I started seriously running just before I moved to Detroit in August 2015 and it’s been a big part of my life every since, and is very connected to my time in this city so far.

Here are some of my favorite places to run in the area:

The Riverwalk –
The Riverwalk runs along, you guessed it, the river and it is one of my favorite places in the whole city. It’s clean, beautifully landscaped (especially in the spring), and there are at least two sets of public bathrooms and drinking fountains along its 3.5-mile stretch. It runs past the Renaissance Center, Hart Plaza, Cobo Hall and Joe Louis Arena. There are few runs when I don’t hit the Riverwalk for at least a few miles.

Riverwalk at sunset

The Dequindre Cut –
Created in 2009, this greenway follows a former railroad line for two miles, connecting the Riverwalk to the Eastern Market area. This path has lots of underpasses with beautiful art.

Belle Isle –
The five-mile loop is a great spot to run, especially around sunset for fantastic views of Detroit and Windsor.

View of Detroit from Belle Isle

Indian Village –
The three main roads in Indian Village (Seminole, Iroquois, and Burns) from Jefferson to Mack make a lovely up to 6 mile run. Since I live in Indian Village, I do most of my morning runs here. There’s not a ton of car traffic except when crossing some of the main east/west roads, and I usually spend most of my run daydreaming about living in the huge elaborate houses – the architecture is beautiful!

Grosse Pointes –
Jefferson eventually turns into Lake Shore, and this is one of my favorite stretches to run in the area. Granted, I’ve only done it once but it was a gorgeous run. There’s no sidewalk on the side of the road closest to the lake, but the views are still great – of both the water and the houses.

It’s spring and the running is particularly amazing – it’s not too hot yet and the flowers not only look good, but they also smell great. Hopefully this post provides a few ideas of where to run around Detroit!