Overview
Lake Michigan Water Trail Phase I : Inventory and Assessment was completed in 2014 by WMSRDC. It is available for communities to seek grants to improve non-motorized paddling experiences, including access site amenities, wayfinding signage, ADA accessibility, environmental conditions and many other features for kayakers and other non-motorized paddlers. For more information about water trails on the Great Lakes, visit the Michigan Great Lakes Water Trails website.
Lake Michigan Trails Network Mission:
The Lake Michigan Trails Network facilitates communication, coordination, and synergy among engaged advocates and stakeholders seeking to develop multi-modal (water, bike, hike, and automobile) routes and trails around Lake Michigan while promoting environmental, economic, and health benefits to residents and visitors from around the country and the world.
Goals:
- Foster partnerships among planners, trail managers, landowners, tourism organizations, and advocacy groups across all four Lake Michigan shoreline states.
- Provide a forum for communication among circle route and trail development efforts to identify opportunities to share knowledge, successes, methods, and challenges that support these projects.
- Foster state, local, and regional partnerships to plan and develop recreational facilities that support these routes and trails.
- Promote the trail systems through the "One Lake, Four States, All-American" brand and encourage tourism and recreation marketing for all modes of travel around Lake Michigan that recognize and support the development of the circle routes and trails.
Attention West Michigan Water Trail Communities, Tourism, Recreation and Economic Development Organizations, and Trail Users:
Lake Michigan and the West Michigan region are world-class recreational destinations. The four states surrounding Lake Michigan offer the only place in the world where visitors can paddle, bike, hike, camp, and sail along 1,600 miles of freshwater shoreline while experiencing diverse communities, beautiful beaches, forests, bluffs, and cultural attractions.
More than 22 million people live within a two-hour drive of Lake Michigan, yet there is still work to be done to connect and complete a continuous network of trails and provide the links and amenities needed for people to experience the lake by their preferred mode of travel. The vision for a four-state, multi-modal trail network emerged in 2012 at a conference in Saugatuck, Michigan. Conference participants envisioned expanding the original Lake Michigan Circle Tour Scenic Byway to include paddling, bicycling, and hiking trails, encouraging visitors to explore more and stay longer along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
In 2013, the Michigan Lake Michigan Water Trail Plan was completed by the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission with support from Michigan's Coastal Zone Management Program, regional planning organizations, and project partners. Communities that implement the plan are eligible for grant funding to develop local water trail enhancements, acquire land, and invest in a variety of related amenities and conservation practices.
Following completion of Michigan's Lake Michigan Water Trail Plan, the four-state Lake Michigan Trails Network was established to coordinate planning, marketing, and communication among the participating states. The network meets regularly through conference calls and an annual in-person meeting, with the shared goal of developing a continuous system of recreational trails around Lake Michigan.
Click here for a copy of the Michigan Water Trails Manual. More information is also available here at Michigan Water Trails’ website.
Contact Information
For more information regarding the Lake Michigan Water Trail, please contact:
Fallon Chabala
Program Manager
(231) 722-7878 ext. 130
