This summer we rode through lovely Traverse City, MI. The Traverse City Area Recreational Trails (TART) are awesome. We rode around scenic Boardman Lake and out to beautiful Suttons Bay via Grandview Parkway Boulevard along spectacular West Bay and back.
The Boardman Lake trail has a number of wooden boardwalks that mix exceptionally well with their surroundings, including various trees. The four-mile trail was completed in 2022.
The Leelanau Trail that goes to Suttons Bay from Traverse City is significantly longer at just under 17 miles. It is a wonderful day trip to the excellent beach on Suttons Bay.
The trip takes you through dark, deep and mysterious cedar groves. Oak, maple and pine also abound. There is also a scenic vineyard on the right-hand side on the way to Suttons Bay.
Riders are courteous and wave, greet and offer to help if you are pulled over to the trail side.
Intersections with county roads are clearly marked. The trail also has a marker at each mile to 17.
There are also a number of cherry orchards and at least one that sells their cherries just off the trail from a wagon on the honor system.
The beach at Suttons Bay is wonderfully sandy as well as the bottom of the bay for perfect swimming conditions. Water is clean, clear and very refreshing. Changing rooms are also at the beach.