They Paved Paradise
- 0.5 mi
- round trip
- 32 ft
- climb
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
"They Paved Paradise" is a short, easy mountain biking route on county land in Michigan's Local Forest, about 3 miles from the town of Podunk. The ride is an out-and-back of roughly 0.9 miles, with a total climb of about 32 feet and a high point of 869 feet. The route is nearly flat, with the steepest stretch at about 2% grade near the start. Summer is the most comfortable time to ride. Typical averages from the nearby Gladwin weather station show July highs around 82°F and lows near 57°F, while winter brings highs in the 20s and regular snow days from December through February. Several other mountain biking spots sit within a short distance. Cut Your Bars is about 0.1 mile away, and Flowtopia and Shangri-La are each about 0.2 mile off. For paddling, the Sugar River is about 8 miles away.
Best time to go · Apr–Oct
Best time to visit They Paved Paradise
Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
29° / 13°
11 wet · 8 snow
Feb
32° / 13°
9 wet · 6 snow
Mar
43° / 20°
9 wet · 4 snow
Apr
55° / 31°
10 wet · 1 snow
May
68° / 43°
11 wet
Jun
78° / 53°
10 wet
Jul
82° / 57°
10 wet
Aug
80° / 55°
9 wet
Sep
73° / 47°
10 wet
Oct
60° / 37°
11 wet
Nov
46° / 28°
11 wet · 3 snow
Dec
34° / 20°
11 wet · 6 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gladwin, MI, 3.9 mi away at 775 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more rides worth the drive
RIDE
Cut Your Bars
Next door
0.93-mile out-and-back singletrack in Michigan with 113 ft elevation gain
RIDE
Shangri-La
Next door
0.37-mile easy singletrack out-and-back in Michigan with 69 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
Tough Nuts
Next door
1.62-mile moderate singletrack out-and-back with 176 ft gain in Michigan
RIDE
Flowtopia
Next door
0.26-mile hard singletrack out and back with 93 ft gain in Michigan
RIDE
Down By The River
~1 min drive
0.17-mile easy out-and-back trail in Michigan with 5 ft of elevation gain.
RIDE
Troll Stroll
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0.72-mile moderate singletrack out-and-back in Michigan with 38 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
Rick's Revenge
Next door
0.95-mile out-and-back singletrack in Michigan with 126 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
Skunk Valley
Next door
1.22-mile out-and-back singletrack in Michigan with 132 ft of elevation gain.
RIDE
Snidley Whiplash
Next door
0.66-mile moderate loop with 47 ft gain in Michigan
RIDE
Snidley Whiplash
~1 min drive
0.16-mile out-and-back trail in Michigan with 18 ft elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
