Paint Creek Trail

The wooded scenery in Michigan is dense and lively, and can be best explored by Paint Creek Trail. This crushed limestone path starts in Rochester Municipal Park in Rochester, and stretches out to Lake Orion in the city also named Lake Orion. The 96-inch path is wide, and has plenty of grassy space on both sides of the path too, making plenty of room to move over if need be. This is good, because the trail can get pretty popular, with an estimated 65,000 people visiting it between May and September.

Not to mention the number of pups that visit the trail too, who are allowed on a leash or for mushing activities. The trail is pretty rural, with a variety of wildlife and vegetation. Hikers can enjoy views of an expansive landscape that includes ponds, grassy meadows, wetlands, prairies, and a trout-filled creek that the trail passes over 12 times. Despite the amount of different landscapes surrounding the trail, the path is mostly covered in dense trees, and provides plenty of shade too.

Along the trail are historical sites, rest stops with benches and picnic tables, spots for fishing and swimming, and even a natural archery range 2.5 miles into the trail. The trail is frequented by bikers, horse riders, and even roller skaters! There's even an abundance of varied wildlife, like deer, muskrats, snapping turtles, and herons that travel through the prairie.

The park ends at Rochester Municipal Park, a dog-friendly park that provides additional space to play (if you're not tuckered out from the hike), restrooms, drinking water, and picnic tables. There's a guide that offers more information on the trail, including other trail entrances that connect to Paint Creek Trail if you want to keep the hike going.

The historic trail is one of the first rail-trails in the state and continues to be well-maintained for hikers and their pups, with plenty of space and room to get all the space and peace they need during their day's walk.