South Haven-Biking The Kal-Haven Trail

While vacationing in Michigan recently, I rented a bike and checked out the Kal-Haven Trail, a 33.5-mile multi-use trail that runs from South Haven to Kalamazoo.

Awesome!

The bike rental cost $14; entry fee to the trail was $3, which I slipped into a drop box at the trailhead in South Haven.

The route, part of the Rails-to-Trails program that converts old railroad tracks to hike-and-bike (and cross country ski and snow mobile) trails, stretched out long and straight from the quaint little resort town on Lake Michigan where my mom lives.

I rolled past the Black River, over a wonderful covered bridge, past fields of blueberry bushes and into the woods.

I know Texas has trees, but it doesn’t have trees like this, which grow tall and thick and spread their shady arms overhead like a protective umbrella.

I passed a few runners and other cyclists close to town, but the farther away from South Haven I pedaled, the fewer folks I saw. I rode 15 miles out, then turned and came back the same 15.

No hills, no traffic, no stoplights, no cars to deal with — just miles of limestone/slag path, a herd of baby frogs and the occasional swam of mosquitoes.

There’s also a quirky little museum in a train car and a little shop that bakes up fresh cinnamon rolls along the way.

Next time, I’m going all the way to Kalamazoo! Folks at the bike shop told me a shuttle service will pick you up and bring you back to South Haven for $6 a person.


By Pam LeBlanc

Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 05:10 AM