The Iron Belle Trail is a set of two trails that will span the 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 ...

. The two trails, one for hiking and one for biking, connects

Ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is heavier than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in E ...

in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

and Belle Isle State Park in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. When complete, the hiking trail will be long and the biking trail is long. 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 ...

is coordinating the planning and construction of the missing trail segments. It is "the longest state-designated trail in the nation." In its more than it crosses 48 counties and 240 townships.

Routes

The hiking trail primarily follows the Michigan segment of the

North Country National Scenic Trail The North Country National Scenic Trail, generally known as the North Country Trail or simply the NCT, is a footpath stretching over from Middlebury in central Vermont to Lake Sakakawea State Park in central North Dakota in the United States; ...

with connectors to Belle Isle and Ironwood. The biking trail connects existing trail such as the Paint Creek Trail in

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

, the

North Central State Trail 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 goe ...

between

Gaylord Gaylord is a name of Norman French origin, from the Old French ''gaillard'' meaning "joyful" or "high-spirited". It may refer to: People *Gaylord (given name) Surname *Bill Gaylord (born 1967), British former alpine skier *Charles Gaylord (1936 ...

and

Mackinaw City Mackinaw City ( ) is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 846 at the 2010 census, the population increases during summertime, including an influx of tourists and seasonal workers who serve ...

, and

U.S. Bicycle Route 10 U.S. Bicycle Route 10 (USBR 10) is a United States Bicycle Route that is planned to follow U.S. Route 2 across the northern United States, beginning in Anacortes, Washington and ending in St. Ignace, Michigan. , only of the planned corri ...

in the Upper Peninsula parallel to new trail. The bicycle route is 63% complete as of January, 2019, will incorporate routes along

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

across the

, and will have a length of . The total trail is approximately 70 percent connected.

References

External links

Michigan DNR {{Michigan hiking trails Bike paths in Michigan Hiking trails in Michigan Belle Isle Park (Michigan)