GR, MI - Leonard (from EGR) to Grand Haven

I actually did that route just yesterday! It is definitely one of my favorites to do on my longer rides in this area. It isn't that heavily trafficked, and there are some rolling hills to keep you entertained. From 76th to 96th it is a little bit bumpy, but it isn't pothole bumpy, it is patched up road bumpy so you don't have to worry about denting your rims. And at 112th you have to take a left to stay on Leonard, don't miss that turn or you'll end up going a few miles in the wrong direction like I did :p

I live in Allendale now however so I can't really speak for the condition of the road between EGR and Allendale, but the rest of Leonard seems to be in pretty good condition so I wouldn't worry too much.

Hope you have a good ride!

Love this route.

The only thing I will add to the previous commenter is a couple alternatives to the beginning of the route. I will usually pick up Leonard at 68th Ave and head out from there. To get to 68th, there are two options depending on which way you are coming from. If from the North, you can take Arthur/6 Mile across basically all the way from West River Drive. From the South, I usually take Obrien -> Luce -> Linden.

Have a great ride! And don't miss that turn at 112th

Cool thanks! I do not know if this is a good idea but I will probably make my way through Easttown ... to downtown GR ... over to Leonard just past downtown and ride out? If I have to use sidewalk a little because traffic will do!

Is this a good idea or no?

Is there a pretty nice shoulder on Leonard all the way out?

Also, will hit 112th

Once towards the end of this route are you able to figure out where you are pretty easily (ie does it dump you right into the beach)?

Might have to knock out a pronto pup.

Any insight would be sweet!

Through Eastown is from the same direction I normally head (I live off of Boston). I like to avoid down town though. Too many cars and stop lights. Plus, Mlive just posted an article that police are going to crack down on cyclists and skateboarders on the sidewalks.

My favorite route from the Eastown area would be to take Franklin across to Grandville Ave. North up to Wealthy. Left on Wealthy to Butterworth to Obrien. Cross over Wilson and the street will curve to the left. Right turn on Luce (the first street). Take that until it turns to Linden and crosses M-45 (gotta do a Michigan turn around to cross M-45). Linden turns into 68th on the North side of M-45 and eventually deadends into Leonard. From there, just head west.

Leonard (pretty much the whole way from GR to GH) doesn't have much of a shoulder but there isn't much traffic and I have felt relatively safe the entire way. I have also taken Lake Michigan Drive/M-45 all the way out to GH. That way, there is a very nice shoulder nearly the entire way except for a 2 mile stretch in Allendale. However, the stretch is much more heavily trafficked.

Six in one, half dozen in the other.

As for 112th. Just keep your eye open as you cross at intersections. The numbers will keep going up so you'll know when you are getting close. The road curves to the right and you have to turn left to stay on Leonard.

As for where you end up, if you go across Leonard, you end up in Spring Lake. There is a bike path that helps get you over the drawbridge safely. I sometimes miss it and have to battle traffic across which is dicey so keep an eye out for that. Here is a Garmin Connect file for one my rides out there: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210066022.If you zoom in on the map near Spring Lake, you can see where I crossed over the road and jumped on the bike path. The bike path dumps you out at US-31 & Jackson. You can take Jackson all the way down to the Lakeshore. Again, see my map for how it winds around to the lakeshore and then back up to Sheldon/Lakeshore Dr if you want.

If you want to skip the beach area, you can take Jackson to 5th Ave and hang a left. This will turn into Sheldon which turns into Lakeshore Dr. Lakeshore Dr will take you all the way south to Kirk Park. There is a bike path along Lakeshore Dr a lot of the way but I normally stick to the road and avoid the pedestrian traffic.

I road part of the route again yesterday, and I lied about the bumpy part. Between Linden and 68th is where it gets a but choppy.

But Kevin summed it up pretty well, the shoulders aren't large, but it isn't very heavily trafficked so you won't have to worry too much about cars. To get back I usually ride through Grand Haven to make my way to Lakeshore, and do that until lake Michigan. The shoulder on lake Michigan is wide, like 7 ft wide, so it's a safe straight at 2 mile stretch in allendale. Those two miles are a bit more dangerous, I was almost hit there on my last ride. So play it safe on that part.

Hope you have a good ride!

Did it! Was fun.

Thanks for tips and instruction.

Mike

Awesome! Glad it worked for you.

Just rode it again myself today. Out Leonard to Spring Lake, through Grand Haven and back to GR via Lake Michigan Drive.

Great day for it but had a headwind the entire way back to GR. Made for a good training ride though.

-Kevin

My toes were numb after that baby ... have that happen every now and again. Any remedy?