Van Buren Trail State Park

Van Buren Trail State Park, also known as Trail State Park, is an unimproved rail trail running along a former railroad right-of-way between Hartford, Michigan to South Haven, Michigan in Van Buren County. It is 14 miles (23 km) long and mostly used by horse trail riders in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. Terrain is flat with farmland and trees.[3]

Van Buren Trail State Park
Length14 miles (23 km)
LocationLower Peninsula, Van Buren County, Michigan
Established1994[1]
DesignationMichigan state park
TrailheadsSouth Haven (42°24′07″N 86°16′33″W)
Hartford (42°12′41″N 86°10′16″W)[2]
UseHiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling,
cross-country skiing
Hiking details
Trail difficultyEasy
SeasonAll
SightsFarmland, blueberry fields, wooded areas.
SurfaceDirt and gravel
Maintained byMichigan Department of Natural Resources
WebsiteVan Buren Trail State Park
Hartford
South Haven
Location of north and south trailheads in Michigan

In 2004, Van Buren County took over operation of the state-owned trail after state budget problems. There is a trail pass system to pay for maintenance.[4]

In 2015, The Michigan Department of Natural Resources paved the 4.5-mile stretch which connects Van Buren State Park to the South Haven Trail system The pavement is a 10-foot-wide asphalt surface. South Haven maintains the marked route that connects to a downtown trailhead, city businesses, beaches and Kal-Haven Trail State Park.[5]

Its northern terminus is South Haven near Lake Michigan. The Kal-Haven Trail starts in South Haven northeast of downtown. The trail pass is valid for both trails.

References
  1. "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  2. "Van Buren Trail State Park". Shoreline Visitors Guide. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  3. "Van Buren Trail State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  4. Van Buren County Comprehensive Plan
  5. "Paved Van Buren trail extends from South Haven to Van Buren State Park, MLive, Rosemary Parker, Nov 6 2015"
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.