City officials in Manistee, Michigan, realize what a gem the town has with its Riverwalk, described in recent city documents as "one of the City's crown jewels".

The mostly boardwalk trail hugs the shore of the Manistee River, wending its way from historic downtown Manistee to an expansive Lake Michigan beach and great view of the Manistee North Pierhead lighthouse.
We love the trail because it offers multiple photographic opportunities, and it is an easy walk that is a great way to stretch your legs after a lengthy car trip.

Families and visitors of all ages and abilities should especially appreciate the Riverwalk for its accessibility and many interesting places to stop along the way.
The Manistee City site has a small map showing handicapped access points along the trail. This page at Get off the Couch has detailed descriptions of the entire trail, including the location of ramps and various stops along the way where visitors can stop for a picnic, learn a bit about Manistee history, and get in a little fishing or swimming.

The Riverwalk is particularly great if you're a boat fan, as you'll see boats of all shapes and sizes along the route. There are plenty of private docks and charter fishing docks along the walk, but fans of the big Great Lakes freighters may be lucky enough to catch one of the big boats navigating the narrow river channel.
Regular Midwest Guest readers know that I'm a big fan of bridges, so it was a little disappointing that we didn't manage to catch one of the lift bridges in action during our last visit to the Riverwalk. However, the city's site has a nice photo of one of the bascule bridges in the open position, allowing a large boat to pass through the channel.

A good portion of the Riverwalk route runs along with the river to one side and a portion of the downtown business district to the other side. This makes it easy to make a quick stop for ice cream, a little shopping, or a leisurely lunch in town before continuing on the route to the Lake Michigan beach and Douglas Park.
The section of the trail nearest to downtown Manistee is lighted, making it an especially nice place for an after-dinner stroll during the warmer summer months.

History buffs should look for some of the interpretive signs placed along the route (although the City removes many of them to store during the winter) and stops like a historical recreation of a net drying shed and display of drying fishing nets.
If you're keeping track of your mileage as you walk, you don't have to bother with wearing a pedometer because there are mileage markers at every 1/10th mile along the route.
The city doesn't clear the Riverwalk during the winter, although you can always walk out along the cement walkway near the North Pierhead Lighthouse if you want to brave the cold.

The City of Manistee established a fund to address ongoing maintenance and repair issues along the trail, keeping the wooden walkway in good repair with projects like recent repairs of aging decking, power washing and sealing, and repainting the handrails.
Interested in learning more about bascule bridges? Check out my story about Point Park in Ashtabula, Ohio, where I wrote about that city's bascule bridge, talked about bascule bridge history, and managed to take some photos of that span in the open and closed positions.
Learn more about the Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse and Manistee's link to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 in my story, Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse awaits fate.
© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved
Wow! Those pictures are gorgeous and are making me long for summer.
I'm putting this on my list of places I'd like to visit this summer, thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Becks Davis | January 21, 2010 at 05:30 PM
Becks-I'd love to get back up to Manistee myself. Some cool Victorian architecture around town I'd like to check out more closely, and the Riverwalk is a great place to go for a "photowalk" (although it was mighty cold out there when I took that last shot :)
Posted by: Dominique King | January 21, 2010 at 09:34 PM
This looks like a great place to visit! Does it get crowded in the summer?
Posted by: Sarah V. | January 23, 2010 at 07:41 AM
Sarah-Most of these photos were taken mid-summer, so you can see that it isn't over-crowded. The beach end can get a bit more crowded in summer, but we still saw pedestrian and plenty of boat traffic the entire length of the walk...enough to make it interesting, but so much that you worried about bumping into someone every second.
Posted by: Dominique | January 25, 2010 at 11:20 AM