Experience Grand Rapids, in partnership with My City Bikes, has launched an app to help visitors access the city’s best local attractions and nearby communities on two wheels.
The new bike amenities include a comprehensive bike map with local road, recreational, and mountain biking opportunities, plus two self-guided bicycle day tours. Local bike maps and self-guided tours are available online at www.experiencegr.com/biking or in the free My City Bikes Grand Rapids mobile app.
Recommendations from the Destination Asset Study released in December 2016 showed that Grand Rapids has an opportunity to leverage outdoor recreation to increase travel to the area. Due to these findings, Experience Grand Rapids wanted to further promote and organize the biking scene which led to the partnership with My City Bikes and the development of two self-guided bicycle day tours.
Self-Guided Tour: West Side to Uptown Day Tour The “West Side to Uptown” Day Tour is a 9-mile loop that starts and finishes at John Ball Zoo. The day tour features a beginner-friendly route with destinations including the Grand Rapids Downtown Market, Rosa Parks Circle, Donkey Taqueria, New Holland Knickerbocker and more.
Self-Guided Tour: Stops Along the White Pine Trail The “Stops Along the White Pine Trail” Day Tour is a build your own adventure along Michigan’s second longest rail-trail. Beginning in Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, users can make the 6-mile round trip ride to Comstock Park, the 21-mile round trip ride to Rockford, or the 35-mile round trip adventure to Cedar Springs. The tour features highlights like Elk Brewing and the Rockford Dam Overlook at every stop along the way.
The self-guided bicycle tours and interactive Kent County bike map developed through a partnership between Experience Grand Rapids and global beginner biking specialists My City Bikes provide visitors with a bicycling adventure to enjoy at their own pace. Simply follow the turn-by-turn directions to pedal to historic places, delectable local flavors, and entertaining attractions for a quintessential Grand Rapids experience.
As with any bicycling adventure, safety should always come first. When riding a bicycle, always wear a helmet and use bike lights. Obey traffic signals and stop signs just as a car would, and stop at all intersections when on a shared-use path. Use hand signals like indicators to tell traffic when turning left or right. Use a bike lock to secure the bike to a rack when stopping at local attractions. For more information about bicycle safety, visit http://grdrivingchange.org.
For more information about the bike tours, visit https://www.experiencegr.com/biking.
