The North Western State Trail is now complete

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced that the North Western State Trail bridge projects are finished and the trail is completely open from Petoskey to Mackinaw City. The Carp Lake River Bridge replacement was the final piece of the trail improvement project located in Carp Lake Township.

This bridge project is part of the 32-mile North Western State Trail, located on the former Grand Rapids to Mackinaw railroad between Petoskey and Mackinaw City. The bridge replacement completes an extensive regional trail network connecting Petoskey, Mackinaw City, Cheboygan, Gaylord and Alpena. The trail is open year-round to all non-motorized users, and snowmobiles from Dec. 1 to March 31.

“The Carp Lake River Bridge was the last major piece of the 188-mile trail network,” said Emily Meyerson, the DNR's northern Lower Peninsula trails coordinator. "You can now ride a bike on a trail from Alpena to Charlevoix."

A ribbon-cutting celebration for the North Western State Trail will take place later this year. The trail improvements and bridge replacement were funded primarily by the federal Transportation Alternatives Program, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and the Recreation Improvement Fund.
For more information, contact Emily Meyerson at meyersone@michigan.gov or 231-330-2795.
Learn about the state's other recreational trail opportunities at www.michigan.gov/dnrtrails.