- North Central State Trail
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North Central State Trail Location within the state of Michigan
Location Lower Peninsula, Cheboygan County, Otsego County, Michigan USA Nearest city Indian River, Michigan Coordinates 45°24′47″N 84°36′40″W / 45.41318°N 84.6112°WCoordinates: 45°24′47″N 84°36′40″W / 45.41318°N 84.6112°W Governing body Length 62 miles (100 km) Trailheads Gaylord, Michigan
Mackinaw City, MichiganUse Cycling, Equestrian, Hiking, Snow-mobiling, XC skiing Trail difficulty Easy Season All Surface Crushed limestone Website Official site The North Central State Trail is a 62-mile (100 km) recreational rail trail serving a section of the northern quarter of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Following a route generally parallel to Interstate 75, the trail goes northward from the Michigan town of Gaylord to the top of the Lower Peninsula at Mackinaw City. It serves the towns of Vanderbilt, Indian River, and Cheboygan.[1]
Contents
History
The North Central State Trail occupies what was once the northernmost segment of the Michigan Central Railroad. This Detroit-based railway, one of the largest and most profitable in the Lower Peninsula, constructed a land-grant section of trackage northward from its primary service area to Mackinaw City in 1882. This spur line served what was then a booming area of old-growth timberland.
The Michigan Central, which was affiliated with the even larger New York Central system, operated passenger trains on this section of railroad from 1882 until the early 1960s. These trains served the tourist industries of Michigan's Northland.
North of Mackinaw City, train passengers and freight transferred onto the railroad car ferries operated by the Mackinac Transportation Company, a joint venture operated by the Michigan Central and two other railroads. On these ferries, railroad service was extended to St. Ignace and onward points on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
When the Mackinac Bridge was opened for public use in 1957, passengers and freight in this area shifted to road-based vehicles, and the section of railroad line where the North Central State Trail runs today began to fall out of active use. Its last period of active operation as a railroad was in the 1970s and 1980s as a spur line of the Detroit and Mackinac Railway.
The North Central State Trail's northern end in Mackinaw City is close to the docks once operated by the Mackinac Transportation Company. The trail was dedicated for public use in June 2008.
Assets
The North Central State Trail borders a substantial section of the shoreline of Michigan's Mullett Lake. It also borders the Cheboygan River. The trail also passes directly past Historic Mill Creek State Park located 5-mile (8.0 km) southeast of Mackinaw City.
Waypoints
Waypoints for the North Central State Trail.[2] ↑ in the Distance column points to the other waypoint that the distance is between.
Location Services Distance
(approx.)Coordinates Gaylord, Michigan Parking, Restroom 45°02′18″N 84°40′46″W / 45.03838°N 84.67949°W Vanderbilt, Michigan Parking, Restroom ↑ 7.6 miles (12.2 km) 45°08′43″N 84°39′42″W / 45.14539°N 84.66174°W Wolverine, Michigan Parking, Restroom ↑ 10.9 miles (17.5 km) 45°16′22″N 84°36′08″W / 45.27270°N 84.60211°W Indian River, Michigan Parking, Restroom ↑ 9.6 miles (15.4 km) 45°24′47″N 84°36′40″W / 45.41318°N 84.6112°W Topinabee, Michigan Parking, Restroom ↑ 5.6 miles (9.0 km) 45°29′03″N 84°35′30″W / 45.48421°N 84.59168°W Mullett Lake, Michigan Restroom ↑ 6.6 miles (10.6 km) 45°33′44″N 84°31′30″W / 45.56234°N 84.52489°W Cheboygan, Michigan Parking, Restroom ↑ 5.3 miles (8.5 km) 45°38′09″N 84°29′14″W / 45.63579°N 84.48728°W Mackinaw City, Michigan Parking, Restroom ↑ 16.3 miles (26.2 km) 45°46′49″N 84°43′51″W / 45.78024°N 84.73079°W References
- ^ "North Central State Recreation Trail". http://www.northcentraltrail.org/. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
- ^ North Central State Trail Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (Free registration required to view map)
Categories:- Protected areas of Cheboygan County, Michigan
- Protected areas of Otsego County, Michigan
- Rail trails in Michigan
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