Kensington Metro Park: I think the finest place possibly in the whole world to roller ski is the Kensington Metro Park. It is part of the Huron Clinton Metropark system that surrounds Detroit. This 13 Km. trail is rolling and the asphalt is perfect. It is swept daily. The entire trail is wooded and somewhat landscaped and surrounds Kent lake. It is located on interstate 96 between Milford and Brighton. Lots of parking. Costs about $3 to enter the park but a season pass can be purchased for $15. It is just heaven for a roller ski trainer. Most of the Huron Clinton Metroparks have paved biking paths but they tend to be much flatter. Dave Forbush

Detriot Metro Area: I roller ski in the Detriot Metro area. we are blessed with a very fine Metropark system which have paved (usually asphalt ) bike and rollerblade paths surrounding the parks. Kensington Metro Park is very good. It use to be a favorite of mine but the bike / rollerblade traffic is pretty bad at times. Stoney Creek Metropark in Oakland County is now my favorite. It is about equivalent to Kensington in terms of distance. It is a little flatter, but not that much. Usually a good wind is present so some high resistance skiing can be done!

Another diamond in the rough is the Willow - Lower Huron - Oakwood Metropark complex found down by Romulus near the airport. There are three Metroparks linked via a very well paved bike path. You can get in about a 30 mile workout all told. The terrain is pretty flat, but it offers good V2 &V2 alternate training. The parks for the most part are used less than Stoney Creek or Kensington. IMO.

Marquette: Marquette is a wonderful place to roller ski! We have an 8 mile+ long bike trail that has nice pavement excellent for roller skiing on. The trail makes a big loop around Marquette for a total of close to 8 miles. Branches follow Lake Superior lakeshore to the nearby town of Harvey (4 miles away ), and another newly installed branch goes about 5 miles North of Marquette to Sugarloaf Mountain ( a great place to climb, it has stairs, nice view of the Marquette area from 1000 ft on top of a hill. The trail along the lake shore also continues to the North of Presque Isle Park where there is another 4-5 miles of paved pathway to ski upon. This section is open to cars but they are limited to 15 miles per hour and are not all that frequent . Below I will divide the trails and define there terrain.

Presque Isle Loop: Starts with a large uphill , then goes around the island for four or so miles before ending at it's start. The middle point of this loop has a nice long downhill that ends with a moderate turn. This trail is totally wooded with many opportunities to see deer and other wildlife. Bring something to feed deer they will eat right from your hand !

Lakeshore Trail / Loop: This is a mostly flat trail with excellent views of Lake Superior. It eventually turns towards Marquette Mountain ski hill and returns back to it's start. The end part along McClennan Ave. is all downhill. Yay! Be careful that you are able to stop for the stop lights at U.S. 41 and Washington street both roads have heavy traffic.

Sugarloaf Trail : This trail was newly added last year. It is a wide shoulder along country road 550. The trail is all uphill, so you get a magnificent workout, and a more easy fast run on the way back. Be sure to take time out to climb up Sugarloaf Mountain as the view is spectacular.

Finding the Trails : Lakeshore and Presque Isle trail: Take US41 / M28 North into Marquette. follow the sign for downtown Marquette. Look for Three Happiness Chinese Food Restaurant and Brew Bakers Coffee Shop. Take a right on the road next to Three Happiness and follow this road past an Iron ore Dock. Nearby is a city park : Elwood Mattson Lower Harbor Park. This is a great place to park your car, and as the trail runs right by here. The trail runs North to Presque Isle park and West out to Sugarloaf (starts at the junction with Hewitt / County Road 550.

This trail also continues South from the park to Harvey or it makes a loop back to your start point. The loop is a bit broken up. to make the loop follow the following directions: take the trail south from the park, walk through an abandoned railroad yard or ski on the sidewalk along US 41 / M28 until you see a restaurant called Beefaroo. Take a right on this road which will likely have directions saying it goes toward Marquette Mountain Ski Area. After one block make a left onto division and follow this road to County Road 553 / McClennan Ave. Take a right on to McClennan and you will be back on the paved bike path which eventually lead you back to your start point.

If you need any further directions or need roller ski maintenance Contact Ray, or Stewart, at the Sports Rack , on Washington St. in Marquette. They sell roller skis and the owner Ray is very knowledgeable and can point you to the trail head. Happy Skiing !!!! J.C.

Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore: Outside of Traverse city most of the country Rds. in Leelanau county are smooth rolling , low traffic and have good shoulders. I didn't see any other roller skiers , but lots of commercial bike tours also use these Rd.s some Rds. have recently been covered with a fine layer of rough gravel that rules them out for roller skiing. E.B.

Traverse City: The original Tart Trail in Traverse City has about 9 miles of paved trail, where you can rollerski. The Tart Trail is fairly flat with bridges across wet land areas. Part of the trail runs along the Grand Traverse Bay. The west end of Tart is linked to the Leelanau trail which is paved for about 5 miles as you head North into Leelanau County. The trail s great place for a workout if you are in Traverse City. For more information visit www.mytraversecity.com

Cindy Monroe