Michigan trails · Clinton River Trail
Clinton River Trail
A 83.3-mile network in Michigan, with 316 ft of climbing. Reaches Dawsons Millpond and other lake destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 64% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 27.8.
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. About 15 min drive (9 mi) from Pontiac. 42.66638, -83.15301 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:15 a.m., the sun rises at 7:44 a.m. and sets at 6:52 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:20 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 08 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 83.3-mile route works out to roughly 31 h 00 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Macomb Orchard Rail Trail + Clinton River Trail — 4.8 mi loop, 233 ft gain
Nearby trails
- West Bloomfield Trail Development — 10.0 mi
- Hines Park Trail — 23.7 mi