Those of us who live in the Rochester area are so fortunate to have a choice of trails for our workouts with both the Paint Creek Trail and the Clinton River Trail, which are both former railroad lines, and both “run” through downtown.
Owned and managed by the Paint Creek Trailways Commission (PCTC), the Paint Creek Trail is an 8.9 mile linear park, located in northeast Oakland County. It was the first Non-Motorized Rail-to-Trail in the State of Michigan, as it was converted to a trail from the former Penn Central Railroad. Open to the public since 1983, the Paint Creek Trail receives over 100,000 visitors annually. The non-motorized Trail is 8 feet wide, and traverses through Rochester, Rochester Hills, Oakland Township, Orion Township and the Village of Lake Orion.” http://www.paintcreektrail.org/
“The Clinton River Trail (CRT) follows a former rail line once known as the Michigan Airline through the heart of Oakland County, including the cities of Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Rochester. It connects with the West Bloomfield trail to the west and the Macomb Orchard Trail to the east, and the Paint Creek Trail branches off to the north. The CRT is part of a planned cross-state trail, the Great Lake to Lake Trail, which will extend from Port Huron to South Haven when completed.“Friends of the Clinton River Trail” is committed to promoting the Clinton River Trail as a safe and enjoyable recreational destination.”http://www.clintonrivertrail.org/about.html
Both trails offer many recreational opportunities. On any given day you will see people of all ages using the trail. There will be cyclists, occasionally horse back riders, walkers, runners, from Olympic marathoners to those just beginning their running journey and parents or grandparents pushing strollers. The trail is active from March, after the snow melts until the snow covers the trail even then, there are people who snowshoe, cross country ski and continue to run or walk on the trails.
Each season brings something special to the trails, from spring when the ice disappears and the leaves begin to bud through the heat of summer (when sometimes it is cooler on the trail and sometimes the heat is held in by the tree covering) to the leaves changing and falling as the cooler weather brings on fall, our trails are a great place to run or walk. Not every community is lucky enough to have a trail system, let alone two right through town and then Macomb Orchard Trail so close. We are so lucky that we have safe places to go without road traffic, on a softer surface and along rivers for a scenic workout. So, get out and run, walk, bike, stroll, say hello to those fellow trail users, volunteer to help at an event or donate to the trails. See you out on the trails!