Wadhams to Avoca — Imlay Road trestle return: short bicycle return
Michigan · Other separated ride
Walk from the public Imlay City Road lot on the north side of the road to the northbound limestone main. Ride toward the Mill Creek Trestle. Turn at its far end or after 0.75 outward mile, or before any earlier barrier, road crossing or uncomfortable deck; retrace. No Imlay/Beard road crossing, private detour or complete 12.5-mile network is part of this outing.
Plan your ride
- Location
- Avoca area · Michigan
- Ride length
- Up to 1.5 miles return
- Ride format
- Out-and-back
- Surface
- Crushed limestone with wooden trestle deck; not the southern asphalt reach
- Road crossings
- Walk from the public Imlay City Road lot on the north side of the road to the northbound limestone main. Ride toward the Mill Creek Trestle. Turn at its far end or after 0.75 outward mile, or before any earlier barrier, road crossing or uncomfortable deck; retrace. No Imlay/Beard road crossing, private detour or complete 12.5-mile network is part of this outing.
- Elevation
- Former railway alignment supports qualitative modest effort. Trestle height above valley is not a trail climb. Wood can be slippery, especially wet or frosty; walk or turn before it if uncomfortable. No measured maximum slope.
- Starting location
- Designated public Imlay City Road trailhead lot, north of road and west of trail, St. Clair County, MI
Chosen 1.5-mile maximum return, not the full regional corridor or a surveyed parking-to-parking distance. Earlier interfaces shorten the outing; parking walking is extra.
Published trail or facility reference. Confirm the written start and posted parking signs.
Wadhams to Avoca — Imlay Road trestle return: short bicycle return — detailed guide
Source review: 2026-10-21. A dated source review does not guarantee current-day conditions.
Avoca area, Michigan · Up to 1.5 miles return · Crushed limestone with wooden trestle deck; not the southern asphalt reach
Start: Wadhams to Avoca — Imlay Road trestle return, Designated public Imlay City Road trailhead lot, north of road and west of trail, St. Clair County, MI. County explicitly names Imlay City Road public off-road parking. Retained December 2025 map places lot north of road, west of trail. Walk lot connection to northbound main without crossing Imlay City Road. County office in Goodells and the Lapeer Road lot are different places. Use designated ordinary visitor spaces, respect reserved spaces and walk through the lot to the signed main path. The address identifies a public facility, not a surveyed stall.
Ride: Walk from the public Imlay City Road lot on the north side of the road to the northbound limestone main. Ride toward the Mill Creek Trestle. Turn at its far end or after 0.75 outward mile, or before any earlier barrier, road crossing or uncomfortable deck; retrace. No Imlay/Beard road crossing, private detour or complete 12.5-mile network is part of this outing.
Distance: Chosen 1.5-mile maximum return, not the full regional corridor or a surveyed parking-to-parking distance. Earlier interfaces shorten the outing; parking walking is extra.
Permission and effort: Source-backed ordinary bicycle use on the designated improved main path; walking-only spurs and adjacent private property are excluded. Former railway alignment supports qualitative modest effort. Trestle height above valley is not a trail climb. Wood can be slippery, especially wet or frosty; walk or turn before it if uncomfortable. No measured maximum slope.
Planning: Daylight within posted seasonal trailhead hours; county office hours are not trail hours. No current trailhead-specific parking tariff established. County nonresident seasonal fees are not assigned here without property-specific signs; posted terms govern. Ordinary bicycles on designated main; yield and announce passes. Leash pets and obey smoking restrictions. County 15-mph motor-vehicle rule is not presented as a bicycle speed limit. Equestrians have a separate trestle bypass.
Access reviewed October 20, 2026 Central (October 21 UTC): Fresh county continues to describe bicycle use and the decked, railed trestle. Retained 2026 capital plan proposes re-deck funding, not an actual work start, closure or completion. Respect any present bridge barrier. Retained map places Imlay 0.65 mile south of trestle center; adding half its 640-foot span suggests about 1.42 miles return to far end, rounded up to a 1.5-mile cap, not surveyed GPS. This is a dated source review, not a field inspection or current-day all-clear. Postpone for snow, ice, high water, soft tread or barriers rather than improvising a bypass.
Bring water and choose suitable weather. Parking walking is extra. No surveyed parking-space pin or navigable GPX is supplied.
Sources: Fresh county public heads / bicycle trestle / mixed surfaces · Retained December 2025 mile-marker map · Retained county rules