Detroit Running

Although I just a working stiff and I'm sure the Hanson guys could give you alot more info, there are some pretty decent trails in Rochester (north side of Detroit). Check out paintcreektrail.org for more information. There are other trails on the north side as well that I haven't run on before. If you are actually looking for a place to run in the city itself, don't hold your breath. The city of Detroit is pretty rough. But in the suburbs you can find some great spots.

There's a 10-K race on Thanksgiving morning in downtown Detroit. It sometimes draws some pretty good runners depending on the year.

My favorite trails near Detroit:

Bald Mountain (Lake Orion)

Stoney Creek West Branch (Rochester)

Hines Park (Westland)

Kensington Metropark (Milford)

Cranbrook (Bloomfield Hills) - Awesome, hilly 1.5 mile XC loop.

Stop by a running store in the area (such as Hansons) and I'm sure they could give you directions, atleast to some of the places.

Paul-

If you could give a little more detail on where you are staying (such as the city), I could give you some ideas. There are tons of parks and such around Metro Detroit. Every place mentioned is great. However, there are areas where you'd have to drive 45 minutes to get there. Depending on where you are, there are plenty of places closer.

The best running in the Detroit area is any road or trail that takes you out of that God forsaken piss hole of a metro area. The only major metropolitan area in the US to be consistently losing people for over 10 years running now. And of course just to the West is the hated Ann Arbor.

Go Bucks!

I'm staying in Gosse Pointe, most of the places listed seem to be a ways away. I'm willing to drive a while, but anything closer would be great.

Woah there Buckeye, don't let me get started on your state...

Grosse Pointe is probably nice to run as far as the roads go, but I don't know of any trails on the eastside. Maybe in one of the resident only parks in the Pointes, but even then you might have difficulty getting in. Stop by the Hansons store in Grosse Pointe Woods. Maybe they'll have some ideas.

Detroit; cars; car show models; why run? Run from the police because the truth is far greater than your make believe land and Fiction falls flat in the face of veracity; I am honest boasts the playful author of Fiction knowing full well that all such efforts reflect not when faced with the silver backed glass.

Sulus wrote:

Woah there Buckeye, don't let me get started on your state...

Grosse Pointe is probably nice to run as far as the roads go, but I don't know of any trails on the eastside. Maybe in one of the resident only parks in the Pointes, but even then you might have difficulty getting in. Stop by the Hansons store in Grosse Pointe Woods. Maybe they'll have some ideas.

Quit basing on D'town. I did training there for my work and ran everyday. No one bothered me while I was there.

Sulus,

Ok, let's have a quick comparison:

Ohio is warmer in the winter and spring starts at lest 2 weeks earlier.

Ohio has three of the best metropolitan places to live in the country in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

Ohio has better amusement parks, metro parks, music venues, things to do for fun.

Ohio has better public school systems, higher employment, higher paying jobs and a quality of life that is better than those in Michigan.

Michigan has the piss hole Detroit.

Michigan has Ann Arbor which isn't all that bad except that it's main claim to fame is the Pot Smoking Day (whatever that's called, and it sure is something to be proud of).

Michigan has the UP (Upper Peninsula) which is so damn cold in the winter that those people speak like Canadians. "I'd like to thank everyone in the OrganIzation."

Michigan is littered with towns like Flint where the unemployment is high due to lost industry.

Well, Michigan does have all those lakes around it. Go jump in one if you live there.

THE Ohio State University Tackle Football Buckeyes - No. 1 in the BCS.

GO BUCKS!

Michigan also has great places like Traverse City, Ludington, I could go on and on...

Beautiful, white sand beaches on lake Michigan that would make you think you were in Florida.

Huge dunes that you can climb for hours and hours and get lost in...

The "west coast" of Michigan is beautiful...

Those sandy beaches might make a person from Michigan think they were in Florida, but those in Ohio know the difference. Move a bit south where the lead poisioning isn't hampering your development.

First of all, the only argument I support here is the football comparison between the Buckeyes and Wolverines. Go Bucks! But Michigan is a way nicer place to live than Ohio. I have lived in both. The metropolitan areas in Columbus and Cleveland are no different than Detroit's. I am not even going to get into how dumpy Toledo and Akron have made themselves. But as someone who grew up in Ohio for 13 years and lived all over the state of Michigan for 10 more. I would definitely say Michigan has the edge even though I could never support the Wolverines for as long as I live.

Metro Man,

I have to agree with you on the football thing of course, but if you think there is no difference between downtown Columbus and Downtown Detroit, then you haven't been to both. Except for perhaps some cities in New Jersey, Detroit is the most delapitated area in the country. Even the highways around the city are riddled with pot holes. I'm kind of joking in general about Michigan, but the Detroit metro area is a hell hole, and that is no joke.

Buckeye, one more comparison: I judge the intelligence of a state by the quality of its higher education. I am not suggesting that Michigan has the best, however I am hard pressed to think of a quality school in Ohio. Toledo? No. Ohio State? Don't think so (Sorry, THE Ohio State University. You wouldn't want people confusing you with all the other Ohio State University). Ohio? No. Maybe Miami, but my impression was that it was just a place for spoiled kids who couldn't get in anywhere else. Seriously, is there a decent academic school in Ohio?

case western

It depends on what you are looking for.

THE Ohio State University is a great school if you are looking for a degree in a science or veterinary medicine, not so stellar but still good for other things. OSU comes down a peg only because it has the largest student body of any university in the world. OSU takes a lot of students that shouldn't be in college, and many of them drop out. Being a Buckeye, it isn't something I'm proud of, but the University needs to make money to fund the serious students, so I say give them a chance. The top students at OSU compare favorably to the top students at any other university, including IV League schools.

Michigan is a better academic school generally speaking than OSU with strengths primarily in the humanities and Public Policy.

Miami University in Oxford, OH is a very good state university and is probably the best State school in Ohio. Standards are actually decently high there, and while they take students that couldn't get into Harvard, so does just about every other school in the country, including U of M.

The University of Cincinnati is also a very excellent school if you want a graduate degree in the sciences. Cutting edge research going on there, and also in the school of medicine.

Case Western Reserve in Cleveland is also a well-respected university, especially their graduate programs.

The best undergraduate schools in Ohio are the small liberal arts schools like Oberlin (especially music), Kenyon College, Denison, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein. These schools have students which would be in the top 20% of students at OSU or U of M. These schools can only take a limited number of students, so the competition to get in is tougher.

Ohio has more 4-year colleges per capita of any state in the country.

Honestly, other than U of M, what good schools are there in Michigan? The small liberal arts schools there don't compare to the ones in Ohio, Eastern Michigan isn't a good school, and neither is Michigan State. So, I don't even use your criteria in judging a state, but in so doing, it also comes up that Ohio is the winner.

Um, boys, boys, boys, you aren't helping our friend find a nice place to run when he visits the Detroit area by going on and on about what you think is so great about Ohio and Michigan. Perhaps you could contribute to the discussion?

Personally, I like to explore every new place I visit w/minimal help. I get some sense of the lay of the land and head out. I've run thru some rough areas and stumbled on really nice parks and neighborhoods. I liked both, not equally but, hey, I was just running, not looking for a house or spot for a picnic.

You can't go wrong any direction you run in the Grosse Pointes. It's not much for hills but the roads and walks are in good shape and go on and on plus you can run at length along Lake St Clair.

(the) Ohio State football? HAH! Those guys are just damn LUCKY, not good. Sometimes it IS better to be lucky than good though.

Ohio State BARELY beat a pretty sad Purdue team last weekend. They BARELY beat a pretty poor Wisconsin team a few weeks ago.

They have a good record, but they are not that great. Look at their schedule! They play teams like Kent State (do they even have a football team?)!

No, the real reason you're picking on the state of Michigan is that you know that come November 23, when Michigan comes to town, they're going to expose your worthless team for what it really is - a pretender.

I got no respect for a team who's mascot is a nut!