Riding Hines Park Drive

The only time that I had traveled any part of Hines Drive was at night to see the annual light show during Christmas Season.  On my second part of the Trace the Mitten Tour I traveled about a mile of it off the I 275 trail on my way to Ypsilanti.  I had heard that it was a favorite spot for serious bike riders as it stretches 17.5 miles with a big shoulder. Otherwise I only knew that it floods during heavy rains because it follows the River Rouge.

How did it get its name?

Edward N. Hines

Hines was a printer by trade and he served on the Wayne County Road Commission, the county includes the city of Detroit.  Another member of the group was Henry Ford.  Mr. Hines was an avid cyclist in the late 1800s.  Bicycle riding groups were the first to advocate for road improvements.  These riders were the first gravel grinders.

Mr. Hines was responsible for the first mile of concrete road in 1909.  In 1911, he came up with the idea of a painted line down the middle of the road as he saw a milk delivery truck leaking as it travel down the lane.  He also initiated the snow removal from roads and a leader in promoting landscaping along the roads. In 1920 he worked to acquire the land along the Rouge River from Northville to Dearborn.

A map of the trail from the Michigan Trails Magazine 2022

I found a park along the Northville section for my car and went north to the zero marker.

Along many of the miles you are beside the river.

There is a good sized shoulder for bike riding, but I wanted to stay on the path.