Reintroducing Detroit: The Future Trails Capital of North America

The Great Lakes Tourism Experience Initiative is actively positioning Detroit as the epicenter of the longest interconnected trail network across Canada and the United States. Here's what you should know about our region's great investment in Detroit's outdoor economy.

Rendering of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Image courtesy of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.

Detroit is no stranger to vast trail networks. The Detroit Riverwalk provides immediate access to the Iron Belle Trail, a hiking and biking trail network which, once completed, will stretch more than 2,000 miles from Belle Isle Park to Ironwood in the western tip of the Upper Peninsula. The forthcoming Great Lakes Way will also connect over 160 miles of greenways and 156 miles of blueways running parallel to the southeastern coast of Michigan. Oh, and don't forget that the Iron Belle Trail connects directly to the North Country National Scenic Trail - a vast footpath stretching over 4,800 miles maintained by the National Park Service that guides thru hikers from Vermont to North Dakota.

Dare I say that the Canadian side of the Detroit River is even more connected. The Trans Canada Trail, the longest recreational trail network in the world that ranges over 15,000 miles, extends directly to Windsor’s Riverfront Trail and greater trail network. The Trans Canada Trail also connects with Ontario’s Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, an impressive regional trail network spanning over 2,237 miles around the Great Lakes region, just east of Ontario’s new Ojibway Prairie National Urban Park.

Cyclist peddling along the Windsor Riverfront Trail.

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