Multiple improvement projects are underway to expand recreational opportunities and attract new users to parks in Leelanau County.

At Leelanau State Park, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is collecting feedback through November 9 (DNR-PRD-Comments-Gaylord@michigan.gov) on a new trail system that debuted last year and will open again for the 2018-19 winter season. The marked 5.3-mile winter sports trail follows old logging roads in an undeveloped area of the park north of the existing hiking trails and offers the only groomed trails on the nearly 1,500-acre property. The route is open from December until early April.

When four inches of snow or more accumulate on the pathway, the trail opens to fat-tire bikers in addition to hikers, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers. The DNR created the trail system as a pilot project last year in an effort to attract new users to the remote Northport site – notably fat-tire bikers, a growing recreational demographic in northern Michigan.

“We’re opening it to a new use that’s never been there before,” says Kasey Mahony, district supervisor for the DNR. “One of the things we really boast about for the DNR is not only the recreational opportunities but the positive economic benefits we bring to communities.” She cites a story of a Suttons Bay couple who shared their experience last season of renting out fat-tire bikes to try out the new trail, spending the day at the park, and dining out in Northport afterward. “They said they never would have done that if the trail didn’t exist. Sometimes the economic benefit can be out of sight, out of mind…but we hope this encourages users to come out and experience the area.”

Feedback collected prior to the start of this season will guide additional improvements to the winter sports trail, such as the placement of signage and frequency of grooming. The DNR is also planning to update its master plan for Leelanau State Park in 2019, a process that will allow for further public input on the future of the park. That planning process – which will modernize a plan that hasn’t been updated since the mid-1970s – will ask residents what they want to see at the park and could make the winter sports trail a permanent offering at the property.

Friends of Leelanau State Park, a community volunteer group that helps to fundraise for improvements at the property, is also spearheading a campaign to build a new playground at the park. The group has almost met its goal of raising $50,000 by an October 31 deadline in order to trigger the release of an $80,000 grant from GameTime for the playground construction. Organizers have already raised $44,075 toward the goal and are still racing to collect community donations before the cutoff. The total cost for the playground itself is $161,000, not including shipping and installation, according to Stef Staley of Friends of Leelanau State Park. The project calls for the installation of new ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant playground equipment with a color scheme and design intended to reflect the surrounding natural environment. Though the group is hopeful they’ll close the gap in the next week and meet their goal, if they don’t, they’ll continue to fundraise over the winter months, Staley says. The playground installation is targeted for 2019.

The Leelanau Conservancy is also working on two park improvement projects in Leelanau County. The organization is nearing the opening of the first flow-style mountain biking trail north of Grand Rapids in its 721-acre Palmer Woods Forest Reserve. The Leelanau Conservancy consulted on the project with Chad Jordan, president of the Northern Michigan Mountain Biking Association (NMMBA), and Cody Sprattmoran, co-founder of Bike Leelanau, with Flowtrack Mountain Bike Trails designing the course. The first three-mile loop is almost completed, with an additional three miles to follow next summer. According to Bike Leelanau, details will be posted publicly soon on a trail opening party and ride to commemorate the course launch.

The Leelanau Conservancy is also working on building a new trail that will run along the stream through the DeYoung Natural Area. The organization is hosting a workbee today (Wednesday) at 10am for volunteers interested in assisting with clearing and constructing the new trail corridor. Helpers are asked to meet in the Strang Road parking lot and to wear long sleeves and pants to protect against poison ivy. The group will be using both hand tools and power tools to work on the trail.

Pictured: Leelanau State Park. Photo credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.