Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park
Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park is a 92-mile (148 km) long linear state park in the U.S. state of Michigan.
| Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 92 mi (148 km) | ||
| Location | Lower Peninsula, Kent County, Mecosta County, Montcalm County, Osceola County, Wexford County, Michigan USA | ||
| Established | 1996[1] | ||
| Trailheads | Comstock Park, Michigan Rockford, Michigan Cedar Springs, Michigan Sand Lake, Michigan Howard City, Michigan Morley, Michigan Big Rapids, Michigan Paris, Michigan Reed City, Michigan Tustin, Michigan Cadillac, Michigan | ||
| Use | Cycling, Hiking, Snow-mobiling, XC skiing | ||
| Difficulty | Easy | ||
| Season | All | ||
| Surface | Asphalt, Packed Gravel, Cinders | ||
| Maintained by | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | ||
| Website | Official site | ||
Bike trail route highlighted in red | |||
The trail extends from northern Grand Rapids to Cadillac, and it lies on the path graded for the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad (later absorbed by the Pennsylvania Railroad). The White Pine Trail is a rail trail park. It was named the "Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park"[2] after a donation by grocery store executive Fred Meijer.
History
As the railroad ceased operation in the mid-1980s, the Michigan Department of Transportation came to own the rail bed. By 1994 the property was transferred to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which began replacing the rails with a trail for public recreational use.
Current Condition
The trail extends from Ann Street in Grand Rapids north to Cadillac. The trail has only one unpaved section: one extending 22 miles (35 km) between Howard City and Big Rapids. This unpaved section of the trail is surfaced with packed gravel or cinders.
Snowmobiles are permitted on most of the trail, between Russell Road (near Cedar Springs) and South Street in Cadillac. Motorized wheel vehicles (other than personal accessibility devices) are not permitted.
In addition to the Michigan DNR doing maintenance on the trail, volunteers, organized by Friends of the White Pine Trail. also provide hundreds of volunteer hours of maintenance and advocacy work.
Communities Along Trail
The trail passes through the following communities:
- Comstock Park, Michigan
- Belmont, Michigan
- Rockford, Michigan
- Cedar Springs, Michigan
- Sand Lake, Michigan
- Pierson, Michigan
- Howard City, Michigan
- Morley, Michigan
- Stanwood, Michigan
- Big Rapids, Michigan
- Paris, Michigan
- Reed City, Michigan
- Ashton, Michigan
- Le Roy, Michigan
- Tustin, Michigan
- Cadillac, Michigan
Waypoints
Waypoints for the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park.[3] ↑ in the Distance column points to the other waypoint that the distance is between.
| Location | Services | Distance (approx.) | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac, Michigan | Parking, Restroom | 44°14′49″N 85°24′01″W | |
| Waypoint 2 | Parking, Restroom | ↑ 2.2 miles (3.5 km) | 44°13′22″N 85°25′37″W |
| Tustin, Michigan | Drinking Fountain, Restroom | ↑ 8.5 miles (13.7 km) | 44°06′09″N 85°27′29″W |
| Le Roy, Michigan | Drinking Fountain, Restroom | ↑ 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | 44°02′19″N 85°27′00″W |
| Reed City, Michigan | Drinking Fountain, Restroom | ↑ 12 miles (19 km) | 43°52′41″N 85°30′32″W |
| Paris, Michigan | Drinking Fountain, Restroom | ↑ 6.2 miles (10.0 km) | 43°47′20″N 85°30′08″W |
| Big Rapids, Michigan | ↑ 5 miles (8.0 km) | 43°43′04″N 85°29′09″W | |
| Morley, Michigan | Drinking Fountain, Parking, Restroom | ↑ 16 miles (26 km) | 43°29′26″N 85°26′42″W |
| Howard City, Michigan | Drinking Fountain, Restroom | ↑ 6.5 miles (10.5 km) | 43°23′49″N 85°28′12″W |
| Cedar Springs, Michigan | Parking | ↑ 16 miles (26 km) | 43°11′01″N 85°34′00″W |
| Comstock Park, Michigan | ↑ 12.1 miles (19.5 km) | 43°01′30″N 85°39′56″W |
Plans
The trail is also connected to other trail systems in the state, including the Kent Trails system in Grand Rapids (currently connected with a designated bike route through the city between Butterworth Ave SW and the Lake Michigan Credit Union Ballpark,) Musketawa Trail, much as the White Pine Trail already connects with the Pere Marquette State Trail in Reed City.
References
- State of Michigan (2019). "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- White Pine Trail State Park Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (Free registration required to view map)
External links
- The White Pine Trail - TheRockfordNetwork.com
- Friends of the White Pine Trail
- Michigan Rail Trail info
- White Pine Trail State Park page at RailsToTrails.us
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