Glacial Hills Pathway Mountain Biking Trails

Glacial Hills Pathway and Natural Area is managed by The Friends of Glacial Hills who represents its landowners: Antrim County, Forest Home Township, and the Village of Bellaire. The Pathways provide over 31 miles of professionally designed and well-maintained, all-season trails for mountain biking, hiking, running, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.

Glacial Hills’ terrain was fashioned by the retreat of glaciers and is a woodland composed of rolling hills with elevations rising more than 400 feet above the Trailheads. Nature has since adorned Glacial Hills with Michigan conifers, hardwoods, wildflowers, fall colors, and snowfall. Mountain bikers describe the trails as “fast, flowy, and fun.” The warm seasons bring mountain bikers, hikers, and runners. Winter is time for fat tire biking, skiing and snowshoeing. Glacial Hills is a peaceful, enjoyable place to explore. Its rolling hills, great views, abundant nature, and winding paths provide for an unforgettable experience.

There are three trailheads at Eckhardt, Vandermark and Orchard Hills roads that provide access to multi-use and bidirectional trails over more than 800 woodland acres. The crisscrossing trails are composed of ninety trail segments of varying length, forming fifty-seven intersections. Users may traverse any path with many options to choose from. Site maps are posted at every intersection and yellow blazes are painted on trees as guides. In addition, eleven pre-determined routes, that together traverse more than eighty-five percent of the trail system, are clearly marked. The pathway for each route is indicated at intersections using unique symbols.