DNR open house: Leelanau State Park winter sports trail, Oct 15

Tue, Oct  9, 2018 - By DNR

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on a winter sports trail that opened at Leelanau State Park in Leelanau County in December 2017.

The new winter sports trail – that was piloted last season and is intended to open Dec. 1 – is open to nonmotorized recreation, including hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat-tire biking. The 5.3-mile route follows old logging roads that are located north of the existing hiking trails in a relatively undeveloped area of the park. Fat-tire bikes will only be permitted when there is four inches of snow or more. The trail closes April 1.

The existing marked hiking trails will remain open to cross-country skiers, hikers and snowshoers only. There is no biking allowed on these trails.

At the open house, DNR staff will be available to help answer questions and gather feedback and suggestions for improvements. Trail maps will be on display. The public is welcome to attend any time during the meeting.

"Before we mark and open the trail for the upcoming season, we want to gather public feedback," said Kasey Mahony, district supervisor. "We had a lot of positive feedback on the addition of the new winter sport trail; however, we are assessing what adjustments may need to be made, such as frequency of grooming and signage placement."

The public open house will take place Monday, Oct. 15, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Leelanau Township Fire Department, located at 100 8th St. in Northport.

The public can provide comments via email through Nov. 9 to [email protected].

For more information, contact Kasey Mahony at [email protected] or 231-775-9727 ext. 6011