Reeds Lake Bike Route

Looking for a (relatively) short, scenic and self-contained bike route in Grand Rapids? Consider the Reeds Lake Trail in East Grand Rapids. Just 10 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, it’s a 4.2-mile off-road combination of paved trails, boardwalks and sidewalks around one of Kent County’s largest and most beautiful inland lakes. 

The trail consists of paved asphalt, concrete and boardwalk, with a width of at least 5 feet, so there’s plenty of room for bikers, walkers and baby strollers to share. The Reeds Lake Trail is highly accessible, with a gentle slope (5% or less) most of the way, though some sections may reach 5-8% (moderately steep) around 1.3 miles (downhill) and 2.6 miles (uphill) if traveling counterclockwise.

View a map of the route here and read on for tips to get the most out of your ride.

Bike Etiquette

You’ll likely encounter a variety of people, bikes and dog walkers on this popular trail, so bike safety and etiquette are paramount. Stay to the right and pass to the left, always using your voice or bell when passing. Wear reflective gear and/or bike lights if cycling around dusk or dawn. You don’t have to travel on city streets around Reeds Lake but you may if you want to bike to the nearby restaurants and shops of Gaslight Village. What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know, a publication of the League of Michigan Bicyclists, is a great refresher on bike safety and etiquette.

Parking

Start your bike route at John Collins Park, which is situated between Rose’s Restaurant and the Grand Rapids Yacht Club. There’s parking along Lakeside Street in front of the park and many additional spots close by in Gaslight Village – check this parking map. You can also ride Rapid bus #6 into Gaslight Village. All Rapid buses are equipped with bike racks. 

Direction

Bike clockwise around Reeds Lake if you’d like to follow the route mile markers. You’ll notice that the majority of bikers choose to bike this way, but feel free to bike in whichever direction you prefer.

Reeds Lake Bike Route

As you take off from John Collins Park, you’ll enjoy an expansive view of the lake along with bustling activity around a public boat launch, picnic tables, benches and a public plaza.

This is the flattest and widest paved section of the trail with a scenic overlook along the way. The overlook presents an opportunity for riders to take a picture of the gorgeous scenery, re-adjust their bike equipment and prepare for the four-mile route ahead.

Before reaching the first-mile marker, you’ll approach Hodenpyl Woods, which also has a mile-long unpaved scenic Wildflower Trail. If your bike is up to it, the trail is ideal for off-road cycling with manageable twists, banks and slopes. Check out the Woods map and plant identification key if you’d like to explore this area.

Mile 1

Travel through adjacent parks filled with wooded trails and slight hills. Follow the trail along Reeds Lake Boulevard to view welcoming East Grand Rapids neighborhoods and admire the beautiful architecture. You’ll pass both Griffiths Park, a small area of natural mature woodland, and Manhattan Park, which features a wide range of recreational amenities.   

Mile 2

You can tell by the upcoming hum of cars in the distance that you’re approaching the section of the trail that runs parallel to East Beltline. You’ll follow the trail alongside the much more placid Reeds Lake Boulevard.

Mile 2.75

Once the trail heads up Hall Street, you’ll experience the steepest incline of the trail. It’s a pretty daunting hill, and there’s no shame in walking. Once you’re at the top, catch your breath and rehydrate before continuing alongside Hall Street.

Mile 3.4

Once you reach the intersection of Hall Street and Lake Drive, take a right (onto Lake Drive). This is the busiest stretch of the trail and the paved path transitions into a regular suburban sidewalk. Drivers are used to seeing a steady stream of bikers along this route, but make sure to exercise good judgment.

Mile 4.0

Follow Lake Drive until it reaches Breton Road and Lakeside Drive. Take a right on to Lakeside Drive at East Grand Rapids Middle School where you’ll pass the school's tennis courts and the local Community Center. Shortly after, you’ll return to John Collins Park, which is equipped with public restrooms and a drinking fountain.

Post-route:

After getting a good workout in, head to East Grand Rapids’ Gaslight Village neighborhood for ice cream at Jersey Junction, or stop by one of the many nearby restaurants for dinner. Wealthy Street, the main street of Gaslight Village, is marked with bike sharrows graphics to assist bicyclists with positioning on the road and to alert other road users of bicyclist in the roadway. (Bikes are not allowed on Gaslight Village sidewalks.) There are several bike racks available along Wealthy Street.

The Reeds Lake Trail is just one of many cycling options that make Grand Rapids a bike-friendly community. We have hundreds of miles of paved and natural-surface routes for trail biking, street biking, mountain biking, fatbiking and adaptive biking, all within minutes of downtown GR restaurants, shops, entertainment venues and cultural attractions. That’s earned us recognition as one of America’s top 50 bike-friendly cities from Bicycling Magazine.

Curious about where else to bike in Grand Rapids? There are more than 60+ additional trails for biking (and hiking!) in Grand Rapids, including these scenic routes:

• Riverside Park, featuring nearly four miles of flat, paved trails along the Grand River five minutes north of downtown GR.

• Millennium Park, with 18 miles of paved trails through one of the nation’s largest urban parks, 10 minutes southwest of downtown.

• Buck Creek Nature Preserve, offering a 2.3-mile asphalt and boardwalk trail in Wyoming, 10 minutes south of downtown.

• White Pine Trail State Park, spanning 24.5 miles in Kent County and 92.6 miles overall, starts in Comstock Park, 10 minutes north of downtown.

You can also check out this guide to road biking in Grand Rapids.