Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail

About the Trail

Linking Boyne City and Charlevoix

The Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail (BC-CVX) will link the two largest cities in Charlevoix County along the north shore of beautiful Lake Charlevoix, passing through Horton Bay and Evangeline, Bay, and Hayes townships. Already known as premier locations for outdoor recreation, the BC-CVX Trail will increase community connections and accessible recreation with 14 miles of mostly separate, non-motorized trail.

Completed segments

Phase 1 begins at the intersection of W. Michigan Avenue and Boyne City Road in Boyne City and runs along the Lake Charlevoix side of Boyne City Road, through Young State Park, to N. Springwater Beach Road at the Evangeline/Bay Township line — 3.2 miles, completed in 2016.

Phase 2 begins at the Little Traverse Wheelway in Hayes Township, east of Waller Road, crosses US-31 and follows a series of easements across private property to Boyne City Road east of the Argonne Supper Club, then runs parallel to, but separate from, Boyne City Road on the north (Susan Lake) side to Quarterline Road — 2.97 miles, constructed in 2017. A trail spur runs west to Eastern Avenue, where trail users can follow Eastern Avenue to a public waterfront access on Lake Charlevoix with a picnic area and swimming beach.

Phase 3 continues from Phase 1 at N. Springwater Beach Road as a separated trail along the Lake Charlevoix side of Boyne City Road through Bay Township. Just east of the Village of Horton Bay, the trail connects to the paved wide shoulder of the road through the Village. In Horton Bay, trail users can take Lake Street to a public access beach on Lake Charlevoix, and the famous Horton Bay General Store and Red Fox Inn are along the trail route. Phase 3 was completed in spring 2025.

Planned future segments

The final phase will run from the completed end of Phase 2 at Quarterline Road in Hayes Township along Boyne City Road to Hayes Township Park (formerly Camp Sea-Gull), where there will be a trailhead (2.69 miles), then continue from Hayes Township Park along the Lake Charlevoix side of the road to Pincherry Road in Bay Township, connecting to the end of Phase 3 in Horton Bay (3.3 miles).

Let’s finish the trail!

Since 2016, 8.37 miles of the planned 14.36 have been completed — about 58%. With just 6 miles left to build, the Charlevoix County Trail Team (CCTT) and Top of Michigan Trails Council need your help to keep things moving. To save time and money, the remaining 6 miles are being bundled into one engineering plan — work that can only happen at the speed of funding, so every dollar counts.

Follow Charlevoix County’s efforts on this trail on the County’s website →