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Parking is available at Holland State Park, Tunnel Park and Kirk Park. See the Trail Website for more information on these parks.
We ride this path a lot, and Grand Haven’s bike path is horrible. They did resurface part but need to fix the ENTIRE thing. Holland’s is ok definitely rideable. The scenery is great and to end up at the beach which is beautiful.
September 2023-Ottawa Beach at Holland State Park to Port Sheldon and back. 20 mile round trip. Holland and surrounding areas have a great trail system. Almost every road has a paved trail along side of it, separated by a grassy section. You can ride and ride! Biked North on Lakeshore Road and for the return ride, took Butternut Drive to New Holland then 168th Avenue back to Holland State Park. While in this area of Holland, be sure to check out Big Red, Hollands Lighthouse and also climb the stairs at Mt. Pisgah for an awesome view of Lake Michigan. Stick around for the sunsets!
Very pretty ride. Trail can be a bit bumpy is spots, but well worth the ride.
Good ride. Started in Holland and rode to Grand Haven. Stopped at The Toasted Pickle in Grand Haven for lunch. Great spot!
Started at Tunnel Park and rode approx 11 miles north to Kirk Park. Enjoyed a packed lunch and a little time on the beach. Then turned around and came back.
Note that the trail is a more akin to a sidewalk along a residential street. We rode mountain bikes on the path, but every person on a road bike opted for the road. The trail was pretty hilly, especially between Port Sheldon and Coswell street. The bridge over Coswell street does not have a dedicated/separate bike path so we walked our bikes on the shoulder. It was a little unnerving so on return trip, routed through a residential neighborhood to avoid the bridge.
Both parks had restrooms, vending machines, bike racks, and beach access and made for very nice starting and stopping points.
Path is well cared for and marked. We found it difficult to find a parking spot to start the trail in Grand Haven. Parked in the church parking lot at the corner of Sheldon and Robbins.
This is nothing more than a wide asphalt sidewalk next to busy noisy highway. Loud motorcycles, trucks, driveways many street crossings. You name it. Houses and front yards, etc. I went about halfway from GH to Holland and just turned back. Don't do with smaller children! This is not "Ottawa county's showpiece".
We rode the Path this morning, from Grand Haven to Port Sheldon. It was a comfortable 26 mile round trip ride. Several reviewers have already described the hilly nature of the ride, which my wife and I enjoyed (we don't like most flat trails). Others have also commented on portions of the trail that are bumpy because of repaired cracks in the asphalt. We agree, but don't think it detracted much from the overall pleasant ride. Others have also said they preferred the bike lane along Lakeshore Drive to the Path: not is. We stopped for lunch at the Sandy Point Beach House. I liked their selection of draft beers and the creative menu. I ate the beet salad and would order it again! We were staying at Grand Haven State Park and recommend against riding south along the shore drive to Grand street: the residential area built on the dunes was a bit chall Ning. We came back to the campground from downtown after following Sheldon Road north from the non-existent trailhead until it turned into S. 5th Street downtown. It's too bad this trail isn't better marked, but it was easy to find. It's also a shame that city streets in Grand Haven don't have bike lanes.
Rode this trail from Holland to Grand Haven and back. We stayed on the trail while going north. The trail was in great shape until most of the way to Grand Haven, where you could see it was an older section with cracks that had been filled in. The great thing about this trail is that you carry your speed for quite a while despite all of the hills. Other people have mentioned that there are quite a few driveways that you cross while on the trail, but if you are paying attention you really don't have much to worry about when you cross them as most are quite visible.
Going back south we stayed on Lakeshore Drive for the majority of the way back to Grand Haven. It was a little easier as there were a lot fewer small hills to worry about. The bike lanes were a great help and we saw quite a few other people in the bike lanes throughout the day.
Overall, this was a fun and easy trail to ride. State parks at both ends make for great destinations. I would have liked to see better trailheads and signage, but it was still a great experience.
Nice ride on one of the most beautiful parts of West Michigan.
This "trail" is nothing more than a glorified asphalt sidewalk.
Ir runs from Grand Haven to Holland. Not along the lake. But inwards. Through congestion and residential areas. Nothing to see. It's literally through peoples front yards and you go over hundreds and hundreds of driveways. Very bumpy. Not quiet by any means. In the high traffic areas, the motorists do not let you cross. Even if you dismount your bike and stand there. They just look at you. So when you get tired of waiting, you cross then they honk their horns and give you mean looks. There are no rest rooms or places to eat along it. We took sandwiches.
Several miles South of Grand Haven is Rosy Mound dunes natural area. We went there which was nice.
If you love noise and traffic, this "trail" is for you.
This path had enough ups and downs and curves to keep it from being boring. It was fun. The highway that it runs next to in part isn't busy and you don't have to worry about the traffic because you're on the path. Both my husband, big-time cyclist and I, a beginner, loved it.
This is a fun path: there are some county parts and State Parks along the way, such as Grand Haven State Park on the North end, and Holland State Park on the Southern, with Kirk Park and Tunnel Park between. The path can be flat, curves around the dune, and can be mildly hilly. It is important that bikes watch out for cars backing out of drive ways, but other than that, the path is safe and family-friendly.
This is a fun path: there are some county parts and State Parks along the way, such as Grand Haven State Park on the North end, and Holland State Park on the Southern, with Kirk Park and Tunnel Park between. The path can be flat, curves around the dune, and can be mildly hilly. It is important that bikes watch out for cars backing out of drive ways, but other than that, the path is safe and family-friendly.
A friend and I rode the trail from Holland to Grand haven 23 miles total to downtown. This trail is roadside all the way... all your heard were cars.. not a nature trail.. the side of the road was better then the trail itself from the power plant. This ride is not for the monthly rider... the return trip back to holland was all up hill and on the day we rode a good 10-15 mile wind ..
We where hoping for more from this trail.. didnt get it..
I tried this trail for the first time after getting a new road bike. The first half of the ride the trail was in get shape, but the second half from the power plant to Grand Haven was a little rough for my liking. Overall I enjoyed the ride.
Started the 16 mile bike from Holland to Grand Haven at Hemlock Crossing Park. Beautiful park btw with a kayak launch, nice clean bathrooms, and some hiking trails. The start of the bike ride was great until we got on the Lakeshore Connector Path. Heading north from the beginning of the trail was okay at first, but then we started getting into condensed housing where every houses driveway ended near the bike path. It wasn't dangerous, but my bike can't handle the shock from riding over a rough bump every 5 seconds. We ended up jumping on the road, which has a nice shoulder. The speed limit is 45mph and it is a moderately traveled road on a holiday. There are two parks on the way up to Grand Haven and we stopped at Rosy Mound and walked a mile to the beach. Overall- it was nice and worth doing once just to check it out.
"I'm a bit mixed on this trail. Cons are your so close to Lake Mich, yet you hardly ever see it due to all the private housing, which leads to crossing many driveways and some roads along the path. Since path goes along Lakeshore, it can also get noisy from large trucks and hogs out for a spin. Pros. are the awesome rolling hills, great at high speeds, but a car in a driveway could end your glide quickly. Beautiful private flowerbeds along the trail add a nice variety too. Kirk Park is about midpoint of trail.
Given that this trail goes along the roads shoulder for the industrial portion, plus it slopes into roads, I'd highly recommend keeping kids from this trail."
"This is a great trail, only make sure that if you are riding the
complete trail that you bring water and snacks. There were no shops along the path. There are lots of small hills as the trail flowed with the terrain."
"I love this trail. There are gentle hills along Lakeshore Drive through a beautiful wooded area.
I skate so the drawbacks are that many people use water sprinklers across the trail and there are sand and sticks along the trail.
This trail is better for walkers, runners or slow bike riders."
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