This is an easily walkable/bikeable sometimes-shaded, bucolic trail created as a "rail trail" on a former railroad bed from the 1870's. It is all asphalt, flat, & winds alongside bodies of water, sometimes busy main roads and with lots of wildflowers growing alongside (also flies...so, bring bug spray). It is 33.5 miles long, has a campground, Kal Haven Outpost, on the South Haven end of it, as well as a water fountain, bike tools & rest rooms. There are covered bridges & overpasses to go under and through, nice views alongside & benches to rest on. We started on the trail midday and, interestingly enough, barricades, closing down the trail, were put up sometime during our walk. We are lucky that we got in our walk before this happened. read more

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I live around the corner and walk the trail daily. I take various directions but my favorite is the trailhead at 10th to F. The scenery is beautiful in every direction. I've had deer & coyote's jump in front of me on the trail. Maybe one day I'll walk from Kalamazoo to South Haven! read more

kal-haven Trail - Parks Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

This trail supposedly runs from S. Haven to Kalamazoo. The trail starting at S. Haven offered everything i wanted. The first four miles was well shaded and offer a nice variety of views from the trail. You also come across a wood covered bridge. In the shade it felt ten degrees cooler on this very hot day. Around mile five the scenery changed into cornfields and blazing sun. I decided to turn around. Earlier in the day, I biked a segment in downtown Kalamazoo and it felt sketchy. Garbage strewn about and not much foot traffic. read more

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We have such a great bike/walk/run/hike trail here in Kalamazoo, but it is only lightly used. We rode about 25 miles total today and only passed about a dozen people. The trees overhang the trail providing cooling shade as well as a wind break. Therefore small stops along the way where you can pump water from a well, or small shops just off the trail for food and drinks. We highly recommend you give it a try. read more

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Fantastic trail that is mostly flat and a mix of crushed stone and paved. It had rained the day before we rode and the crushed stone was still in great condition. We rode one-way from Kalamazoo to South Haven and logged 38 miles. We stopped for lunch in Gobles. Traffic on the trail was light on a weekday. The trail is mostly rural and wooded. The trail is well maintained, well marked, and in good condition. There are pit toilets every few miles. There is water along the trail and it's mostly old-fashioned hand-pumps, which is fun. There are a even a couple of camp sites along the trail, which looked nice enough with a picnic table and fire ring. read more

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My 16-year old son is running high school cross country and needed a 10-mile run while we were on vacation... so I biked, and he ran. We nearly had the trail to ourselves on a Thursday morning. Mostly flat (vs hills). Easy on the pounding in that it is a dirt trail. Wide - we could go abreast - and people could pass coming the other way. Outhouse restroom every 2-3 miles roughly. read more

Love this trail! My daughter and I followed some signs in South Haven that lead us here. The drive over was about 45 mins, and was really nice. Lots of scenic views of land and apple orchards. As soon as we arrived we took a few pictures next to the caboose. I enjoyed this trail mostly because of the wide paved area which is perfect for bikers, dog walkers and runners. The trail leads all the way to the lake! I'll be back once the trees start blooming and there's more wildlife around. SYOY! read more

beautiful trail for walking, running and biking! We started in Kalamazoo at 10th street and rode our mountain bikes about 6-7 miles in and turned around and came back. The trail has a slight downhill grade going east which is nice but makes it a tad tougher on the way back. the trail is crushed stone, and was pretty smooth even after all the rain we have ad. We went on a Saturday morning. I thought it would be busier then it was, we ran into a few people but it was not crowded. We can't wait to go back and bike further and bring the kids! read more

kal-haven Trail - Parks Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Trail was easily followed. Parking was convenient. Information signs explaining the flowers were great.

Awesome trail. Perfect for cycling, running, or a casual walk. Mostly flat and majority of the route is shaded. Route runs through wooded areas, pastures, and vineyards. Very peaceful. There are outhouses to use in several areas. Is lacking water fountains so bring plenty of your own water. Great way to spend a nice day when the weather is perfect. read more

What a beautiful trail! We walked about 3 miles on it today. We will be back to walk more of it. read more

kal-haven Trail - Parks Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

This trail system is gorgeous! We saw such a small fraction but that represented what the park offers perfectly for us. It's not much of a "hiking" trail as we typically seek out but Is fantastic for all experience and activity levels regardless of stamina or age. Perfect family stroll, cycling spot or jogging destination. The trail is elevated and looks down on various water features and valleys. This time of year was so refreshing, saplings and wild flowers are starting to sprout and sprinkle within the forest. The path itself is wide and level. Groomed gravel and paved in sections. Today we took mom and our 2 pups and they both loved it. We did find 1 tick on our dog(whose wearing a soresto collar) but it's just that time of year. Be sure to do tick checks though no matter if you are accompanied by a foot legged friend or not. At the trail head there is remnants of a switch back as well as a restored decommissioned caboose. The trail is 34.5 miles so there's tons of ground to cover and plenty of character of the railways mark on the natural surroundings which is claiming the grounds back. read more

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Wonderful rail trail! 33.5 miles of Pure Michigan. Perfect for families wanting to enjoy car free bike riding, wonderful farm land vistas, funky little rural towns, and of course, the beauty of Lake Michigan and the resort town of South Haven. Trial is suitable for all bikes, but hybrid bikes seem to be the bike of choice, as trail surface is hard pack, but can get a little loose and sandy in areas. Watch out for gopher holes! I've seen feral pigs, fox, mobs of wild turkeys, owls, and bald eagles. Trail is basically a tunnel of trees in the summer and remains cool and shaded even on the hottest summer days. Vault toilets and well water pumps are conveniently spaced the entire distance. Large, busy parking lots on either end of trail lend well for "car drops" and rendezvous points. A real gem for cyclists! read more

kal-haven Trail - Kal-Haven, Kalamazoo, 10th trailhead --"The Caboose" - Parks Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Beautiful, well-cared for trail for running, walking, or biking that stretches for miles. A perfect place to work out, go on a date, or just enjoy a slice of nature. read more

We love cycling this route from Kalamazoo to South Haven and often bike-camp at the campsites along the way (it would be ideal to have a better system in place for reserving campsites; however, and we were once awoken in the middle of the night to someone at the neighboring site at the South Haven end partying loudly at 2 a.m. Gross.) We've seen coyotes and a wide variety of birds along the route and love how shaded most of the route stays during the summer. Someone complained about the route being flat -- it sure doesn't feel that way during the last leg coming back from South Haven. Holy hill, batman! A great route for cycling or putting in training runs of varying distances. This trail is a gem! (P.S. if you ever see two cyclists with little dogs' heads popping out of their bike baskets, that's probably me and my husband. It's always such a treat to see every single person we pass smile ear-to-ear at the dogs!) read more