Traverse City has more trail miles than most people realize — the TART Trail running the bayfront past Clinch Park, the Boardman Lake Loop circling the water downtown, the Leelanau Trail heading north toward Suttons Bay on the old rail line. The hard part isn't finding somewhere to go. It's knowing the Boardman Lake Loop is built for easy mileage, the Vasa Pathway holds the long forest miles, and M-37 up Old Mission Peninsula is where the real climbs live among the vineyards. RoveOn knows all of it — and scores every route for safety before it hits your phone.
Recovery runs, daily walks, spin-out rides — the flat trails and quiet shoreline streets work for all three.
A flat, mostly paved loop around Boardman Lake right downtown, closed off from car traffic for most of its length. Runners, walkers, and easy-spin cyclists share the same quiet water-level miles.
The downtown stretch of the TART Trail past Clinch Park and the Grand Traverse Bay shore is flat and paved the whole way. It's the default easy route in town — equally good for a shakeout, a stroll, or a slow cruise.
West of the city, the residential streets around Long Lake stay quiet and gently rolling. Good for steady recovery mileage away from the US-31 traffic that funnels through downtown.
Runners chasing 18-plus and cyclists chasing all-day miles pick the same uninterrupted forest and rail-trail stretches.
Singletrack and ski loops through the Pere Marquette State Forest east of town, with options stacking from a few miles up to a full day. Trail runners and gravel-minded cyclists log their longest forest efforts here.
A paved rail-trail running roughly 15 miles from Traverse City north to Suttons Bay, almost entirely off-road. The default long out-and-back — long-run runners and long-ride cyclists both use the full length.
A long paved path threading the dune country around Glen Arbor and Empire in Sleeping Bear Dunes. Worth the drive out for uninterrupted mileage with the lake and dunes alongside.
Holding a pace needs one thing: a flat stretch where you can settle in without a road crossing breaking the rhythm.
The flattest protected loop in town, almost entirely free of car crossings around Boardman Lake. Local runners and cyclists use it for steady threshold work without stopping at a light every few minutes.
Long, flat, and paved on the old rail line toward Suttons Bay, with only a handful of road crossings. The straightest place near Traverse City to hold a hard pace for miles at a time.
The bayfront stretch running east toward Acme stays flat and paved with the bay on one side. Fewer crossings than the downtown core makes it the spot to push a pace before the trail gets busy.
Traverse City has real grade — the peninsula and the Leelanau hills genuinely climb, unlike most of northern Michigan's flat shore.
M-37 runs the spine of Old Mission Peninsula through rolling vineyards, climbing and dropping the whole way to the lighthouse at the tip. The signature local hill ride — cyclists use the rollers for repeats, and runners get steady climbing with the bay on both sides.
The terrain west of town toward Elmwood and the Leelanau Peninsula genuinely rolls, with climbs that earn the view down to West Bay. Better grade for cyclists than the city core, and useful hill repeats for runners who want elevation.
South toward Kingsley and Mayfield, the country roads roll through the Boardman River headwaters and state forest. The quieter place to find climbs away from the bayfront crowds.
Every street in Traverse City is scored for crime, accident history, road class, and lighting — relative to the rest of the Traverse City area, not against other cities. RoveOn applies those scores before the route generates, so you're routed around the higher-risk roads like the US-31 strip and toward the quieter trails and shoreline streets automatically.
Traverse City's signature paved trail along Grand Traverse Bay past Clinch Park — flat, lit downtown, the social hub for runners, cyclists, and walkers.
A flat, mostly car-free paved loop around Boardman Lake downtown — the default easy and tempo route for everyone in town.
Paved rail-trail running north from Traverse City to Suttons Bay — long, flat miles almost entirely off the road for runners and cyclists alike.
Forest singletrack and ski loops in the Pere Marquette State Forest east of town — the place for long trail miles and gravel efforts.
A long paved path through the dune country of Sleeping Bear Dunes near Glen Arbor and Empire — uninterrupted mileage with the lake alongside.
Garfield Township wraps the south and west edges of the city, where the TART Trail crosses on its way out of downtown and the Boardman River cuts through. RoveOn pulls easy miles onto the trail and the quieter township streets instead of routing you onto South Airport Road.
East Bay runs along the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay, with the TART Trail tracing the shore toward Acme. The payoff is flat waterfront mileage — RoveOn keeps you on the bayside path rather than the US-31 shoulder where the traffic stacks up.
Acme sits at the northeast end of the TART Trail where it meets the Grand Traverse Resort area. Long-effort riders use the trail out from Acme back toward the bay; RoveOn stitches the waterfront miles together without dumping you on US-31.
Long Lake Township spreads west of the city around its namesake lake, all rolling residential roads and quiet shoreline streets. RoveOn finds the calmer loops around Long Lake for steady mileage and routes you clear of the faster county roads.
Suttons Bay is the northern anchor of the Leelanau Trail, a paved rail-trail running straight down to Traverse City. Cyclists chase the trail's uninterrupted miles between the two towns — RoveOn pulls the Leelanau Trail end to end without the M-22 crossings.
Elk Rapids sits up the east arm of the bay, a small harbor town with quiet streets and waterfront paths near the village. RoveOn keeps easy walks and recovery miles along the harbor and off the US-31 stretch that carries most of the through-traffic.
Kingsley is south of the city in the rolling country toward Mayfield, where the Boardman River headwaters thread through the Pere Marquette State Forest. The terrain genuinely climbs out here — RoveOn sends hill work onto the rolling backroads around Kingsley.
Leland sits out on the Leelanau Peninsula at Fishtown, with quiet shoreline streets and county roads rolling between Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau. RoveOn routes the calmer waterfront loops here and keeps you off the narrow M-22 shoulder.
Glen Arbor sits at the heart of Sleeping Bear Dunes, where the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail runs the dune country on a paved path. Long-effort riders and walkers head for the Heritage Trail — RoveOn builds the dune miles without the M-109 traffic.