Michigan trails · Clinton River Trail
Clinton River Trail
A 83.2-mile network in Michigan, with 411 ft of climbing. Reaches Dawsons Millpond and other lake destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 662 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Dawsons Millpond (lake)
- Lester Lake (lake)
- Crystal Lake (lake)
- Woodhull Lake (lake)
- Van Norman Lake (lake)
- Sylvan Lake (lake)
- Lake Oakland (lake)
- Otter Lake (lake)
Getting there
Clinton River Trail junction. 42.67642, -83.13237 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:26 a.m., the sun rises at 6:55 a.m. and sets at 8:09 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:38 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 13 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 83.2-mile route works out to roughly 31 h 02 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Clinton River Trail + Macomb Orchard Rail Trail — 3.8 mi loop, 181 ft gain
- Clinton River Trail + Macomb Orchard Rail Trail — 4.8 mi loop, 245 ft gain