders. I'll be looking forward to other replies to your thread too.

Yep. Need more information about your location to help you out. I'm in the northern suburbs.

Currently I reside in Oak Park, Michiagn around nine mile and Coolidge.

Gas, .69 cent the price of a can of beans

I would cruise downtown to detroit and take Jefferson or the riverwalk to belle isle like mentioned before and do some laps around there. They have a big event on belle isle called the Wolverine 200 but unfortunately its canceled this year. One lap around the outer perimiter of the the island is a little over 5 mi if im not mistaken and it truly is a beautiful park.

If you dont want to head south, shoot up to big beaver take that west of telegraph and all the local roads are quite pleasant to ride on. Its probably the only place near you that you can also get a bit of hills and climbing action. Furthermore, there are quite a few cyclist in that area so drivers are quite a bit more acustomed to seeing bikes in the road and are a little less apt to honk and yell at you :thumb:

Uh, ride to work, to lunch, to a park, get groceries, just because, pick up pet food...maybe that's not what you meant:innocent: When I read your question, my first thought was, "Where CAN'T you ride?" I say that not living in a city!

I would cruise downtown to detroit and take Jefferson or the riverwalk to belle isle like mentioned before and do some laps around there. They have a big event on belle isle called the Wolverine 200 but unfortunately its canceled this year. One lap around the outer perimiter of the the island is a little over 5 mi if im not mistaken and it truly is a beautiful park.

If you dont want to head south, shoot up to big beaver take that west of telegraph and all the local roads are quite pleasant to ride on. Its probably the only place near you that you can also get a bit of hills and climbing action. Furthermore, there are quite a few cyclist in that area so drivers are quite a bit more acustomed to seeing bikes in the road and are a little less apt to honk and yell at you :thumb:

I think this Big Beaver idea is a great start on a long route to/fro Oak Park. You could get out on 14 mile to Haggerty road, and take it south to Ann Arbor Trail or North Territorial. Take one of these west and you're in the Ann Arbor area, where there are very few bad cycling roads if you can handle narrowish 2-lanes.

This could easily stretch into a 100 mile loop.

Road Fan

Go north ! There are a lot of hilly quiet subdivisions in the Adams ,Kensington,Coolidge,Squirrel, Long lake area. The 13 -Woodward area is the only difficult spot for you to navigate.