Leelanau Trail
Leelanau trail | |
---|---|
Location | Lower Peninsula, Leelanau County, Michigan, USA |
Nearest city | Traverse City, Michigan Suttons Bay, Michigan |
Coordinates | 44°46′31″N 85°38′31″W / 44.775369°N 85.641886°W |
Established | 1995 |
Governing body | Leelanau County Road Commission
|
Length | 17 mi (27 km) |
Trailheads | Traverse City, Michigan Suttons Bay, Michigan |
Use | Cycling, Hiking, XC skiing |
Difficulty | Intermediate/Hills |
Season | All |
Surface | Paved |
Website | Official site |
The Leelanau Trail is part of U.S. Bicycle Route 35, but also an all paved non-motorized recreational rail trail of 17-mile (27 km) in length that extends from the west side of Traverse City, Michigan to Suttons Bay, Michigan.
This trail passes through the eastern side of Leelanau County, a fast-growing section of the Traverse City metropolitan area. Most, but not all, of the trail follows early 20th-century roadbeds of the former Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad and Traverse City, Leelanau and Manistique, later reorganized as the Leelanau Transit Company.
The Leelanau Trails Association purchased most of the 15-mile (24 km) trail right-of-way in 1995. Prior to this purchase, the railbed had been operated as Leelanau Scenic Railway. In 2004, the Leelanau Trail was connected to the
The Leelanau Trail passes through a key segment of the Leelanau Peninsula AVA, part of the Michigan wine country. Riesling grapes are grown here.
Points of interest along the trail include:
- Beaches
- Downtown Suttons Bay
- Wineries
- Regional Transportation (Bay.Area.Transportation.Authority)
- Bike shop (Suttons Bay)
- DeYoung Nature Area on Cedar Lake
Trail heads
Suttons Bay, Michigan | Parking surface | Amenities:Near trail | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|
4th St. | Paved | Banks, Restaurant, Public transit and Local medical clinic | 44°58′15″N 85°39′04″W / 44.970860°N 85.651171°W |
Leelanau County,Michigan | Parking surface | Amenities:Near trail | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|
Fouch Rd | Dirt | None | 44°49′35″N 85°40′56″W / 44.826346°N 85.682217°W |
DeYoung Natural Area | Dirt | Restroom(Summer) | 44°48′34″N 85°39′13″W / 44.809569°N 85.653500°W |
Cherry Bend Rd. | Paved | Party store and Restaurants | 44°47′37″N 85°38′44″W / 44.793509°N 85.645568°W |
References
- ^ "Grand Traverse Edible Trails | TART Trails, Inc". traversetrails.org. Archived from the original on 2014-07-13.