+ 49
The Pinky Traverse
Cycling Route
Details
70.87 mi
1,968 ft
Distance: 70.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,968 feet
Starts From: Traverse City, MI
Why Go: With its rolling vineyards and cherry orchards, historic lighthouses, sandy beaches and charming ports, Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula comprises one of the most scenic stretches of the Great Lakes’ so-called “Third Coast”. Take in Lake Michigan’s pristine shoreline on a flat pedal from the vacationland of Traverse City to the oversized sandbox of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore.
Road Notes: This relatively flat route traces the “pinky” of the Lower Peninsula’s “mitten”, following 26 miles of dedicated bike trail and quiet byways with sweeping shoreline views. Time it right and you can watch sunset over Lake Michigan from Sleeping Bear’s 450-foot-high Lake Michigan Overlook. From there, it’s an easy pedal into Empire.
Elevation Gain: 1,968 feet
Starts From: Traverse City, MI
Why Go: With its rolling vineyards and cherry orchards, historic lighthouses, sandy beaches and charming ports, Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula comprises one of the most scenic stretches of the Great Lakes’ so-called “Third Coast”. Take in Lake Michigan’s pristine shoreline on a flat pedal from the vacationland of Traverse City to the oversized sandbox of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore.
Road Notes: This relatively flat route traces the “pinky” of the Lower Peninsula’s “mitten”, following 26 miles of dedicated bike trail and quiet byways with sweeping shoreline views. Time it right and you can watch sunset over Lake Michigan from Sleeping Bear’s 450-foot-high Lake Michigan Overlook. From there, it’s an easy pedal into Empire.
Created By
Robert Clark
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leelanau Trail: Traverse City - Suttons Bay | 15.30 mi | 190 ft | 0.0% |
| TART Trail Traverse City to Sutton's Bay | 15.08 mi | 180 ft | 0.1% |
| The Cedar lake Segment North | 1.61 mi | -7 ft | -0.0% |
| Cherry Bend to 9 Mile Marker | 6.13 mi | 144 ft | 0.4% |
| South-North KOM : Leelanau Trail | 6.42 mi | 167 ft | 0.5% |
| S Lake Leelanau to Bingham (S-N) | 1.58 mi | 59 ft | 0.7% |
| Leelanau Trail: S-N Downhill | 5.52 mi | -187 ft | -0.6% |
| Leelanau Trail: S-N Final Incline | 0.80 mi | 39 ft | 0.9% |
| RG45-Leelanau Trail North Downhill to Suttons | 2.88 mi | -148 ft | -0.9% |
| FINAL STRETCH!!! RANDY'S BIRTHDAY SEGMENT | 0.83 mi | -20 ft | -0.4% |
| M22 Sutton's Bay to Northport | 11.56 mi | 112 ft | 0.1% |
| M22 Northport to Leland | 11.07 mi | -285 ft | -0.1% |
| N Manitou Trail Climb | 1.46 mi | 174 ft | 2.2% |
| Manitou Mayhem | 1.76 mi | 233 ft | 2.5% |
| SBHT WB | 4.13 mi | 59 ft | 0.1% |