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Print Friendly MapThe Metro Parkway Trail—also known as the Freedom Trail—parallels the busy Metropolitan Parkway (16 Mile Road) through urban Macomb County. You'll find many street crossings throughout a mix of business and residential development; most are at-grade and have traffic signals.
The trail is comfortably wide, running between Harrison Township's Metro Beach Metropark and Schoenherr Road. You can continue north on a paved trail along Schoenherr to Utica Road and into Sterling Heights, where the trail links to the Clinton River Park Trail.
At the east end, the Metro Parkway Trail connects to the Clinton River Spillway Bike Path near Interstate 94. In Metro Beach Metropark, you'll find scenic views of Lake St. Clair and additional trails along the lake.
Park on the eastern end at Metro Beach Metropark (at the end of Metropolitan Parkway). You can also access the trail from the Clinton River Spillway Bike Path near I-94 and Metropolitan Parkway and from wherever the trail crosses a road.
This trail is horrible. Even on a mountain bike you’ll be jostled about the whole way. Friends of mine have lost bike lights from hitting the bumps. It’s unclear to me who maintains this trail but they should be ashamed of themselves. One bad lawsuit from a 80-year old lady who breaks a hip and maybe they’ll finally redo the whole thing.
A very bumpy trail with many cracks! You can hurt yourself on this trail.
The part of the trail that passes through Harrison Township has not been maintained. Very bumpy ride.
Very bumpy with many cracks! Not a good trail to ride.
I wouldn’t recommend riding this on a road bike. Bumpy, chunks missing and there’s a part where it forks with no markers to show which direction you should go. If you’re near 16 mile road it’s a straight shot to St. Clair Metro Park though. There’s some pretty pieces to the ride but it’s not gonna be a smooth one. I’d rather ride parallel roads or sidewalks than this if on a road bike.
This trail is very rough and has not been repaired for a long time.
Not a very good trail for a road bike.
It has gotten so bumpy with roots this last year. I live right off Metro Pkwy and would like to use this trail daily but it is so bad that I’m looking for somewhere else to ride.
The paved trail varies in terms of smoothness. I would definitely recommend starting after Groesbeck so you don’t have to cross the big bridge. Not much for scenic views. Mainly just the roadway. But if you head to Metro Beach you can rollerblade right in. That part is nice.
Bumpy, loud, loads of traffic crossings. Do not go out of your way to ride this. Practically need a full suspension bike to not destroy your bike on the sidewalk slab drops and all the traffic crossings.
We started this ride at the Freedom Hill parking lot. The route starts right near the north part of the lot. The ride is straight along Metro Parkway, which means that there isn't much scenery. The pavement is well maintained with only minor bumps. The road crossings, especially the bridge, are slow and not much fun. The payoff comes at the end when the trail connects into the Clinton River Spillway Trail. To continue on the Metro Parkway after I-94, I think we should have gone to the left. However, the ride to the right took us through a tree-lined path at the river's edge. The end of it was a short hop across the road to see where the Clinton River meets Lake Saint Clair.
(Maybe its not fair to rate this trail as we did not ride the whole distance) We started at 16mi and Schoenherr but eventually the bumps got too annoying so we turned around when we hit Moravian (we took the subdivision road that runs parallel to avoid the bumps).
Just a wide sidewalk beside a very busy road. Not well connected. Difficult to get to by bike from local area. No variety. No scenery. Very few trees.
Only good for transportation to Lake St Clair.
I was visiting family and the trail was literally 1/2 mile from their house. Road 20+ miles for 5 days straight. Takes you straight to the park at metro park or the beach
Nice cement trail that's good for road biking and nice because you don't have many stops (there are a few road crossings). Parallels 16 mile road so not the greatest scenery however there are pockets of nature, particularly closer to the Lake St. Clair end.
This is a local trail for me. I agree with the person who said it's not a tourist destination, but it is a very good path for fitness.
A couple weeks ago I was riding by the spillway and a fawn was standing by the path and watched me go by. I stopped and snapped a pic.
There is a lot of crossings but I think that's the worst thing about it. I would have otherwise gave it a 5 star
This trail would never be described as a tourist destination, but for the hundred thousand local residents, it is an excellent, enjoyable trail. Walkers, joggers, in-line skaters, and bicyclists all make good use of this trail. There are too few recreation-and-exercise opportunities in south Macomb County. This trail deserves a favorable review.
Its like being up north looking in to the woods and seeing the animals but it is in our back yard. Peaceful clean smelling and gorgeous in the morning
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