Rockford Local / Things to Do / The White Pine Trail through Rockford, Michigan
The White Pine Trail through Rockford, Michigan
Ninety-two paved miles from Comstock Park to Cadillac, and Rockford sits in the middle of the busy end.
The Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park runs ninety-two miles up the old Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad bed from Comstock Park, just north of Grand Rapids, to Cadillac, passing through fifteen or so communities on the way. The Michigan DNR calls it the state's second-longest rail-trail. The longest, the State Line Trail in the Upper Peninsula, is unimproved, so at ninety-two fully paved miles this is the longest paved one in Michigan. The final stretch of paving was finished in 2025, with a ribbon-cutting that July, which means the whole route is now rideable on a road bike for the first time.
Rockford is the busiest town on the southern half, and the trail does not skirt it. It runs straight through the middle of downtown, which is why the sidewalks on Main fill with cyclists on a summer Saturday and why Rockford Brewing Company's patio, which backs onto both the river and the trail, is the most predictable stop on the route.
Parking. The large free lot north of downtown is the one to aim for. From US-131 take exit 97, signed Rockford and 10 Mile Road, head east about two miles, turn left at the Main Street light and continue three and a half blocks. All downtown Rockford parking lots are free and allow overnight parking, though camping is not permitted in any of them or along the trail. There is no address posted for the trail lot itself, which is unhelpful of everyone involved, so navigate to downtown Main Street and go north.
Access points either side. South, the Belmont access at Rogue River Park. North, Cedar Springs has a twenty-four-hour free lot. The DNR's own listed trailheads on the route are Cadillac, Big Rapids, Russel Road south of Cedar Springs, and Rogue River Park at Belmont; Rockford's parking is city-owned downtown parking rather than a DNR trailhead, which is why it is free and why you will not find it on the state park page.
What connects in Rockford. Pickett Park and Richardson-Sowerby Park both link to the trail, and Richardson-Sowerby runs along both banks of the Rogue joined by a pedestrian bridge, with a dog park, a play area and a pavilion. The Rogue River Nature Trail adds four and a half acres of fully accessible boardwalk and fishing platforms along the riverbank starting from Peppler Park. Through Rockford the White Pine is also co-signed with the North Country National Scenic Trail.
A note on the Recreation Passport, because it confuses people. A Michigan Recreation Passport is required to park a vehicle at state-operated trailheads and state park access sites. It is not required to walk or bike onto the trail, and the downtown Rockford lots most people actually use are city lots with no fee and no passport requirement. If you park at a DNR trailhead elsewhere on the route, you need one.
Finally: searches for "white pine trail" also return White Pine Lake in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, in some volume. If a result mentions Logan or Park City, it is the wrong White Pine.
Questions people ask
- Where does the White Pine Trail start and end?
- Comstock Park, just north of Grand Rapids, to Cadillac: ninety-two miles on the former Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad bed, through about fifteen communities. Rockford is on the southern half.
- Is the White Pine Trail fully paved?
- Yes, as of 2025. The final section was paved that spring with a ribbon-cutting in July. At ninety-two paved miles it is Michigan's longest paved rail-trail; the DNR ranks it the state's second-longest rail-trail overall, behind the unpaved State Line Trail in the Upper Peninsula.
- Where do you park for the White Pine Trail in Rockford, Michigan?
- The large free lot north of downtown. From US-131 take exit 97 (Rockford / 10 Mile Road), go east about two miles, turn left at the Main Street light and continue three and a half blocks. All downtown Rockford lots are free and allow overnight parking.
- Do you need a Recreation Passport for the White Pine Trail?
- Not for the downtown Rockford lots, which are city-owned and free. A Michigan Recreation Passport is required to park at DNR-operated state trailheads and access sites elsewhere on the route. Walking or biking onto the trail never requires one.
- What is at the Rockford trailhead?
- Downtown Rockford, essentially. The trail runs through the middle of town, so the trailhead is a few minutes' walk from Main Street, the dam overlook, the farm market lot, and Rockford Brewing Company, whose patio opens onto the trail and the river.