Best Bike Rides in, or near, Ann Arbor

Sunset on the Gallup Park bike path

Ann Arbor is in Michigan’s Washtenaw Country, a place that definitely values –and makes excellent use of -- its green space. A perfect example of this is the Border-to-Border trail (B2B), a hike and bike path linking together the cities and parks within the county. At the moment, 40 miles of the trail are complete, including its entire length in Ann Arbor. Here are our choices for the best bike rides along Ann Arbor’s B2B trail, and in towns nearby.

Note: All of these rides are completely off-road, so you will not need to worry about cars, except for the few well-marked places where a road will cross the trail. They are all on mostly flat terrain, so they are all easy cruising. In case you want to plan other routes, here is a map of the Border-to-Border Trail in Ann Arbor.

Bike Ride #1: Mitchell Field to Gallup Park to Parker Mill Park

A view from the Gallup Park bike path of boaters and geese enjoying the Huron River

Starting point: The trailhead is at the eastern end of the Mitchell Field parking lot (1900 Fuller Road) just west of Fuller Road’s intersection with Fuller Court. This is diagonally across the street from the University of Michigan’s North Campus and very close to the university’s hospital.

You can also just turn into the Mitchell Field parking lot, turn left after you’ve entered, and head to the end of the lot. This will bring you directly to the bike trail.

Enter the B2B trail by turning right onto the paved path in front of you.  The biker in the photo is seen exiting the trail.

Within a minute, you will reach this bridge, which is directly behind a two-tower apartment complex called Huron Towers.

If you live in Huron Towers, you can walk, or ride, directly onto the trail at this bridge.

This popular bike path runs alongside the Huron River, past the length of Gallup Park and into Parker Mill Park. If you want a longer bike ride, you can continue on with Ride #2, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Trail.

Should you feel like adding a walk to your bike ride, you can turn left after the Gallup Park playground, left, and cross the three short bridges that span the Huron River there. It’s as close to being on the water as you can get without being in a kayak..

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Distance: 3.5 miles one way. 7 miles round trip. Click here for a map of the ride. If you decide to continue on to Bike Ride #2, it will be another .02 miles to the start of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Trail. To get to that trail, continue on the bike path as it veers to the right just before the Parker Mill. Go under the bridge, and ride until you reach the entrance to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Trail.

Bike Ride #2: The Matthaei Botanical Gardens Trail 

Just one of the lovely vistas at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

The Matthaei Botanical gardens trail is a favorite among bikers, families and couples out for a walk, and skate boarders. One end of the trail is on Geddes Road, just before it intersects with North Dixboro Road. The other end is at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. If you have done Bike Ride #1, you can easily continue onto this trail. If you are coming by car, your best bet is to park at the Botanical Gardens and start your bike ride from that end of the trail. You can also add Bike Ride #1 to this ride, doing Bike Ride #1 in reverse and ending at Mitchell Field.

Distance: The Matthaei Botanical Gardens Trail is 2 miles one way. Four miles roundtrip.

Bike Ride #3: Dexter to Hudson Mills Metropark

Dexter is a small, charming town 9 miles northwest of Ann Arbor. The town is worth a daytrip all its own, but the main reason we come here over and over again is to bike on the beautiful segment of the B2B bike path here at Mill Creek Park North. Mill Creek is at the western end of the town’s Main Street. As you face Mill Creek, turn right just before the start of the automobile bridge that would take you across Mill Creek. Ride behind the fire house, and you will see the entrance to the bike path on your left.

Distance: 4.5 miles one way. Nine miles roundtrip.

You will pass a playground and an area where people launch their kayaks.

Very soon after the kayak launch, you will pass under a bridge. This bridge, by the way, was designed in 1890 by the first African American to graduate from the University of Michigan in engineering. And it never would have been built if a cow hadn’t calved one day. Click here for a bit of fun history.

On your left, you will pass “Dexter’s friendly troll.”

Now you will be on your way through various terrain and topography. There will be open sky,, tunnels of trees and…

Fields of flowers and…

Lots of cute rabbits. This trail brings you to Hudson Mills Metropark. If you want to make your ride longer, you can continue onto the bike path at Hudson Mills.

Bike Ride #4: Kent Lake Loop in Kensington Metropark

Swans and sunset at Kent Lake in Kensington Metropark

Kensington Metropark is one of the most popular parks in Michigan for good reason. The centerpiece of the wooden, hilly 4,481 acre park is 1,200 acre Kent Lake. The park has a beach, water park, fishing (both from the shore and from boats), camping, picnic areas, an 18-hole regulation golf course, a 27-hole disc golf course, and more. A paved 8.5 mile hike-bike path goes around Kent Lake and offers varied, scenic vistas along the way. We tend to combine this bike ride with fishing and a picnic. The park is a lovely place to spend the day. Click here for a map of the park.

Distance: an 8.5 mile loop.

Bike Ride #5: Jackson to Concord: Falling Waters Trail

Falling Waters Trail is a 10.5 mile paved trail connecting the city of Jackson and the village of Concord. Built on a stretch of the former Michigan Central Railroad, it takes you through woods and farmland, and past natural springs and lakes. The vistas are very scenic and you will see many cardinals, rabbits, deer, and chipmunks as you bike. There are bathrooms in the trailhead parking lots in both Jackson and Concord. At the Jackson trailhead, you can rent bike-share bikes for a very reasonable price.

Starting point: To access the trail, turn left out of the Jackson trailhead parking lot. Go straight for less than a minute and you will see the clearly marked Falling Waters trail entrance on your left. Click here for a map of the trail.

Distance: 10.5 miles one way. Roundtrip is 21 miles.

A heads up: We initially came here to visit Jackson, lured by the Michigan tourism board’s vibrant website for the place. We were disappointed to discover that the website makes Jackson look much more vibrant than it actually is. The city’s economy is ailing, but Jackson is working hard to spur development. In July 2020, the city posted, “It’s great to see another business opening in downtown Jackson” on its Facebook page to announce the launch of the Jackson’s first ice cream and burger place. And we did see one family walking the almost deserted streets listening to what must have been the free “Experience Jackson Tours” app. The city is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party, and of Ritz Crackers. The crackers, created by the Jackson Cracker Company, were originally called Jaxon Crackers, but were renamed Ritz after Nabisco purchased the company in 1919.

Concord is a tiny village with very few services, but it is very picturesque. Locals often bike from Jackson and have breakfast at the Concord Café. The Mann House, an 1880s home listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is worth a visit. Driving back to Ann Arbor, you can stop at the lovely town of Chelsea for dinner.

The historic Mann House in Concord.

Text and photos by Irene Daria