Belle Isle is an Olmsted-designed, 980 acre park that sits on an island in the middle of the Detroit River. There are good roads and paths for running, with great views of the Detroit skyline and the Windsor shore. Sites include a Great Lakes Museum, Aquarium, Zoo, Whitcomb Conservatory, and Scott Fountain. The best running options are the 6-mile perimeter road, and it’s possible to do ~10 miles using some of the interior roads and paths. At the northern end is the Ralph J. Wilson, Jr. Trail, which runs along Belle Isle Beach to the fishing pier.
Belle Isle is 5 miles from downtown Detroit, and 3 miles from some of the closest riverfront hotels. It is also served by a bus.
Belle Isle is an Olmsted-designed, 980 acre park that sits on an island in the middle of the Detroit River. There are good roads and paths for running, with great views of the Detroit skyline and the Windsor shore. Sites include a Great Lakes Museum, Aquarium, Zoo, Whitcomb Conservatory, and Scott Fountain. The best running options are the 6-mile perimeter road, and it’s possible to do ~10 miles using some of the interior roads and paths. At the northern end is the Ralph J. Wilson, Jr. Trail, which runs along Belle Isle Beach to the fishing pier.
Belle Isle is 5 miles from downtown Detroit, and 3 miles from some of the closest riverfront hotels. It is also served by a bus.
The signature running route in Detroit. Paved multi-use path runs for 5 miles along the Detroit River. Nice water views, several parks & some important Detroit sites. Accessible from downtown hotels. Add-ons: Dequindre Cut Greenway, Southwest Greenway.
A great off-road running option in downtown Detroit, this ~2 mile greenway runs from Atwater Ave. to Mack Ave., following a former railroad line. A unique feature is a series of 16 murals along the way. Good add-on to Riverwalk path.
For travelers in the Dearborn (Ford HQ) and Northville areas, there are good opportunities for running. The Hines Park Trail is a paved path between Dearborn and Northville.
See auto exec mansions along the winding country lanes of Bloomfield Hills, north of Detroit. Combine with the adjacent Birmingham neighborhood, which has leafy streets and attractive homes.
The best places to run in Detroit’s major western suburbs off I-275, from Huron Township near the Airport north to Northville. The highlight is the linear park from Lower Huron MetroPark to Oakwoods MetroPark. The I-275 Metro Trail is a good anchor.
The best places to run in the northern Detroit suburbs of Bloomfield, Clinton, Pontiac, Rochester: Multi-use paths include the West Bloomfield Trail, Clinton River Trail, & Paint Creek Trail; a wonderful series of parks in downtown Rochester; and Stony Creek Park.
For a fun running excursion, Kensington MetroPark and adjacent Island Lake Recreation Area offer thousands of acres of recreation opportunities and miles of trails for running. Combination of developed multi-use trails and more rugged trails.
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