Heat map reveals Detroit’s popular running and biking routes

Last November, fitness tracker Strava released a heat map of popular running, biking, and activity routes from its users. Yes, users can opt out of the tracking GPS, but for those who leave it on, we can use the heat map to see popular routes pretty much everywhere. Maybe too many places—Strava recently took some heat for revealing a little too much about locations and activity on military bases (oops).

What can we see here in Detroit? Not too many surprises. As far as running goes (on the map above), we see a lot of activity in the downtown core and down Woodward. We can also see a lot of running around Belle Isle, with some in the Villages. The Riverwalk is also, clearly, one of the most popular routes.

We can also see activity in Hamtramck, Corktown, Midtown, and the Palmer Park area.

Biking has far more activity throughout the city.

Strava

Here, we can see the same popular areas (the Riverwalk, Belle Isle, the Dequindre Cut), but also with the addition of the major roads or spokes in Detroit—Michigan, Grand River, and Gratiot really show up on this map.

We can only imagine what it will look like as the Joe Louis Greenway takes shape around the city.

For a deeper dive, Detroitography highlighted auto workers’ running habits as they appear on the map.

You can learn more about how the Strava map is made here and you can drill through to see specific areas or regions here. Does anything stand out to you?