Advertisement
Published: August 23rd 2016
CIS trail (3)
St. Johns trailheadThis trail runs east-west between Flint and Grand Rapids or more exactly between
Ionia and Clinton. The name comes from the 3 counties that it spans on the former Central Michigan Railway. It is
43 miles or 70 km.
Parking is available at Ionia, Muir, Pewamo, Fowler, St. Johns (107 East Railroad street) , Ovid and Smith Road and there always seems to be room for a vehicle near the county roads that it crosses. Washrooms only at Muir and Pewano. Water only at Pewano. The day I was there the washrooms were locked!!
It is straight as an arrow and flat. Intersections with county roads are well marked in case you need to call 911 or are following the route on a map. There are also mileage markers.
There are a few benches along the way. No water on the trail but if you veer off into a village you might find a water fountain in a park (example: in Pewana)
This is definitely farm country and very rural in nature. Lots of
fields of corn and soya beans and silos.
This trail is a bit different than most of the Michigan rail trails in that it is mostly crushed limestone except for a km or so on either side of each town that it passes. A bicycle with hybrid tires or mountain bike would have no trouble but a street bike would encounter a few areas of loose stones.
I chose to use the
St. John's Trailhead at 107 East Railroad Street. St Johns has a nice railway station and 3 railcars. The Station is not open and does not offer washrooms or water. There is lots of parking and a couple of railway cars. Fortunately, across the street is the library with washrooms and water!
If you want a truly rural experience this is a good trail. The fact that it is not paved makes working, just a little bit harder but if you are not in a hurry it is no problem.
MORE PHOTOS BELOW
Advertisement
Tot: 0.367s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 60; dbt: 0.0713s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
