Do you know what the longest state-designated trail in the nation is? If the title of the blog didn’t give it away, that distinction belongs to the Iron Belle Trail. This statewide effort to plan and build a 2,000+-mile trail, comprised of two routes stretching from Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula, is an ambitious one.
When completed, the Iron Belle will increase and help connect over 12,000 miles of existing trail networks spanning our great state. Roughly 65 percent of the Iron Belle’s 2,000 miles use existing trail systems throughout the state. These include several of Southeast Michigan’s most popular trails:
- Detroit Riverwalk,
- Border-to-Border Trail,
- Clinton River Trail,
- Paint Creek Trail,
- Polly Ann Trail, and
- Lakelands Trail.
The Iron Belle will also travel through several state, regional, and county parks, including six Huron-Clinton Metroparks, Elizabeth Park, William G. Milliken State Park, Belle Isle Park, River Bends Park, Bloomer Park, and Rochester Municipal Park. In Southeast Michigan alone, the Iron Belle Trail will travel through five counties, 23 cities and villages, and 13 townships.
Completed segments of the Iron Belle Trail in Southeast Michigan
Earlier this year, SEMCOG partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to work directly with communities along the Iron Belle Trail in Southeast Michigan. We are facilitating planning efforts through coordination of stakeholders and by looking at ways of aligning resources to both enhance existing trail segments and fill gaps with new trails and connections. I’m happy to report that progress is being made. Last month, SEMCOG awarded over $1.5 million in Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds to four projects that either fill gaps or expand segments of the Iron Belle Trail to nearby downtowns, commercial areas, or regionally significant destinations.
If you too want to walk, explore, and learn more about the Iron Belle Trail, including Utica’s new Hike and Bike Trail, I encourage you to register for SEMCOG’s TAP Projects Bus Tour on August 25. In addition to seeing this newest trail segment, we will take a guided tour of the new Jimmy John’s Field as well as bicycle and pedestrian projects in downtown Clawson and Ferndale!
Trail journal
In a previous blog, I recommended that this summer you visit one (or several) of Southeast Michigan’s diverse and expansive trails, and I hope you have. I’ve set a goal myself to ride as much of the existing trail segments of the Iron Belle Trail in our region as I can.
While I still have many more miles to explore, I’d like to share some highlights from a recent ride my son and I took along portions of the trail in Sterling Heights, Utica, and Shelby Township. Beginning at Dodge Park in Sterling Heights, we set off crossing the historic (read – nice to look at, not the greatest to travel across on a bike) pedestrian bridge over the Clinton River, continuing north through the Clinton River Park, under M-53, and toward Heritage Park in the City of Utica.
Dodge Park: Bridge over the Clinton River – through a 2016 SEMCOG TAP grant this 4 foot wide pedestrian bridge will soon be replaced with a state-of-the-art 14-foot wide multi-use bridge
As we rode through the Clinton River Park Trail, two things were abundantly clear:
- Among the great number of trail users, there is a great diversity of recreation. We shared the trail with middle-aged runners (in one case with their dogs), skateboarding teenagers, individual and groups of bicyclists, and folks just walking.
- It is very easy to take a break from the main trail and explore the more natural portions of the park through the multiple gravel hiking trails, each of which offers a living laboratory of our region’s diverse wildlife and plant life.
Clinton River Park Trail: Asphalt Multiuse Path
Clinton River Park Trail: Gravel Hiking Path
As we rode through the trail tunnel under M-59, my five-year-old yelled at the top of his lungs just to hear the echo, just as a rider ahead of us did, and just as I’m sure many will do afterwards. I’m reminded of the sense of wonder and adventure a trail ride can instill in both the young and old.
Tunnel segment of Utica’s Hike & Bike Trail under M-59
Next we rode through Memorial Park, across Auburn Road, and along the newest segment of the Iron Belle Trail – the Clinton River Hike and Bike Trail – connecting downtown Utica to Shelby Township’s River Bends Park Trail System.
Although we only rode about four miles of the Iron Belle Trail, it was clear that a potentially overlooked aspect is the connectivity it offers for users to reach key regional and local destinations – from the Sterling Heights Nature Center, to canoe and kayak launches into the Clinton River at Heritage and Memorial Parks, to the Utica Public Library, and to Jimmy John’s Field.
Heritage Park: Canoe & Kayak Launch
As we reached the northern end of our ride in Shelby Township’s River Bends Park, the trail is engulfed in wilderness once it crosses under the Conrail railroad. I was struck by how calm and quiet this portion of the trail is. While I am often concerned with the details of planning future trails and connections that enhance regional connectivity, this ride reminded me what is at the heart of our region’s trails – they connect us with nature and the great outdoors while at the same time getting exercise and fresh air. Of course, these experiences are all the more valuable when shared with our friends and family.
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