Construction has begun on the newest section of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, which will run through Port Oneida to Bohemian Road in Maple City. Once completed, the 3.6-mile addition will bring the total trail length to 17 miles. Construction is expected to be finished by May 30.
D.J. McQuestion & Sons has three crews working on the new section, which includes 1.8 miles of crushed aggregate in Port Oneida, 1.8 miles of asphalt and a 500-foot boardwalk along Narada Lake.
Narada Lake is located about 5 miles north of Glen Arbor and is visible from M-22. However, it’s currently only accessible by a narrow trail through a tunnel of trees. The new section of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will provide a safe access point to the lake and the historic North Unity School.
There will be a ribbon cutting on Friday, June 24 at 11 a.m. at the Kelderhouse Farm located next to the Kelderhouse/Port Oneida Cemetery on the east side of Port Oneida Road. The public is invited to the event to bike the new section and to tour North Unity School which will be open for the day.
“The trail offers a new way to experience the park,” TART Trails Development Director Pam Darling says. “When you drive along M-22 you can see all of the beautiful farms, but when you walk the trail you don’t even realize you’re near the road. You see coyote and deer tracks, and you get to experience the area more like it was at the turn of the century.”
Once the trail is completed up to Bohemian Road, attention will turn to the next section of trail, which will run from Bohemian Road to Good Harbor Trail and end at the beach.
Watch this MyNorth Media video of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail and see the stunning section from Fisher Road to Port Oneida.
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