Northern Michigan is home to some of the most beautiful bicycle trails in the state, drawing in thousands of cyclists every summer. Every bike path has a story behind its creation, and many of them are stories of challenges overcome. Supporters of the trail projects say they can be an economic boon to businesses and communities, but acknowledge that it can be tough to come up with the money to develop them, and that getting easements from property owners where trails cross private lands can be a major hurdle.

Planning the construction of these trails is a challenging endeavor: Between raising community support, conducting land studies, and acquiring grants from the state, projects can take years, sometimes even decades, to be completed.

Two of the most well-known bike paths in northern Michigan are the 26-mile Little Traverse Wheelway, from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, and the 61-mile North Central State Trail, from Gaylord to Mackinaw City, both completed in the past decade.

The vision for the Little Traverse Wheelway, which opened in 2002, was conceived in the 1970s by Max Putters and Fred Fettis, who formed the Little Traverse Wheelway Committee. Originally, the trail was envisioned as a safe way for youngsters to get from Petoskey to the beach, said Jeff MacInnis, president of the Top of Michigan Trails Council of Petoskey, which coordinates trail systems in the upper Lower Peninsula.

“They believed there should be a trail along the shoreline to give the people the opportunity to see the beauty of the area,” he said. “That was 30 years ago, and the final leg of it is going to be dedicated this summer.”

Completed in multiple segments over the past decade, the asphaltpaved trail offers spectacular views of Lake Michigan and diverse scenery as it winds through wetlands and beaches, passing through Petoskey and looping around Little Traverse Bay. Funds were raised by a combination of sources: community support, local municipalities, and grants from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Department of Natural Resources.

Trails Benefit Cyclists and Businesses, Supporters Say Neal McKew of Harbor Springs joined the Wheelway committee in 1993, when the trail's first segment was completed. He said traffic surveys taken along the trail have found that an average of 360 to 375 of users, of various types, frequent the trail during a typical summer day.

“It's another mode of transportation, to get people off the roads for health reasons, fitness, and make it a nice thing for mothers with kids, some of the roadies, semi-pro type bikers, and then the rest of us who aren't trying to go someplace fast,” he said of the trail. “I think the main thing is giving people an opportunity to be neighborly.”

The North Central State Trail, or more commonly known as the “rail trail,” as it's built on top of a an abandoned railroad corridor, was first inspired by Jim Conboy, the former president of Citizens National Bank of Cheboygan and a biking enthusiast, who lobbied to have the Department of Natural Resources purchase the land in 1998.

The funding to construct the limestone-paved trail was eventually secured in 2005 through a trail enhancement grant from the state highway department for approximately $2 million. The grant, which is funded by money earmarked from Michigan's gas tax for nonmotorized projects, requires applicants to match 20% of a project's total cost. Approximately $120,000 for the trail was raised locally from individuals, businesses, and municipalities, including 11 townships, Mr. Conboy said.

“We had a big leg up because what we were using was a rail corridor, so the trail was already there. The DNR went in and put six inches of compacted limestone, which made [the project] much easier,” he said.

In addition to the terminal towns of Gaylord and Mackinaw City, the trail, which takes an estimated six hours to bike, passes through several small towns, including Vanderbilt, Wolverine, Indian River, Topinabee, and Cheboygan, with a host of small businesses, restaurants, and motels along the way.

Local businesses have received a boom in business from cyclists passing through, Mr. Conboy said.

“I ask them if they're seeing a benefit, and the answer is they're seeing new business from bikes,” he said. “You've got restaurants, campgrounds, motels that all benefit.”

While no surveys have been conducted, Mr. Conboy estimates the trail has been used by thousands during the past few years.

“People are using it continuously,” he said.

Further, the trail is expected to be an attraction for retirees, said Mr. Conboy, who during his lobbying efforts spoke with several real estate agents in the area about the trail's economic benefits. Studies have shown that retirees look to live in communities with trails.

“It's true nationwide,” he said. “When you advertise property, trails come into play.”

Almost 68,000 bikes are transported from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island every year and Mr. Conboy said this trail gives bicyclists another destination.

“We figure with that many people with bikes, this will be a benefit. It's something else for them to do,” he said. “I would say that every trail in the state has had a positive economic impact.”

This summer, a new trailhead facility and two miles of bike path will be constructed at the terminal in Mackinaw City, funded by $1 million federal stimulus grant.

“It fell on us,” said Sandy Planisek, a member of the city's Hiking and Biking Trail Committee, of the grant. “We didn't expect it.”

The money will also be used to fund a five-year plan to improve bike paths in Mackinaw City, she said .

Obtaining Easement Rights:

A Difficult Hurdle

Not all bike path projects are successful, however. Obtaining easement rights from property owners is often the most difficult hurdle for planners to overcome.

That was the case with the proposed 14-mile bath from Boyne City to Charlevoix, which has been surrounded by controversy ever since the concept was introduced in 2003, said Larry Sullivan, director of the Charlevoix County Planning Commission and member of the Charlevoix Citizens Trail Committee.

In the fall of 2009, he said, the commission was ready to apply for grants to construct the first four miles of the path from Boyne City to Horton Bay, with a total estimated cost of $1.35 million. When the legislation was proposed in Boyne City, however, citizens voiced concerns and ultimately stalemated the effort.

“There was an effort by a number of citizens who said they'd rather have a five-foot shoulder than a detached trail, arguing it would have less of an impact on conjoining properties,” he said.

On the one hand, Mr. Sullivan explained, several private property owners on the road were concerned about the bike path encroaching on their land. On the other hand, there was a debate over whether the right-of-way on the highway could be used for non-motorized purposes. The deed for the highway, he said, has a restriction that states the property should be used for “highway uses only.”

Mr. Sullivan said the effort will now be led by the Charlevoix Parks Commission, which is starting the approval process again from scratch

In addition to considering access issues with property owners, planners should also be cognizant that constructing bike paths, particularly long ones, will take time, said Danna Widmar, executive director for Harbor Area Regional Board of Resources, which completed one of the last legs of the Little Traverse Wheelway, a three-mile segment into downtown Harbor Springs, in the fall of 2009.

“With a big trail, like any big effort in life, you need to break it up into chunks and accept there are going to be problems relating to construction issues and access issues on public land, as well as private land. [You] systematically have to work through each one individually.”

Maintenance costs can also weigh in heavily, and depend on multiple variables, she noted, including whether a trail will be multi-purpose and allow snowmobiles, or strictly non-motorized. While plowing trails during the winter can be expensive, costs of maintaining non-motorized trails are mostly limited to sweeping and are “fairly limited, especially if it's close to the road,” she said.

In a similar project, the Les Cheneaux Bike Path committee of Clark Township is applying for grants from the state to build a 2.5- mile bike path in Cedarville along the shore of Lake Huron.

The bike path, which is projected to cost approximately $3 million, is part of a long-term plan to construct a 70-mile path called the North Huron Scenic Trail that would run from St. Ignace to Drummond Island, said Lynn Brown, a member of the committee.

“We thought what would really be awesome would be a way to ride from St. Ignace to Drummond Island,” she said, adding that an engineering study for the project was completed in 2008. “There's now a way to ride from Gaylord to Mackinaw City, north of St. Ignace there are campgrounds, the Hiawatha forest, trails, and beaches. There are a lot cool things that you can tie in.”

Proposed Trail Would Be

Regional Attraction

The trail would serve as both a local and regional tourism attraction, said St. Ignace Downtown Development Authority Director Deb Evashevski, who added the St. Ignace portion of the trail would start at the Straits State Park near the Welcome Center at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge.

“Locally and regionally, it's going to help that we're a tourism area,” she said. “It will help us to be able to advertise the trail to attract people to this area, and it'll connect up from one municipality to the next, allowing people to take a day trip or week trip, which for promotional purposes will help a lot.”

From a local perspective in St. Ignace, she said, the trail would promote healthier lifestyles for local residents, giving them a safe route for travel and exercise.

It will also “promote our beautiful waterfront,” she said, “allowing more access for people to get down and enjoy that waterfront area.”

The 2.5-mile path in Cedarville, which includes a trailhead facility, is more expensive than other portions of the proposed trail, Ms. Brown explained, because much of it will be comprised of boardwalks, which are required to be 10 feet wide.

After the first segment, which Ms. Brown hopes will be completed in 2012, the next phase of the project would extend the path nine miles from the Maritime Museum east of Cedarville to the western edge of the township to Brulee Road.

“The structure of these towns is they're four miles apart, but function as one community,” she said of Cedarville and Hessel. “There's no connection between these towns expect for the 55 mile-per-hour highway or the waterway; it's a really problematic scenario.”

Maintenance for the path is hoped to be funded by Clark Township, she said. The agreement with the township needs to be approved, however, before the committee can apply for the trail enhancement grant from the state.

Concerning the committee's long-term goals, Ms. Brown said it intends to apply for four to five miles of path every year .

“Once we get even six miles on the ground and people see how great it is, I think the rest of it will come a little more easily,” she said.

The proposed bike path would make the Straits area an even more attractive destination for tourists who take bike trips on Mackinac Island, said Ms. Planisek.

“I'm thrilled that Cedarville is making a move,” she said. “I think it is a project where we all can work together.”