Michigan Tri-Cities Area: Saginaw, Frankenmuth, Bay City, Midland

 March 2021, Weekday and Weekend days

Covered bridge in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Recreation: hiking, bicycle trails, etc.

We loved all the hiking and biking trails in the towns we visited! We were disappointed we missed a few, which we will try to visit next time.  😊

Gunzenhausen Street Walkway in Frankenmuth looking south.
Holiday Inn Express straight ahead on the right.

In Frankenmuth, we walked through River Place Shops, over the covered bridge, along Cass River (Gunzenhausen Street Walkway, and the area north of the bridges), and to Frankenmuth Brewery. All of the walkways are paved, and beautifully landscaped. Some of the concrete and landscaping was brand new.

You can cross the river in three spots: the covered bridge, the pedestrian bridge next to Main Street, and there is a walkway alongside the road on Main Street.  

Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Riverwalk Trail is located in Heritage Park north of Bavarian Inn Lodge. We did not walk this trail because it was windy and cold out, and we did not realize until later, that we could have gotten to the park by walking through the Bavarian Inn parking lot and then out to the sidewalk. This would have been an easy addition to the route we took, if we had known. 

White peacock in front of Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Be sure to stop and see the peacocks and doves on the grounds of Bavarian Inn Lodge near the covered bridge!

Bavarian Belle Riverboat area, and River Place Shops
in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

We enjoyed a peaceful and scenic walk through River Place Shops, as the stores were still closed when we walked through the area in the morning.

Woodland Trail map in Saginaw, Michigan. 

In Saginaw, we hiked Woodland Trail [nature area]. I could not find a trail map online before our visit, so I have included a photo of the map that is in the parking lot. I suggest printing this, or taking a photo when you arrive, as the trails are not well marked. There were signs at the beginning of the trail where River Trail splits off; however, we did not see any signs when we rejoined Woodland Trail from the river.

Tittabawassee River from River Trail in Saginaw, Michigan.

We hiked River Trail, and portions of Marsh and Woodland Trails. This is a peaceful hike, although the trails were quite wet from the recent rains. We went through areas much wetter than the photos shown here. There were spots where we were not sure we would make it through without getting wet!

Woodland Trail above.
Pole/power line road off Woodland Trail below.

Because of the wet conditions, we opted to travel the pole/power line two-track from Woodland Trail north when we came to it. We walked this about ¾ of a mile, and then were able to cut back into Woodland Trail. Since we were the only people out, we were surprised we did not see much wildlife. The only activity we observed were several deer crossing the power line road in the distance.

Tridge view from Chippewassee Park side in Midland, Michigan.

In Midland, we walked The Tridge area: Chippewa Trail, Chippewassee Park, and Pere Marquette Rail Trail. There are many, many more trails and parks in this area that we did not have time to see. There are several places to park downtown. We chose the market area.

Chippewa River from The Tridge.

Even though it was cool and cloudy out, we observed walkers, joggers, bikers, and boaters. The men in boats were launching at Riverside Golfside Park to go fishing. There are two dog parks in Chippewassee Park; one for small dogs, and one for large dogs. We observed a couple of kayak launch areas on Tittabawassee River. The other river that flows into this area is Chippewa River.

We did not walk any new areas in Bay City this visit. You can find information from previous posts by clicking on the Bay City label at the bottom of this post.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls at Frankenmuth Brewery 

Food & Beverage

We had something to eat and drink at Frankenmuth Brewery. The beers were pretty good, and the food was amazing! I initially thought the price of $10.95 for a starter of Buffalo Chicken Rolls was expensive. We quickly forgot about that after receiving and tasting them.

View we could have had at Frankenmuth Brewery.
Seriously disappointed with the seats we were given.

Our only disappointment with this visit is where we were seated. Our table was against the wall in a dinghy, dark area on the lower floor; away from the front brewing area and the bar. I wish I had listened to my instincts and asked about the upper level, when I glanced up that way, as we were being seated. After walking through the mostly empty upper floor later (it is on the way to the restrooms), we felt even more let-down.     

Pulled Pork and Lobster Tacos at VNO New Age Restaurant in Bay City.

We visited VNO New Age Restaurant and Tri-City Brewing Company in Bay City. The food at VNO was delicious, and Tri-City Brewing Company is one of our favorite breweries. After visiting there, we left with a six-pack and a new glass! 

Loggers Brewing Company in Saginaw, Michigan.

We had a great visit at Loggers Brewing Company, which is very close to Woodland Trail. Great service and beer. It is spacious inside, and they have outside seating.

Maple Grille Restaurant microbrews.

The microbrewery at Maple Grille Restaurant is on the east edge of Saginaw with a Hemlock address (less than 7 miles from Loggers Brewing Co.). The atmosphere is kind of cool. It is inside a spacious barn and there are outside tables; however, it is not a place we would visit again for beer. Apparently, the food is good because there were several patrons picking up orders. The beers were odd-tasting and not to our liking. There was some kind of "butter" beer on the menu, and I asked if that was peanut butter. I was told it was butternut squash, which did not sound good in beer, to me (I did not try it, though). Additionally, it was unclear when we arrived, if we were supposed to seat ourselves, or wait in the pickup line to get our beers, or what we were supposed to do. There were no signs, and no one greeted patrons when they entered. 

All of the locations we visited for beverages have discounts in the Hop Passport and/or Reel Craft Pass. A few of these were new locations for us.

I will stop now, as this post is getting longer than I expected. Let me know if you want more details about anything!