The Alpena to Hillman Trail is a 24-mile (39 km) recreational

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

serving a section of the northern quarter of the

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. It uses segments of what was once the eastern spur of the

Boyne City Railroad The Boyne City Railroad was a railway based at Boyne City, Michigan, U.S., during 1893–1978. Early history The original railroad was established by William Howard White of Boyne City, Michigan in 1893. William H. White was a northern Michiga ...

, a 1918 logging railroad that stretched across the northern counties of Michigan's Lower Peninsula from

Boyne City, Michigan Boyne City () is a city in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,816 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the southeastern end of Lake Charlevoix where Boyne River drains into the lake. History The area ...

Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city i ...

. The rail trail was improved, starting in 2016, by the

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor a ...

References

{{Reflist Protected areas of Alpena County, Michigan Protected areas of Montmorency County, Michigan Rail trails in Michigan