Michigan's Cheapest Ways to Work Out: The $15 Recreation Passport, the Iron Belle Trail and Winter Ski Trails

Michigan’s best deal for staying active is a sticker on your windshield. For $15 a year, the Recreation Passport lets you drive into every state park, plus state forest campgrounds, boat launches and state trailheads [1]. If you live close enough to walk or ride a bike in, you don’t need it at all [1].

How the Recreation Passport works

Michigan doesn’t sell a day pass for Michigan-registered cars. You buy the annual passport, and the cheapest way is to check the box when you renew your license plate with the Secretary of State [1].

• Car, at plate renewal: $15 for one year, or $29 for two years [1].
• Motorcycle, at plate renewal: $7 [1].
• ** Bought outside the plate-renewal process: a $5 convenience fee generally applies, except at Belle Isle Park [1].
• Out-of-state vehicles: $42 a year or $12 for a day [1].

The passport covers motor vehicle entry to all 103 state parks and recreation areas, more than 140 state forest campgrounds, nearly 1,000 boating access sites and the parking lots at state-designated trailheads [1]. Belle Isle in Detroit is a state park, so the same sticker covers it.

Some drivers skip the fee entirely. The DNR lists vehicles with a disabled veteran, ex-prisoner of war or Medal of Honor plate as exempt [1]. The passport is also waived on the state’s two Free Fishing Weekends each year [1].

The Iron Belle Trail and other long routes

The Iron Belle Trail is the longest state-designated trail in the country. It runs more than 2,000 miles from the western Upper Peninsula to Belle Isle in Detroit [2]. It isn’t one path. It has two routes [2]:

• The biking route runs up the east side of the state on bike paths, bike lanes and marked routes.
• The hiking route runs up the west side of the Lower Peninsula on sidewalks, trails and a long stretch of the North Country National Scenic Trail.

The DNR says the trail is more than 70% complete and touches over half of Michigan’s counties [2]. That means most people in the state live within reach of some piece of it. The DNR’s interactive map shows which segments are paved, which are finished and where to park [2]. Parking at a state-designated trailhead needs the Recreation Passport; reaching the trail on foot or by bike from town doesn’t [1].

Winter: skis, snowshoes and fat tires

Michigan winters are long, but the trails stay open. The DNR lists cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fat-tire biking and winter disc golf among its winter activities [3].

Cross-country skiing is allowed on all nonmotorized state trails unless a sign says otherwise, and volunteer groups groom many of them [3]. Two state locations rent skis: Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park and Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park [3]. Expect to share the trail with snowshoers, dog sledders and fat-tire bikes. Check whether a ski trail is one-way before you start, and step aside to let faster skiers pass [3].

Fall also brings hunting seasons on state forest and state game land. If you walk, run or ride on public land in late fall, wear something bright and stay on marked trails.

City recreation centers

Most Michigan cities run recreation centers with gyms, weight rooms and fitness classes. Fees and rules vary by city, so check your own city’s parks and recreation page.

Detroit is a good example of how it works. A valid membership is required for every program and class at a city recreation center [5]. Farwell Recreation Center on the east side, for example, lists a weight room, a gymnasium and a dance studio [5]. Detroit residents 60 and older don’t pay. A city ordinance exempts them from the membership and day-pass fee, as long as they show proof of age and Detroit residency each year [6]. Classes run by outside groups at the centers may still cost money [6].

Along the river, the Detroit RiverWalk hosts group runs on its events calendar, including “Two Mile Tuesdays,” an introductory run billed as open to all paces and ages [7].

How much activity to aim for

Federal guidelines say adults need 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, such as brisk walking, plus muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days [8]. A half-hour walk on a state trail five days a week reaches the low end. Push-ups, squats or a weight room at a rec center cover the strength part.

A cheap Michigan plan, season by season

1. Spring to fall: Add the Recreation Passport at your next plate renewal, then walk or ride a section of the Iron Belle Trail or your nearest state park trail.
2. Winter: Try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing on a groomed state trail, and rent gear where it’s offered before buying your own.
3. All year: Use a city recreation center’s gym and classes, and check whether you qualify for a senior or resident rate.