Ride On!

See the exciting sights and sites of the city on two wheels among friends and new acquaintances. Check out these metro Detroit group bike tours.

• Wheelhouse Detroit is the bike tour for everyone. On your Wheelhouse tour, you will enjoy learning about Detroit in an active and fun way, accompanied by a guide that loves talking about the city’s rich history.
• Tour de Troit hosts numerous events throughout the year to promote healthy living and bike safety. Here, you will get to meet other riders who share your passion for cycling and love for the city of Detroit.
• Motor City Brew Tours takes you on guided foot or bike tours May through September. Each tour is focused around Detroit history themes. You will get to experience and learn about parts of Detroit that you never knew and will be rewarded with delicious Michigan craft beer and lunch after your ride.
• The Roy O’Brien Nautical Ride is a free event that navigates the streets of St. Clair Shores and Grosse Pointe. It takes place every other Wednesday night during the summer. Riders meet at a designated location and ride for approximately eight miles. The ride is kept at a leisurely pace and welcomes all ages and skill levels. Feel free to stop at participating Nautical Ride bars and restaurants along the way for discounts.

If you prefer the serenity of biking through beautiful landscapes surrounded by woods, lakes and rivers, one of these metro Detroit bike trails might be more in your wheelhouse.

• On Belle Isle, you can ride along the Detroit River and around the island. Ride your bike on to the island and it’s free. Otherwise, an $11 vehicle pass is required.
• Hines Park Trail is a 17.2-mile paved bike path that runs along Edward Hines Drive and the basin of the Rouge River. The trail has wide paved shoulders so bikers can maintain a quick or leisurely pace.
• Clinton River Trail spans 16 miles of Oakland County and takes riders through urban, rural and suburban settings of Rochester, Pontiac, Auburn Hills and Sylvan Lake. Be prepared for parts of the path to be unpaved so bikers with skinny tires might want to check out the connecting Macomb Orchard Trail where you can smoothly navigate 23.5 miles of pavement. The southern end starts at the Clinton River Trail at Dequindre Road in suburban Macomb County. As you ride further north, you will see the changing of the scenery to long wooded tunnels and quaint country towns. Connected to the Clinton River Trail, you will also find the West Bloomfield Trail, a 6.8-mile rail trail that connects West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, Kego Harbor and Sylvan Lake.

Make sure to grab your helmet and mountain bike to ride on these rocky terrains.

• Stony Creek Metropark has a variety of paths to choose from including a 6.1-mile paved path and a 14-mile mountain biking path. This challenging path navigates heavily wooded dirt trails and hilly terrain. At Stony Creek, you will also find the Mountain Bike Skills Course filled with obstacles to challenge even the most advanced riders.
• Novi Tree Farm is an advanced trail with both a beginner and advanced loop. The trail offers you different options to advance as you become more comfortable.
• Maybury State Park in Northville Township has leisurely-to-difficult mountain biking trails. An $11 vehicle pass is required upon entry.

Did You Know? / The Huron-Clinton Metroparks have beautiful paved biking paths perfect for the family. Ride in, it’s free. Drive in with bikes in tow, and you’ll need a $10 vehicle day pass or a $35 annual pass to get in the park.

Photos by Bill Bowen