Trails

Discover the public and private trails that make River Trails a great place to be.

The Trails in River Trails

At River Trails, the trail network is more than an amenity. It's what actually holds the community together, day to day. Paths wind from homesites down to the Pilgrim River, loop past neighboring properties, and tie directly into the Michigan Tech Trails and Nara Nature Park, so a morning run or an evening walk can carry you as far as you want to go. These trails turn everyday movement into a chance to notice the season changing, to run into a neighbor, or just to be quiet for a while. Because they're built for silent sports and shaped around the land rather than against it, they also protect the very qualities that make River Trails worth choosing: a landscape that stays wild, a community that stays connected, and a way of life where the outdoors isn't something you drive to. It's something you simply walk out your door and into.

  • The trail network at River Trails was built with both privacy and connection in mind. Residents have access to private trails woven through the property, designed for quiet, everyday use close to home. Those trails connect directly to the broader network of public land surrounding the community, including the Michigan Tech Trails (a trail pass is required) and Nara Nature Park. It's the kind of access that's hard to find: step out your door and within minutes you're moving through some of the best terrain the Keweenaw has to offer.

  • River Trails Development is directly adjacent to the Michigan Tech Trails, which offer mountain biking, trail running, hiking, and Nordic skiing. Trail connections now link River Trails Development to the surrounding trail network, giving residents easy access to an abundance of trail-based recreational opportunities right from home.

  • For residents at River Trails, the daily commute doesn't have to mean a car. Michigan Tech and Houghton's schools sit within reasonable distance through the connected trail network, close enough that getting to work or getting the kids to school can happen on foot, by bike, or on skis in the winter. It's a different way to start the day: instead of hopping straight into the car, you're getting your body moving. Not a bad way to commute.

  • River Trails LLC partnered with Rock Solid Trail Contracting to design a natural surface, multi-use trail system that pairs unparalleled access to the outdoors with your future residence. Once the design process wrapped up, Superior Dwellings LLC crews began work in Fall 2024, and the project is now complete. The result is a four-season recreational asset that residents can enjoy right from home, whether it's hiking in summer or skiing the same trails come winter.

    *Future bridge over Pilgrim River for concept and planning purposes only with no representation made by River Trails LLC for completion of Pilgrim River Bridge.

Trail System Project Goals

01
Multi-use Trail System

02
Natural Surface Trail Access

03
Neighborhood Connectivity

04
Winter Trails

FULL TRAIL PLAN CONCEPT

Outdoor-oriented Community

River Trails is rooted in the Houghton community, not just located in it. To us, that means showing up where it matters. We’ve served as a title sponsor of the Michigan Nordic Skiing High School Championship and have been proud sponsors of the UP Health System Great Bear Chase Ski Marathon, one of the Upper Peninsula's most celebrated Nordic events. We also support the local xc skiing youth club Ski Tigers. When the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski Team headed to Alaska to compete, River Trails was with them, too.

That same spirit carries into the neighborhood itself. Open fields and green spaces are planned throughout the property, giving residents room to gather, explore, and connect close to home. The outdoor culture that makes the Keweenaw worth living in is something this community actively supports, because the land and the people who love this place are what River Trails is built around.

  • River Trails sits within easy reach of some of the Keweenaw's best schools, making it a natural fit for families putting down roots.

    Houghton offers strong K-12 options, and Michigan Technological University is just minutes away, bringing the energy and resources of a world-class research institution into everyday life here. And because River Trails connects directly to the surrounding trail network, kids could even ride or walk to school the way kids used to, through trees and open land instead of along a road.

  • Houghton County is a small place with a lot of life in it. Local restaurants, live music, seasonal festivals, and a community calendar that surprises first-time visitors give this corner of the UP a culture that's hard to find this far off the beaten path. Michigan Tech keeps the area young and forward-thinking, attracting people from around the world who end up putting down roots and becoming exactly the kind of neighbors a community is built on. River Trails sits right in the heart of it, close enough to everything the county has to offer, and tucked away enough to feel like home.

  • River Trails is designed with shared space built into its bones. Open fields and open spaces are planned throughout the neighborhood, giving residents room to gather, explore, and connect without leaving the property. These aren't amenities bolted on as an afterthought. They're part of how the community is structured, because the relationships that make a neighborhood worth living in tend to happen in the in-between moments, and those moments need somewhere to land.

"A community of like-minded people that are into active outdoor sports, be it summer, winter — and community is really important to us. It's this rural neighborhood adjacent to the Michigan Tech ski trails and mountain bike single track system."

— Bill Steyer, Iditarod Finisher, Track Coach, River Trails Property Owner