14 Apr Post Ice Storm Trails Update from Brent Bolin

An Important Update from Trails Council Executive Director Brent Bolin

(Please note that this update reflects conditions as of 1 p.m. Monday, April 14. With so many different organizations and entities working to restore normalcy in northern Michigan, it’s difficult to make up-to-the-minute status reports. However, we will continue to provide timely information.)

The Top of Michigan Trails Council is actively working with our partners on cleaning up and safely reopening the non-motorized, multi-use trails in the area which include the Little Traverse Wheelway and North Western State Trail. We are currently accepting donations to offset the cost of volunteer cleanups and hiring tree companies, etc. where heavy equipment is needed.

The key message I would share with trail users is patience; the scale of this ice storm is truly unprecedented and everyone is doing the best they can with limited resources. Those anxious to volunteer should know that the day will come, but it is not quite here yet. There is a very real risk of hanging dead wood above the trails that needs to be dealt with before we can put volunteers to work below clearing debris off the trail itself.

Michigan DNR is our key partner on the North Western State Trail and they have ordered that the trail is closed until further notice, along with Petoskey State Park and many other state owned parks and recreational facilities in the region. We are actively engaging with DNR and Emmet County regarding clearing of the paved section of the NWST, from Spring Lake Park on M-119 to the south side of Alanson, but firm plans have not been made at this time.

The Little Traverse Wheelway on the other hand is managed by multiple different entities – Emmet County, the Bay View Association, the City of Petoskey, and Charlevoix County – and we have been in contact with all of them. I’ll break down what we know section by section:

Wheelway from Harbor Springs to Pleasantview Rd. – this stretch has been cleared of major debris but needs to be cleaned of minor debris before it can be safely used. We are hoping to get that taken care of this week.

Wheelway from Pleasantview Rd./Airport to Trails Council HQ on M-119 – also cleared of major debris but in need of minor debris cleanup.

Wheelway from Trails Council to Tannery Creek trailhead – has been cleared and is passable. This includes Petoskey State Park property behind the old Indian Hills Gallery. There are still some small blockages between the Trails Center and Beach Road, and we’re working with volunteers to clear them.

Wheelway in Bay View Association – the “red sidewalk” section of the Wheelway has been cleared by the Bay View Association.

Wheelway is closed in the east end of Bayfront Park past Boyne Country Sports for previously planned trail and park updates. Detour is to cross 31 at the Kilwin’s light and use the Petoskey Downtown Greenway to get into town and/or the underpass back under 31 into Bayfront Park. It is also possible to stay on the sidewalk on the lake side of 31 all the way to Sunset Park and use the stairs to get back down to Bayfront Park.

Heading west out of Bayfront Park you run into the 2020 washout, which requires diverting up the hill from Magnus Park back to US 31 and using the road shoulder to get to East Park.

From East Park to West Park the City of Petoskey has cleared the trail of major debris, but there are two sections of trail impacted by construction – right outside East Park and near the optometrist’s office. Other than that the city has the Wheelway open all the way to the Charlevoix County line (Townline Road).

Charlevoix County has cleared the entirety of the Wheelway except for the long boardwalk section, which they are still working on.

We’ll be posting all of this on our website today and then will update it as progress is made.