Thirty miles of trail on hills the glaciers left

The hills just east of Bellaire are a mess, in the best way. About 14,000 years ago the last glacier pulled back across this part of Michigan and dropped its load — gravel, sand, and stone piled into a jumble of steep little ridges and kettle hollows. Most farmers took one look and gave up. Mountain bikers took one look and fell in love.

Today that ground holds the Glacial Hills Pathway and Natural Area: 814 acres of public land threaded with around 31 miles of trail. The routes flow with the terrain instead of fighting it, dipping into hollows and climbing back out, which is exactly what makes them fun on two wheels. Hikers and trail runners use the same network, and when the snow comes it turns into cross-country ski and snowshoe country. Hunting is allowed too, a nod to how Antrim County folks have always used these woods.

What’s unusual is who owns it. Glacial Hills isn’t a state park or a single landowner’s gift — it’s stitched together from three local governments. Antrim County holds the biggest share, with Forest Home Township and the Village of Bellaire owning pieces alongside it, and a regional land conservancy helped pull key parcels in, including a 180-acre addition the county bought in 2010. A volunteer group keeps the trails groomed and signed.

You can start from any of three trailheads off Eckhardt, Vandermark, or Orchard Hill roads, and the outer loop ties them all together for a long day’s ride. The forest is thick with hardwoods and birdsong, the climbs are honest, and every ridge you grind up is a souvenir the ice age left behind on its way out of Michigan.