Rochester Hills Trail Closures Fall 2026: Open Trails and Key Dates

On Monday, October 12, contractors began work on the Paint Creek Trail between the Tienken Road and Dutton Road crossings. Over the next several weeks they'll replace bridge decking boards, repair handrails and work on abutments. That stretch is closed, and the Paint Creek Trailways Commission is asking trail users not to enter it.

Paint Creek isn't the only closure. Sections of the Avon Nature Area trails closed two weeks earlier. A Clinton River Trail bridge is scheduled to close in late October. Put all three on a map and they land near the same north-south road. If you walk, run or bike in Rochester Hills, that changes your fall routes.

Every Closure This Fall Touches Livernois Road

The city lists four separate pieces of trail work. All of them sit along or close to Livernois:

The suggested Paint Creek detour runs along Livernois too. The Commission's notice routes trail users onto Livernois Road and warns that "there is vehicular traffic and there are no separate pedestrian/safety paths." Commissioners described the problem more directly in their July 21, 2026 minutes: there isn't a good detour. The route they sketched, west on Dutton, south on Livernois and east on Tienken, follows mostly unpaved roads with no safety path.

That's no great option on foot and a worse one on a bike or with a stroller. Starting somewhere else makes more sense.

Why the Paint Creek Work Landed in October

The timing was deliberate. At the Commission's March 17, 2026 meeting, Rochester Hills shared drawings for three Paint Creek bridges as part of a larger city bridge rehabilitation project. The plan covered new decking, structural fixes under the bridges and vegetation clearing as needed. The work was estimated at about $500,000, paid by the City of Rochester Hills. Commissioners asked then whether the work could wait for colder months, when fewer people use the trail.

In July they made the request formal. They voted unanimously to approve the project's impact on the trail and asked that the work be done "as late in the season as possible" with the segment "closed for as short a time as possible." A mid-October start is where that request ended up. The busy summer months stayed open, and the crews get in before winter.

The two agencies give different end dates. The city's trail page lists a potential closure of three weeks, which would mean early November. The Commission's notice says about a month, which points to mid-November, and tells users to watch its website for progress reports. Either way, this is a short closure, and the city's own page notes that only 1.5 miles of the 8.9-mile trail run through Rochester Hills.

Avon Nature Area Is the Long Wait

The Avon Nature Area closure lasts much longer. Starting September 28, 2026, sections of its trails closed for demolition, repairs to existing structures and new staircases, boardwalks and other amenities. The city expects those sections to stay closed through winter and spring and asks visitors to follow the detour shown on its posted map.

According to the July 27, 2026 council synopsis, City Council awarded the construction contract to Warren Contractors & Development, Inc. for $475,980, plus a $47,598 contingency, for a total of up to $523,578 from the 2026 budget. Council separately approved up to $68,784 for construction engineering by Spalding DeDecker. That puts the Avon project in the same price range as the Paint Creek bridges, but it takes months instead of weeks.

Some sections are still open. The preserve covers 102.5 acres, with a pond, Clinton River frontage and a scenic overlook. Hours are 8 a.m. to dusk, and parking is at the Clinton River Watershed Council lot at 1115 W. Avon Road or the City Hall visitors lot at 1000 Rochester Hills Drive. Pets and bicycles aren't allowed on these trails at any time, so dog walkers were already going elsewhere.

West of the Closures: Innovation Hills Keeps Later Hours

When the trails near Livernois close, Innovation Hills at 2800 W. Hamlin Road is the nearest full replacement to the west. It has a mile of paved and boardwalk trail, Clinton River access, ponds and a waterfall, a nature-themed playground and a kayak landing. Dogs are welcome on a six-foot leash.

Its hours matter most in October. Innovation Hills is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., while Bloomer Park, Borden Park, Spencer Park and Avon Nature Area all close at dusk. With sunset getting earlier every week, Innovation Hills is the city park on this list with set evening hours, and its paved boardwalk loop is easy to cover after work.

East of the Closures: Bloomer Park and the Yates Connectors

To the east, Bloomer Park at 345 John R. Road has 100 acres with hiking and mountain-bike trails, picnic shelters, a sledding hill for later in the season and seasonal restrooms. It's open 8 a.m. to dusk, and dogs must stay on a six-foot leash under immediate control.

Bloomer also hosts two evening programs this month. Rochester Hills' outdoor engagement staff run S'mores and Stars at 7:30 p.m. on October 23, a campfire and night-sky evening for ages 6 and up that becomes a guided night hike if it's cloudy. A Full Moon Night Hike follows on Sunday, October 25, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Yates Cider Mill at 1950 Avon Road, just down the road, has its own short trail network. The Railroad Trail is 0.5 mile, the Cider Mill Loop is 0.8 mile, and the Gene Shepherd Park Connector is 0.5 mile and works for walking or biking. Yates says a path west along Avon, past the bridge, enters Bloomer Park. Its posted hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. That makes a loop between Bloomer's trails and a cider stop.

Yates also says a path north along Dequindre reaches the Macomb Orchard and Clinton River trails. Check before you ride that way. The Friends of the Clinton River Trail homepage still shows a washout closure from the Letica Trailhead toward 24 Mile Road, posted as lasting "through spring 2026," and we couldn't confirm whether that stretch has reopened.

Shorter Loops Near the Middle of Town

If you don't need a long trail, four more spots fill the gap between Innovation Hills and Bloomer:

• Borden Park, 1400 E. Hamlin Road, has three measured fitness loops and 30 acres of wooded wetland inside a 143-acre sports complex. It's open 8 a.m. to dusk, with leashed pets allowed.
• Spencer Park, 3701 John R. Road, has wooded paths around Carter Lake, fishing access and an ADA kayak launch. Pets aren't allowed from May 15 through Labor Day, so leashed dogs are welcome there again this fall.
• The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, 1005 Van Hoosen Road, has 16 acres of gardens and meadows along Stoney Creek, including the Children's Garden. The grounds are open year-round. Drop-in museum hours are Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m.
• Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve, 333 North Hill Circle, has a Rochester mailing address near the city line. Its 16 acres of free trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset, and the nature center is open for drop-ins Fridays 1 to 5 p.m. and weekends noon to 5 p.m.

Spencer Park hosts Trails of Treats on Saturday, October 17, from noon to 3 p.m. It's a free trick-or-treat walk, the first hour is set aside as low-sensory, and organizers ask that dogs stay home.

The Next Five Weeks, in Order

1. October 12: Paint Creek Trail closes between Tienken and Dutton.
2. October 17: Trails of Treats at Spencer Park, noon to 3 p.m.
3. October 23: S'mores and Stars at Bloomer Park, 7:30 p.m.
4. October 25: Full Moon Night Hike at Bloomer Park, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
5. Late October: Clinton River Trail bridge P5, between Hamlin and Livernois, is projected to close for about two weeks.
6. October 30 and November 2: Outdoor Adventure Day Camp for ages 7 to 12 at the Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, both no-school days.
7. Early to mid-November: Paint Creek's Tienken-to-Dutton stretch could reopen, three weeks out by the city's estimate or about a month by the Commission's.

The city hasn't set a date yet for the three-day P6 closure between Avon and Diversion. Signing up for RHConnect, the city's email and text alerts, is the most direct way to hear when it's scheduled.

If you'd like a neighbor's read on which parks and paths sit closest to a home you're considering, or you just want to compare notes on the best fall loop near Hamlin, The Madelon Collective is glad to talk. Start Your Home Search with us whenever you're ready.