Garfield Township issued a warning this week about illegal rogue trails and bike jumps at the Grand Traverse Commons Natural Area after a cyclist was killed on one such jump.

According to information shared at a recent Grand Traverse Commons Joint Planning Commission meeting, a cyclist was recently killed after going off a large rogue jump at the Commons Natural Area located near a stand of trees. The cyclist went into a tree and later died from his injuries. The tragic death prompted Garfield Township to issue a release this week about the danger of rogue construction in the park.

"Repeatedly, township park staff has stopped the building and use of these rogue trails and jumps by placing obstacles and posting signage," the release states. "These obstacles have continuously been removed, and signage has been vandalized. Recently, use of one of these rogue bicycle jumps resulted in a fatality. Park staff continues to remove these jumps. We are asking once more that those in the biking community respect the efforts of the township by discontinuing the building of rogue trails and jumps. Park users shall adhere to designated trails within the park and take extra precaution."

As previously reported by The Ticker, park officials for years have been battling a growing number of rogue trails at the Commons Natural Area, including bike paths that are destroying sensitive habitat and posing erosion and safety issues at the park. According to Parklands Steward Tom Vitale of the Grand Traverse Conservation District, which helps maintain the park, informal trails were initially concentrated on a parcel called the State 40, 40 acres of former state land on the west boundary of the Commons stretching from Copper Ridge over to Carlson Drive and up to North Long Lake Road. With little active oversight in the past, numerous bike paths were forged on the property before it was conveyed to Garfield Township in 2017.

Vitale previously told The Ticker that in recent years, rogue trails have spread out from the State 40 parcel and are now pervasive across the entire park. “It’s ventured out from there to the rest of the Commons area,” he said. “The biggest problem is you’ve got them criss-crossing left and right all over the place. There’s no cohesive plan. Without a plan, it creates hazards for people; they don’t know which ways the bikes are going. There are a lot of blind hills and curves. People are also building jumps out there, which is another issue.”

In addition to safety risks, informal trails pose numerous environmental threats, Vitale said. “The Commons has some great intact habitat back there,” he said. “There’s a good diversity of different types of ecosystem and native species.” Bike paths tear up that habitat, Vitale says, and also are prone to heavy erosion – a concern for the Commons’ watersheds, including the fragile Kids Creek and other wetlands, artisan springs, and tributaries on the property.

Garfield Township is currently working with consultants on creating a new park design for the Commons Natural Area, which could include eventual trail expansion. Township staff and consultants will host a public open house to present the draft plan on Monday, November 7 from 5pm to 6pm at Kirkbride Hall. "We encourage the entire community to cooperate with the township as we develop a safe park environment for all users," the township wrote in its release.