Paint Creek Trail
| Paint Creek Trail | |
|---|---|
 Road crossing at Paint Creek Trail | |
| Length | 8.9 mi (14.3 km)[1] |
| Location | Michigan, United States |
| Trailheads | Rochester, Michigan Lake Orion, Michigan |
| Use | Hiking, Cycling, Horseback |
| Elevation change | negligible |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Season | All |
| Sights | Paint Creek, Goodison, Michigan |
| Hazards | Severe weather Poison ivy |
Paint Creek Trail is an 8.9-mile (14.3 km)[2] rail trail linear park in northeast Oakland County, Michigan.[3] The course of the park generally follows Paint Creek, a stream that flows southeast towards the Clinton River.
The trail is composed of crushed limestone and has a slope of 2% going south to north,[4] and has a width of 8 feet.[5] The trail is administered and funded through an inter-government commission representing the townships that the trail services.[6][7]
Paint Creek Trail was named a National Recreation Trail in 2006.[8]
History
Paint Creek Trail opened in 1983 as the first rail trail in Michigan.[9] The trail is in the right-of-way of the former Michigan Central Railroad and Penn Central Railroad lines. The original rail line was completed in 1872, and was in service until Penn Central's railroad operations were taken over by Conrail in 1976.[10] The right-of-way was purchased by the Paint Creek Trail Commission in 1983 for $450,000.[11]
Route
The trail will plan to start at Lake Orion, then stops at South Lake Orion, Goodison Orion Road, Goodison Collins Road, Goodison Tower Road, then all stops to North Rochester Hills, then South Rochester Hills, Rochester, Oak Park, Northville, and then all stops to Cobo Transportation Center in Detroit. The unincorporated village of Goodison is located within the Oakland Township boundaries.[12] The trail also crosses into Bald Mountain Recreation Area.
Activities
Past
The trail is used for a combination of recreation and exercise, with activities such as walking, jogging, running, cycling, and horseback riding. Motor vehicles are not permitted.[13] The trail is conductive to other outdoor activities such as geocaching and bird watching; as well as trout fishing in Paint Creek.[14][15] 1 station had already opened in 1983 and others are under construction.
Future
The U.S. Bicycle Route System and The USA Bike Trail Service will plan to open this line and other lines to complete there new extensions (Inbound Extensions or Outbound Extensions) and complete the stations to make 2 benches and 2 roads or sometimes 4 benches and 2 roads. This route will begin at Cobo Transportation Center in Downtown Detroit and end at Lake Orion through many suburbs by 2020. from Lake Orion to Rochester, it is at-grade, but South Lake Orion became an elevated station, and from Rochester to North Detroit, it is elevated, and Cobo Transportation Center is an underground terminal at level -3 inside Cobo Center.
References
- ^ http://www.ci.rochester.mi.us/index.aspx?NID=227&ART=1344&admin=1
- ^ http://www.paintcreektrail.org/faqs.htm
- ^ http://www.ci.rochester.mi.us/index.aspx?NID=227&ART=1344&admin=1
- ^ http://www.paintcreektrail.org/faqs.htm
- ^ http://www.rochesterhills.org/city_services/parks/parks/paint_creek_trail.asp
- ^ http://www.paintcreektrail.org/commission.htm#commission_info
- ^ http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/PaintCreek-MI.html
- ^ http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/PaintCreek-MI.html
- ^ http://www.paintcreektrail.org/
- ^ http://www.paintcreektrail.org/mileage.htm#mile_marker_system
- ^ http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/PaintCreek-MI.html
- ^ "Goodison, Michigan". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ http://www.paintcreektrail.org/faqs.htm
- ^ http://www.michigantroutstreams.com/logs/paint_creek.htm
- ^ http://www.paintcreektrail.org/rules.htm