The Run-Down on Traverse City's Best Urban Trail and Its Eateries
START your Traverse City Vacation on the TART Trail... See What I Did There?
Argumentatively Michigan's prettiest city, Traverse City, lies right on the beaches of Lake Michigan -- one of the five "Great Lakes." As a result, Traverse City and the surrounding areas are abounding with gorgeous lakeside trails and hikes.
The Traverse Area Recreation Trail, TART for short, is a 16.9 km (10.5 mi) paved pedestrian path that connects to most of Traverse City's other inner-city trails.
This trail map, along with a lot of other important information, recommendations, and even upcoming events, can be found on the TART trail website below.
The TART is available to walk, bike, run -- even rollerblade! In my opinion, traversing this Traverse City trail (...see what I did there? again?) is one of the best ways to familiarize yourself with the city due to its connection points to Downtown, the State Park campground, and many beaches -- including the ever-popular and centrally located Clinch Park and beach. Nearly the entire trail is along the lakefront, meaning that there is no shortage of beautiful views to accompany you!
I highly recommend doing your research beforehand on what section of the trail you plan on doing because they can vary in accessibility and ability level. For example, the main leg of the TART (orange on the map) is flat and paved while the Boardman Lake Loop trail (green on the map) contains a dusty gravel and dirt segment with roots and steep inclines; most of the loop is paved, shaded, and generally very accessible, however, that short aforementioned segment can make it difficult for some individuals to complete the loop -- which was just completed July 2022!
Being so close to downtown, this hike is a super easy activity to add at any point in your day. In fact, the Boardman Lake Loop is one of my personal favorite trails on the TART, and nine times out of ten I don't even go all the way around anyway. The whole loop is 6.4 km (4 mi). Now, I'm about to share a top-secret locals-only secret with you...
On the corner of Lake Avenue and East Tenth Street is Oryana: Traverse City's local co-op. There are two locations; ascertain you are headed to the correct one! Parking behind Oryana gives you direct access to the paved section of the Boardman Lake Loop. Oryana is a great place to grab something before or after going out on the trail because 1) the options are so extensive and accommodate several different dietary needs and allergens, 2) it's so close to the trail and has garbage, recycling, bathrooms, seating, and other facilities, 3) their food is so good and they will have lots of fun, yummy foods you haven't seen or tried before.
I will usually grab something from their "hot bar," which serves alternating dishes, and pack it in my backpack to sit and eat on the trail later. I once had a stuffed red bell pepper! Again, sooo good.
Boardman Lake is popular for small boats, kayaks, canoes, and other personal watercraft too! There's even a boat launch right along the trail at Hull Park -- where I am eating lunch in the picture above! Hull Park is a great place to stop along the trail because of the nearby parking lot, bathrooms, and drinking fountain. In addition, you can choose to sit in the shade (for us temperature-sensitive girlies), in the sun, or take the extremely short walk across to the Traverse Area District Library on Woodmere! Small world, right? Wait until you hear about the positively delicious pizza place in this same area...
One of the coolest parts of the Boardman Lake Loop which is unique to this trail is all of its pedestrian bridges. Even each bridge is unique and varies in height, length, and even structure design. All of the bridges are made from wooden planks and are super accessible for mobility devices such as wheelchairs. There is plenty of places to sit and rest alongside the trail, and the longer bridges even have benches on them.
This is just one of many in the trail's extensive bridge system!
If you get lucky, you can catch planes flying amazingly low over the lake as they take off and land from the nearby airport.
Because the trail follows the edge of the lake, you're nearly always just a few feet away from the shore!
However, Boardman Lake isn't really the best spot for a beach day.
Even so, with every summer comes waves of adrenaline junkies who jump off the railroad bridge into the water below. Even as someone who loves heights (hello, rock climbing) and cliff jumping, I highly urge against diving off anything along this trail. The water level under the railroad fluctuates and often is not deep enough to dive safely -- even if you manage to dive correctly and in the right spot. Second to the safety aspect is the fact that this can definitely get you in trouble, and the last thing you want to do on a trip is find yourself surrounded by cops! Technically, you aren't supposed to walk along the railroad at all! Traverse City officials consider it a danger due to its many risks (falling off, slipping between the planks, et cetera). More so, some TC railways are still active for freight train routes! Okay, so maybe the cops would be second-to-last because the last thing that you would want is to be stuck in front of an oncoming train... no matter how slow ours go! So, that's my word of warning regarding that.
Remember when I mentioned that delectable nearby pizza place earlier? Well, if you're really jonesing for your fill of railroads, look no further than The Filling Station Microbrewery. The Filling Station serves all kinds of signature wood-fired flatbread slices and even has dessert pizza pie options alongside their brew options. What really makes The Filling Station a must-do is the fact that the restaurant exists inside a vintage railroad station!
If you're a Traverse City local, remember to visit these gems! If you're not, be sure to include sightseeing on my favorite urban trail and eating at Oryana and The Filling Station (lunch and dinner plans?), but leave the cliff jumping for another time. Remember to practice Leave No Trace, which is super easy as there are garbage and recycling receptacles all along the TART! As always, travel safely, and happy hiking!
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