![]() If you didn’t come with a packed lunch, simply head north a couple hundred feet on Van Buren Street until you reach Wagoner’s Grocery Store. Enjoy a picnic at Augustus Haven State Park. On your way into town, you’ll cross the Skunk Creek Bridge, the shortest of all the trestles. The halfway point of the day,Bloomingdale-also a good place to stop for lunch-is 4.5 miles farther. Gobles offers a couple places to rest and grab some caloric fuel if needed: TJ’s Pour House and Mancino’s Pizza are just off the trail on South State Street. Continuing west, you pass the south edge of Kendall in 2.7 miles, and 3.2 miles further, Gobles. See if you can imagine, though you will no longer catch a whiff, miles of mint perfuming the countryside-the area was once well-known for producing some of the world's finest peppermint oil. Heading west out of town, you cross the first of seven bridges, which were once railroad trestles.īy the time you reachMentha, a ghost town seven miles from Kalamazoo, the landscape includes some open fields. In the spring, peer into the undergrowth for trilliums and other wildflowers, look up at the kaleidoscope of colorful canopy in the fall, and certainly be prepared for glimpses of wild turkeys, raccoons, deer and birds galore. ![]() The woods are full of life, and the easy pace of this trail allows you to divert some of your attention to the surrounding flora and fauna. The beginning of the trail is paved, sloping gently downward, and you are immediately surrounded by groves of trees that will continue to shade the trail for miles. Start your day with enough snacks and water to take you half-way through the trip. There are many restroom facilities along the entire stretch of the trail, though places to refill water bottles and grab a meal are not as plentiful. You can also connect to this trail here via the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, which is about a five-mile cycle from downtown Kalamazoo. A refurbished caboose serves as the trail office and information center, and there is a large paved parking lot at the trailhead. ![]() Though you will be set to begin the ride after a delicious B&B breakfast, consider stopping at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market (Saturdays from May through November, and Tuesdays and Thursdays from June through October) on the way to the trailhead to get some produce, meats and local goodies for a picnic lunch, while also getting a sense of the agricultural bounty you may soon be eyeing from the trail.īegin your adventure at the eastern trailhead on 10th Street in Kalamazoo. Located in the National Historic District, you will enjoy this Georgian Revival home’s craftsmanship while having theater, restaurants and shopping at your fingertips. ![]() The Hall House B&B is another option for historic charm and modern-day comfort. Originally built as a private residence in 1895, today it functions as a B&B with a vineyard, organic garden, French restaurant and day spa. The Henderson Castle B&B, a historic Queen Anne-style mansion, is perfect for those looking for a splash of architectural and artistic grandeur. Kalamazoo has a large range of unique accommodations that are central to downtown and within five miles of the trailhead. Bicycles and AEBike are two services in Kalamazoo ready to help set you up for your adventure.įly into Kalamazoo Battle Creek International Airport, just a few miles south of town. The relative ease of the trail-flat, crushed limestone-makes this a doable one-day trip, but there is so much to see on either end of the trail (not to mention the beauty along the way) that we recommend giving this adventure two days on your first day, bike the trail one way from Kalamazoo to South Haven, stay overnight, and return to Kalamazoo the next day.įor bike rentals, Cabbage Bros. Once a railroad corridor linking nine towns by train from 1870 to 1970, the trail now connects pastures to towns to blueberry patches with highlights that include numerous bridges, including a camelback and covered bridge. From the lively town of Kalamazoo, you travel through farmland, woods and rural villages to complete your trip on the shores of Lake Michigan and the resort town of South Haven. The Kal-Haven Trail Sesquicentennial State Park is a 34.5-mile slice of heaven, southwest Michigan-style. ![]()
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