Calhoun County will be a crossroads in a trail network stretching thousands of miles Calhoun County will be the meeting place of the North Country Trail, the longest in the nation, and the Iron Belle trail, the longest in the state.

Nick Buckley | Battle Creek Enquirer

Kaci Sparks was out walking her one-year-old Australian shepherd, Chief, on a chilly Monday afternoon at Historic Bridge Park in Battle Creek.

“We try to do it at least twice a week to kind of burn his energy," said Sparks, who lives in Battle Creek. "We usually try to stay out for an hour... I like the cemented path, but we also like to adventure out. We enjoy it. We just like to be out in nature."

Sparks didn't realize she was walking her dog at what could become a major crossroads for hiking enthusiasts, a meeting place of two trail networks that stretches thousands of miles in multiple directions.

Historic Bridge Park has one of the many trails in Calhoun County that are vital sections of both the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail and the yet-to-be completed hiking portion of the 1,259-mile Iron Belle Trail.

“Calhoun County is at a pretty important spot for the (Iron Belle) trail geographically, this is where we pick up the North Country Trail," said Dakota Hewlett, Iron Belle Trail assistant coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "It is kind of like a hub for trails."

Spanning from New York to North Dakota, the North Country Trail is the longest trail in the nation. Administered by the National Park Service, managed by federal, state and local governments and maintained by a collection of volunteers, it passes through Battle Creek, Marshall, Albion and Homer.

The Iron Belle Trail, proposed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2012, crosses through 48 Michigan counties between Belle Isle State Park in Detroit to Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula. Estimated to be 69 percent complete, it will be the longest stated-designated trail in the nation when finished.

And it's expected to be a pipeline for new visitors to the region.

"We're uniquely positioned," said Linda Freybler, CEO of the Calhoun County Visitors Bureau, noting that one of the planned Great Lake to Lake Trail routes will also pass through Battle Creek.

"Those coming though here positions us to get visitors that are utilizing any of the major trails within Michigan," she said. "We're really excited about the trail projects and are big supporters of trail projects and are really hoping for some additional funding to make those trails happen."

BRIDGING THE GAPS

The Michigan DNR says the convergence of the two major trails will be at Historic Bridge Park in Battle Creek. But map comparisons show the preliminary route of the Iron Belle Trail joining the North Country Trail in Homer, which in March received a $22,000 grant from the DNR towards engineering and design of the trail.

The fact there is no clear determination on where the trails meet is an indication of work yet to be done.

There remains significant gaps in the Iron Belle Trail, including ones between Battle Creek, Marshall, Albion and Homer, although it is still possible to hike through the entire section using public roads.

"The gap in Calhoun County is important," Hewlett said. "It’s about land acquisition and development and building a community to support the trail in Calhoun County."

The Iron Belle is split into two trails: one hiking and one cycling. The cycling portion is on the east side of the state. The hiking portion is on the west, where the North Country Trail and Iron Belle Trail share more than 1,000 miles of walking and hiking trails.

In April, Snyder announced the Iron Belle had received $10.5 in private donations alone, with additional funding coming from federal, state and local grants, as well as money from a transportation alternatives program by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

“Our natural resources and outdoor recreation opportunities in Michigan are second to none, and an important and defining part of who we are as a state,” Snyder said at the announcement. “These generous contributions toward completion of the Iron Belle Trail help solidify Michigan’s reputation as ‘The Trails State.'"

The IBT Fund Campaign Team was created to raise an additional $155 million in private money.

PATHS OF RESISTANCE

The Calhoun County Trailway Alliance has spearheaded the local effort to bridge some of the gaps and complete the Iron Belle.

"There's a preliminary route put on paper, but there’s some opposition in the community to having a trail," said Nancy McFarland, board member for the CCTA. "We've worked with Albion Township, held public meetings in Homer and in Albion, trying to get a sense for what the community wants. The goal of the Calhoun County Trailway Alliance is to build the trail going east out of Historic Bridge Park."

Money and land acquisitions are major hurdles, as well as the logistics of working with multiple communities and government entities. The gap between 9 Mile Road and F Drive presents a significant challenge, as it crosses Interstate-94.

McFarland estimated it could take the CCTA up to 10 years to complete its section of the Iron Belle.

As they work towards that completion, the focus of the non-profit group of volunteers remains on maintaining, improving and promoting the existing trail network. There is a Calhoun County Trailway endowment fund at the Battle Creek Community Foundation, where donors can help toward that effort.

In 2015, the CCTA completed the Calhoun County Trailway, which stretches 5.6 miles from Historic Bridge Park, northward through Kimball Pines County Park and Ott Biological Preserve before connecting with the municipally-owned Linear Park Trail.

Although the Calhoun County Trailway does not use automatic counters, the CCTA estimates it sees 43,000 users annually. And that number would certainly rise through future projects like the Iron Belle Trail.

There will be some tangible progress within the next month, as the CCTA expects to have Iron Belle signage up at corner of Raymond Road and Emmett Street.

Despite obstacles ahead, efforts continue to raise awareness and attract new visitors to the many trailways Calhoun County has to offer.

“The variety of people who use the trail is such a benefit to the community," McFarland said. "The more trail we get built, the more access people have."

Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley

To donate

Donations to the Calhoun County Trailway Endowment Fund can be made at www.bccfoundation.org/giving/Calhoun-County-Trailway-Endowment.

For more information, go to www.bccfoundation.org/CCTA or contact the Calhoun County Trailway Alliance at cctrailwayalliance@gmail.com.