by Harmony Boardman
I am a 14 year old teenager who likes nature and photography. One of the cool things about Cadillac is the Clam River Greenway Trail Head. This trail starts at the Sound Garden on the north side of Lake Cadillac and ends 7.5 miles to the northeast of Cadillac at Plett Road and 13th Street.
This is my observation in word and photos while on the “Greenway” with my dad and little brother, Thomas.
It was a warm, sunny September day. The Sound Garden was filled with families. We tested out the the human sun dial. It was pretty accurate. Then we made some great noise on the new xylophones, drums and tubular bell. My brother really liked the Kinderbells. I loved the drums!
A full history of the Sound Garden can be found here.
There is a cool dock where you can see where the clam river starts. Then we were off down the trail. The trail is paved, with some boardwalk. Along the trail you will see picnic tables and little nooks you can rest along the way.
After walking through some wooded and residential areas, and you will have to cross a few side streets. Traffic was slow, but you should always look twice before crossing a street, especially if you have kids with you.
The clam river seems to get bigger and wider in some places.
We passed a few people walking and on bikes. They were very nice. At one point you have to cross Mitchell Street, which is typically very busy. Luckily, there is a pedestrian light to safely cross. On the corner of Mitchell Street is a neat little coffee place. You can walk up and buy coffee, tea, soda, ice cream, cookies, donuts, and more!
From the coffee place, walk across Mitchell Street over to Save A Lot grocery store. The trail picks up behind the store parking lot. Here, you will see blue metal bars to help identify where the trail begins. This is where it becomes more interesting, because the river seems to get stronger and wider. We saw some frogs and people fishing here.
You will eventually come upon Lincoln school, where you can rest on a big rock or play on their excellent playground.
From Lincoln school, continue walking the trail. This portion of the trail ends at the roundabout located at 13th street and Plett Road. You will need to cross over to the CASA field at this point, so be careful because this can be a busy spot.
Within Casa Field you will see a black painted bridge. This bridge location completes the Clam River Greenway Trail.
Time on the trail varies depending on how many stops you make and how fast you decide to walk. We decided that the next time we walk the Greenway trail, we will bring our bikes, but walking is just as fun.