A nice former railed for biking, running, walking, roller blading and even horse back riding. A little urban, a little suburban and eventually pretty rural. You will see tract homes and cows within a couple of miles of each other. Mostly well maintained with some beautiful scenic spots. It can get a little crowded and not everyone understands trail etiquette, but it offers a lot of options.
I love to bike the Douglas trail. It is especially pretty during September when the leaves are turning.I usually take my bike to the town of Douglas and start from there. Doing so bypasses all the walkers along the trail in the city limits of Rochester.Heading NW out of Douglas, the trail is fairly level but to be fair, there are some small hills to negotiate. The trail runs on an old railbed so there isn't that much elevation change, but it does happen. From Douglas to Pine Island, about 8 miles one way, there are about 5 miles of treed riding along with several water crossings on old railroad bridges. The last 3 miles are so are through rolling farm fields. Quite nice during Indian Summer with all the leaves changing and harvesting going on. Quite quiet north of Douglas as well. Few folks bike or walk further on the trail than Douglas leaving a few recreational bikers along with the more serious road bikers.
I've 'hiked' on the paved trail and along the horse trail. Both are great experiences. The trail is flat, boring. I think I would prefer to bike it rather than walk/hike by yourself. There is really nothing to look at while you are on the trail besides electrical lines and farmer fields. If you want nature go to a state park, but this is a great trail for Rochester!
Nicely maintained blackop trail for bicycles, joggers and dog walkers. Convienient access from several major roads in Rochester.
We love the Douglas Trail. I love being able to push a stroller on the smooth surfaces. We like to go geocaching along the route. There are several places to park and access the trail.
Summer allows great walk all over Rochester to area towns... Biking, roller blading, walking your dog, etc. Snowmobiles in winter. Nice, shielded by the sun in places, and has some geocash locations along the trail.
Beautiful views of farmland, many shaded segments and only one bumpy area that needs yo be re paved. I had a relaxing ride under blue skies.
Scenic and well-maintained - very popular. Great for all seasons. Snow shoe or cross country ski in winter, bike, walk, run, and roller blade the rest of the year.
Well groomed for walking or biking. The trail system goes through town and though the country. They have mile and miles. Not sure how many. Relaxing.
Perhaps there are parts of this path that are pretty, but the part that we found (after finding several different sets of conflicting directions on this site and others) was a path that went through an industrial park. Not great. Apparently the path is long and goes between two towns. Be aware that depending on which parts of it you visit, you may be hiking/biking through an unattractive area.