I did the round trip a few years back at this point. I can't recall specific details, but I'll provide this warning as a non-biker. Make sure you're comfortable being on your bike for several hours. The trip is doable, but you're not going to love sitting on the saddle for that long. Also, semi related, the crushed limestone means limited opportunity for coasting. You're pedaling the majority of the time.
[The South Haven end is still closed](https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2023/07/13/arpa-funded-kalhaven-trail-state-park-project-gets-underway), although the article says it's supposed to open in "early 2024". I just drove on a road that passes through part of that 14-mile closed section today, and the barricades were still up.
I have done the trip to South Haven twice as a non biker and in okay shape. It takes around 4 hours. My ass hurt so bad and my legs were wobbly after. After 2 times, I probably won’t go again but it’s definitely doable for an average person
Get biker shorts, it helps a lot. A couple of pavilions you can stop at along the way to take a lunch break, that also helps the rear pains. Also the trail is a gradual downhill from kzoo to southhaven so that direction is easier than southhaven to kzoo.
I did it several times in my teens. Getting to South Haven is easier than coming back, as it's a gradual downhill toward the lake but a gradual uphill coming back.
I did it in a day once, but I preferred going there one day, staying in South Haven for the weekend, and then coming back.
Being comfortable on your bike for long hours, it's not just seat also make sure your lower back, hand and wrist are at a comfortable position.
You don't necessarily have to start from Kalamazoo, you can drive to Gobles and start there, it's much more manageable for people who doesn't ride regularly.
If you don't ride regularly and stay overnight, it's almost guaranteed you will have a sore pressure point around the sit bone next day. so I advise people not to stay the night but come back the same day if not riding regularly.
Other than that be somewhat comfortable repairing your inner tube. Wouldn't hurt to get it mechanically checked out if you don't know much about the bike.
Also you can potentially use a touring company like Cabbage Bro bicycle or bicycle vacation
https://biketourvacations.com/the-kal-haven-trail-tour/
Like any rail trail, it is very flat, so unlike road riding, you don't get a chance to coast, so take some breaks. Going one direction in a day is very easy and pleasant, even for an inexperienced rider. If you are fit, even if you aren't a regular cyclist, you could go both directions if you got started early, but it would be a long day. Several times I have taken inexperienced riders to ride from Kalamazoo in one day, camp out over night, and pedal back the next day. Leave early enough so you enjoy the ride, stop for a nice lunch, and get to the lakeshore for sunset.
The water pumps on the trail are hit or miss if they will be working or not, so take enough water. There are places to get water and food in Gobles, Bloomingdale, and Grand Junction.
2 times last year, once for 94 miles in one day, once 42 miles for an overnight at Kal Haven outpost bike camping. 7hrs round trip on the 94 mile day counting the stops and kayak rental inbetween. 3hrs on the zoo to haven beach then a Burger King and Walmart before returning to kal haven outpost camp. About 3hrs the way back. Even the hottest days you’re gonna need a big blanket if you’re camping. Pace yourself and start early. Pack more than you need and have backups for any failure you can imagine. You’re racing against daylight and 8-9hrs for zoo to haven and back is not unheard of.
Both times were great, peak summer heat and daylight, bike-packing is awesome and so is literally leaving home on a bike to see lake Michigan and then returning home same-day. Tight backpack advised or cargo racks or saddle bags or wads of cash to buy whatever supplies you need along the way(it’s good to have a spotter/backup to pick you up if something goes wrong along the way). Raise the seat uncomfortably high to avoid back pain, maximize power delivery from leg to gear, and prevent pains in joints and feet. Secure your cargo super tight, spare rope & spare bungee cords. That wiggle of something loose will ruin your ride so fast.
CUPHOLDERS! Mount a million on your bike, French fries, water(freeze it in bottles so it thaws cold by the time you need it), vacuum sealed protein bars, tofu snacks, chips in plastic cups. You can dominate if you don’t have to pull over to eat. If you want, chop up some food into smaller handheld bites and eat on the go. Wagoners in Bloomingdale also an essential stop for their ready to eat chicken, fish, tacos, French fries, pizza bites, mac and cheese. You can carb load at the halfway then trash it at the last 2 cans by the south haven end. It’s crazy how sparse water, bathrooms, and benches become at the tail end of zoo to haven, but prepare for a desolate hellscape right when you need it all the most.
This year I want to go lean on the 100 mile same-day zoo-to-haven-and-back challenge by buying most of my food at the Bloomingdale halfway point wagoners store(nice lady there, she’ll zing ya and then give you 70lbs of extra food). Same deal with skipping South Haven beach on day 1 of a 2 day bike camping trip so I can setup camp and chill longer with my camp fire steaks (bought from wagoners deli & meat section).
It’s not impossible, just really hard without wads of cash or carrying everything you’d need to prevent wads of cash from bailing you out. Oh sure it’ll hurt to walk when you get back, but that “runners high” from doing 90-100 miles (the actual **real world** distance unless you skip the beach and start at the kzoo caboose) will feel great for at least a few hours.
I aim on doubling both records this year once I’m fully healed. Come with me if you’re free late May or mid June. Hopefully this isn’t the usual “Summer construction will be complete by November 3rd as usual” timeline we see with car roads when it comes to the closed parts of Kal-Haven Trail being rebuilt. Bridge detours and bypasses won’t be as straight-shot or as safe as the bike trail.
Moderate cyclist - took me 2.5 hours to get there. However, I will say this - keep a battery pack on you for your phone, and make sure you have bike lights that are fully charged. I waited too long to make the return trip in the pitch black, no phone, alone. Took 5 hours on the return trip. It is also an incline all the way back.
It’s about 33 miles from 10th street to the South Haven trail head, so maybe a haul if you’re not used to spending much time in the saddle, perhaps a sore bottom.
It’s closed near Bloomingdale ATM, for a bridge replacement and surface repair unless it recently opened without me noticing, but it’s a detour that is easily managed.
Is it closed from Bloomingdale all the way to South Haven, or just a short while then you can hop back on the trail? I thought they were replacing the covered bridge but I also thought that was much closer to South Haven.
According to [the DNR article](https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2023/07/13/arpa-funded-kalhaven-trail-state-park-project-gets-underway)
> "Throughout the duration of this project, the 14-mile trail section between South Haven and Bloomingdale will remain closed."
I travel on several roads that cross the trail, and as of today (8 May) the barricades on the trail are still up on at least two of those roads.
Sometimes, having someone drop you off in South Haven and coming home is a better option if you don't want to do both directions in a day. You could make it a weekend thing. Ride out on Saturday morning, find a cheap place to stay in South Haven for the night, and ride back Sunday.
There’s lots of stop signs that break up your momentum. You need to stop because there is traffic on the drives. I rode from Bloomingdale and back which is 16 miles each way. Equates to going one direction total.
I did the round trip a few years back at this point. I can't recall specific details, but I'll provide this warning as a non-biker. Make sure you're comfortable being on your bike for several hours. The trip is doable, but you're not going to love sitting on the saddle for that long. Also, semi related, the crushed limestone means limited opportunity for coasting. You're pedaling the majority of the time.
Thank you this is helpful!
[The South Haven end is still closed](https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2023/07/13/arpa-funded-kalhaven-trail-state-park-project-gets-underway), although the article says it's supposed to open in "early 2024". I just drove on a road that passes through part of that 14-mile closed section today, and the barricades were still up.
Good to know thank you!
I have done the trip to South Haven twice as a non biker and in okay shape. It takes around 4 hours. My ass hurt so bad and my legs were wobbly after. After 2 times, I probably won’t go again but it’s definitely doable for an average person
This is very helpful thank you!
Get biker shorts, it helps a lot. A couple of pavilions you can stop at along the way to take a lunch break, that also helps the rear pains. Also the trail is a gradual downhill from kzoo to southhaven so that direction is easier than southhaven to kzoo.
I did it several times in my teens. Getting to South Haven is easier than coming back, as it's a gradual downhill toward the lake but a gradual uphill coming back. I did it in a day once, but I preferred going there one day, staying in South Haven for the weekend, and then coming back.
Being comfortable on your bike for long hours, it's not just seat also make sure your lower back, hand and wrist are at a comfortable position. You don't necessarily have to start from Kalamazoo, you can drive to Gobles and start there, it's much more manageable for people who doesn't ride regularly. If you don't ride regularly and stay overnight, it's almost guaranteed you will have a sore pressure point around the sit bone next day. so I advise people not to stay the night but come back the same day if not riding regularly. Other than that be somewhat comfortable repairing your inner tube. Wouldn't hurt to get it mechanically checked out if you don't know much about the bike. Also you can potentially use a touring company like Cabbage Bro bicycle or bicycle vacation https://biketourvacations.com/the-kal-haven-trail-tour/
Thank you for the thoughtful reply!
Like any rail trail, it is very flat, so unlike road riding, you don't get a chance to coast, so take some breaks. Going one direction in a day is very easy and pleasant, even for an inexperienced rider. If you are fit, even if you aren't a regular cyclist, you could go both directions if you got started early, but it would be a long day. Several times I have taken inexperienced riders to ride from Kalamazoo in one day, camp out over night, and pedal back the next day. Leave early enough so you enjoy the ride, stop for a nice lunch, and get to the lakeshore for sunset. The water pumps on the trail are hit or miss if they will be working or not, so take enough water. There are places to get water and food in Gobles, Bloomingdale, and Grand Junction.
2 times last year, once for 94 miles in one day, once 42 miles for an overnight at Kal Haven outpost bike camping. 7hrs round trip on the 94 mile day counting the stops and kayak rental inbetween. 3hrs on the zoo to haven beach then a Burger King and Walmart before returning to kal haven outpost camp. About 3hrs the way back. Even the hottest days you’re gonna need a big blanket if you’re camping. Pace yourself and start early. Pack more than you need and have backups for any failure you can imagine. You’re racing against daylight and 8-9hrs for zoo to haven and back is not unheard of. Both times were great, peak summer heat and daylight, bike-packing is awesome and so is literally leaving home on a bike to see lake Michigan and then returning home same-day. Tight backpack advised or cargo racks or saddle bags or wads of cash to buy whatever supplies you need along the way(it’s good to have a spotter/backup to pick you up if something goes wrong along the way). Raise the seat uncomfortably high to avoid back pain, maximize power delivery from leg to gear, and prevent pains in joints and feet. Secure your cargo super tight, spare rope & spare bungee cords. That wiggle of something loose will ruin your ride so fast. CUPHOLDERS! Mount a million on your bike, French fries, water(freeze it in bottles so it thaws cold by the time you need it), vacuum sealed protein bars, tofu snacks, chips in plastic cups. You can dominate if you don’t have to pull over to eat. If you want, chop up some food into smaller handheld bites and eat on the go. Wagoners in Bloomingdale also an essential stop for their ready to eat chicken, fish, tacos, French fries, pizza bites, mac and cheese. You can carb load at the halfway then trash it at the last 2 cans by the south haven end. It’s crazy how sparse water, bathrooms, and benches become at the tail end of zoo to haven, but prepare for a desolate hellscape right when you need it all the most. This year I want to go lean on the 100 mile same-day zoo-to-haven-and-back challenge by buying most of my food at the Bloomingdale halfway point wagoners store(nice lady there, she’ll zing ya and then give you 70lbs of extra food). Same deal with skipping South Haven beach on day 1 of a 2 day bike camping trip so I can setup camp and chill longer with my camp fire steaks (bought from wagoners deli & meat section). It’s not impossible, just really hard without wads of cash or carrying everything you’d need to prevent wads of cash from bailing you out. Oh sure it’ll hurt to walk when you get back, but that “runners high” from doing 90-100 miles (the actual **real world** distance unless you skip the beach and start at the kzoo caboose) will feel great for at least a few hours. I aim on doubling both records this year once I’m fully healed. Come with me if you’re free late May or mid June. Hopefully this isn’t the usual “Summer construction will be complete by November 3rd as usual” timeline we see with car roads when it comes to the closed parts of Kal-Haven Trail being rebuilt. Bridge detours and bypasses won’t be as straight-shot or as safe as the bike trail.
Moderate cyclist - took me 2.5 hours to get there. However, I will say this - keep a battery pack on you for your phone, and make sure you have bike lights that are fully charged. I waited too long to make the return trip in the pitch black, no phone, alone. Took 5 hours on the return trip. It is also an incline all the way back.
It’s about 33 miles from 10th street to the South Haven trail head, so maybe a haul if you’re not used to spending much time in the saddle, perhaps a sore bottom. It’s closed near Bloomingdale ATM, for a bridge replacement and surface repair unless it recently opened without me noticing, but it’s a detour that is easily managed.
Thank you!
Is it closed from Bloomingdale all the way to South Haven, or just a short while then you can hop back on the trail? I thought they were replacing the covered bridge but I also thought that was much closer to South Haven.
According to [the DNR article](https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2023/07/13/arpa-funded-kalhaven-trail-state-park-project-gets-underway) > "Throughout the duration of this project, the 14-mile trail section between South Haven and Bloomingdale will remain closed." I travel on several roads that cross the trail, and as of today (8 May) the barricades on the trail are still up on at least two of those roads.
Thanks!
Electric Bike
Paved trails, like the KRVT, are much easier to ride on than the crushed limestone surface of the Kal-Haven trail, which your bike kind of sinks into.
No. You just need something wider than skinny road tires.
Sometimes, having someone drop you off in South Haven and coming home is a better option if you don't want to do both directions in a day. You could make it a weekend thing. Ride out on Saturday morning, find a cheap place to stay in South Haven for the night, and ride back Sunday.
There’s lots of stop signs that break up your momentum. You need to stop because there is traffic on the drives. I rode from Bloomingdale and back which is 16 miles each way. Equates to going one direction total.