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The Clinton River Park Trail winds 10.2 miles along the east bank of its namesake river connecting three northern suburbs of Detroit: Shelby Township, Utica, and Sterling Heights.
About the Route
The paved pathway runs through a tranquil, wooded area; keep a lookout for deer, turtles, and waterfowl. For the more adventurous, a single-track mountain biking trail also parallels the paved pathway.
A handful of parks along the way provide travelers with amenities and access to additional recreational features. On the north end of the trail, River Bends Park offers a nature center, archery range, disc-golf course, and sledding hill over its expansive 850 acres. Just south of M-59, the trail traverses Heritage Park, where a canoe launch and fishing pier are available. And, entering Dodge Park, trail users cross the Clinton River on a wooden pedestrian bridge. Dodge Park is a fun place for families with playgrounds, ballfields, a basketball court, and picnic areas. North of Dodge Park, don't miss the beautiful floral mural painted along the trail under M-53.
The Clinton River Park Trail runs between River Bends Park (5700 22 Mile Rd, Shelby Township) and 39850 Edison St (Sterling Heights), both of which offer parking.
Parking is also available at:
Visit the TrailLink map for all parking options and detailed directions.
I just rode this on June 18, 2024 and there were a lot of tree limbs and growing over the trail. The trail was covered in a lot of debris. Looks like it was once a beautiful trail, but not looking so good these days. Lots of curves on this trail, which makes it more interesting than the other trails in the area.
Great trail very scenic and quiet. Lots of shade. Wish there was restrooms along the way but over all great trail. Will be back to do the whole trail. Started out at schoeneherr and clinton river rd trailhead.
Nice trail for bikers and walkers.
Rode the trail on a Thursday afternoon in May 2024. This became an instant favorite. Tunnels take you under any traffic. Following the river, the trail is winding and has a few good hills. Mostly shaded. The trail is not well marked and there are a number of off shoots. We ended up taking most of the side trails and did 23 miles round trip.
I wallked the trail on Clinton River Park Trail on Monday Labor Day around 4 PM ..walk from Edison Street all the way up to Dodge Park if anybody has found a pair of prescription glasses can you email me please …
annam621@hotmail.com
Thank you! Anna👓
Paved, free from debris and very scenic...definitely one of my favorite trails¿¿¿¿¿
Asphalt is mostly smooth. The trail is also refreshingly free of pesky pedestrians.
Another great trail in Macomb County! This one has enough for everyone to enjoy. Smooth paved if you stay on them and some off road available too! Some beautiful views of the river and wildlife! This connects with another trail through Utica and Shelby Twp if you want a longer ride! An abundance of trees, shade, parks, bridges and nice river views makes this a nice little gem! Make sure it has not rained heavy for a f ew days- or trails could be flooded. I would avoid late evenings the bugs could get ruthless!evenings
Fun, scenic ride. Also some MTB trails along the way. Windinf trail that was a very enjoyable on a road/hybrid bike.
Just rode this trail today. It now connects north to another very nice trail through downtown Utica that extends a few miles up to Ryan Road in Shelby Township, I think it’s called River Bends.
The trail is very scenic, lots of woods and hills and nice views as it follows the river. There are many curves and side trails and signage is not great, so it seems like it would be easy to get lost if you’re not careful. There are lots of parks along the trail.
Signage could be improved, especially at crossroads within the trails and parks. I walked the paved path to the end and then took the dirt (bike) path back. The variety was nice.
Difficult to get to trail by bike. Not well connected to local streets. Can not connect easily to Stoney Creek with no signage and directions. Difficult to connect to Warren.
Very nice trail. Bikers and runners on trail but most of our walk was quiet
Very nice and attached to a park!! Some short dirt trails if you want a little off road
We traveled from Flint to Utica to experience this trail and we were very pleased with the results! The trailhead was easy to find and the trail itself was laid out very inviting. The trail itself was wide enough to handle both bicyclist and pedestrians. There was plenty of shade and sun as well as a winding trail with ups and down but very accessible to all level of riders. We are very glad we made the trip down as it was well worth the effort...
Haven't risen a bike in 20 years. 48 and diabetic, 265lbs. Rode from end to end and back. They are cleaning debris from a flood, but trail was clear. Beautiful ride.
I live less than a mile from the park and spend many mornings and evenings walking the park trails. They are clean, beautiful and people are friendly. There are many different routes to take and each one has something special to offer.
Awesome trail for riding, jogging, walking! Mostly covered by trees so it stays pretty cool even on the hot days. Plenty of loops to add extra distance
I lived in this area for nearly my entire life and never realized this gem of a trail existed. Outstanding trail conditions for biking, walking or running. There are several access areas for mountain bikes off the main trail as well. Plenty of places to rest and use the facilities as some of the trail tentacles into surrounding community parks. Beautiful scenery and wildlife. At the end near Riverland, we traveled across a bridge and through a tunnel that was painted with colorful graffiti only to come out by Downtown's Utica's village square.
The is one of the better trails in the tri-county area. It has all options for every type of rider including, dirt trails, paved, scenic, nature, parks all along the route, you name it!
My only complaint is that there are a few sharp turns declining downhill and it is a terrible accident just waiting to happen. They need warning signs on the pavement.
I just ran the entire trail and all the loops for a total of 11.02 Miles. It was a very pleasant, scenic run. Running along the Clinton River in the woods for most of the trail. The blacktop is in good shape for the most part. It was about 45 degrees outside, a little cool. There are a few steep hills on the path, which makes it a little more challenging.
Great trail, but overhead lines down on the single track are extremely dangerous.
I've been wanting to walk or bike this trail for a long time and finally we did bring our bikes two days after the heavy rains which had flooded the entire path. The trail had a lot of big puddles and was very muddy in a lot of places. We had a nice ride. It's a beautiful area of Sterling Heights. Look forward to riding the trail again, but will wait until the path dries up some more.
We started our ride at the Schoenherr/Utica Rd. entrance which has plenty of room to park your vehicle.
Who knew there was such a great 'rustic' trail right in the heart of this urban area? We've lived around here for many years, and just discovered this trail; we finally took our bikes out on it today and really enjoyed it. It only takes 15 minutes to get there from our home, and the trail itself is in great shape; paved and kept up very nicely. 90% of it runs right next to the Clinton River, so it's very scenic and peaceful. We saw a couple deer, and there weren't too many people on it although it got busier later in the morning.
The trail also connects to a couple really nice parks, one of which has a Nature Center, which is open Tues-Sat in the Summer. There are also 2-3 scenic bridges you can cross and several benches along the way if you need a break. We did the whole trail, round trip, in about 1-1/2 hrs, although we stopped for several breaks.
I've ridden a few trails in the area and this is the most beautiful! The wildlife is abundant and I was able to see turtles, deer and Blue Heron's. This trail was not boring and had plenty of places to explore including a nature center and several parks along the way. This was by far one of the best trail experiences I've had.
One of my favorite trails. Nice amount of shade on the asphalt path. Runs along side the Clinton River. Seen deer along the path.
Very nice trail to ride that is not far from my home. Mostly wooded and follows the Clinton River. Lots of wild life such as ducks, geese and deer. Who knew all this wild life was right here in the city. Will do again for sure.
Runs along the river. Seen baby ducks baby geese deer and a grey herring. Nice paved road. Has an up north feeling. woodsy and provides shade.
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