The Benefits of Michigan’s Trailways
By Dr. Christine A. Vogt, Assistant Professor, MSU Department of Park, Recreation & Tourism Resources
 
The state of Michigan is known for its natural resource splendor. Thousands of miles of Great Lake and inland shorelines, acres of woods, abundance of flora and fauna—the list goes on.  Both Michigan residents and travelers from other states and countries enjoy these wonders.  What better way to explore these resources but by way of a trail?
 
Trails in state parks or on federal lands abound in Michigan.  More recently, trails are emerging in landscapes nearby communities.  Communities that were once linked by rail lines are now seeing a different type of transportation powered not by steam engines but by human interest and energy.  Walkers, hikers, inline skaters, cyclists and equestrians are the new users of these linear corridors connecting communities like Midland and Clare, Reed City and Cadillac, Jackson and Pinckney, and Hart and Montague.  Besides the nonmotorized uses of a trail, many communities manage their trail system for snowmobiling or cross-country skiing during the snow season.  
 
Several organizations and agencies have been instrumental in the planning and development of linear communities trails.  The Michigan Department of Transportation, through federally funded transportation programs earmarked for enhancement of corridors and the broader landscape, and the Department of Natural Resources, through state funded oil, gas and mineral royalties, provide substantial funding to communities to purchase or develop trail corridors.  Other groups such as the Michigan Rail-to-Trails Conservancy and the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program provide leadership and planning expertise to assist communities in securing the necessary resources. 
 
In the late 1990’s these entities realized the need for a comprehensive study of a trailway system, so that transportation, natural resource, and recreation stakeholders might begin to quantify the impacts of a community-based trail system on an area.  Researchers in the Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Resources and park managers in Midland County teamed together to study the social, community, and economic impacts of a trail.  The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail (illustrated in the photos below) was studied with funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station, and several other grantors.   

              
 
The Midland County portion of the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail is a 22-mile paved linear trail with a trailhead in the downtown area of the City of Midland and the other end in Coleman.  In 2000, an additional six miles of trail were completed, extending the trail into Isabella County so the trail now extends close to the downtown area of Clare. The research study provided the opportunity to study a portion of a trail that had been in existence for eight years, as well as the planning and development process of the extension.
 
During the two-year study period, trail users—both county residents and out-of-county tourists—adjacent home owners, and nearby businesses were systematically studied using a combination of on-site trail questionnaires and observations, mail questionnaires, and personal interviews.  Two trail events, which drew out of town participants were also studied. 
 
The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail is enjoyed by all ages from seniors to toddlers.  Some of the use is determined by the location of the trail to neighborhoods and community places.  In Midland County, the trailway is located near many public buildings and places such as parks, a golf course, a skate park, schools, a university, senior housing, and a post office.  Approximately three-quarters of the use comes from residents of the county, with two-thirds of Midland County households using the trail during a twelve-month period.  Of those residents who use the trail, four percent reported using the trail daily, 13 percent use the trail weekly, 25 percent use the trail a couple of times a month, and the remaining use it once a month or less frequently.  The remaining users come from nearby counties, such as Bay and Saginaw, as well as from urban areas such as the Detroit Metropolitan area.  Events such as the Michigander Ride introduce nonresidents to trails such as the Pere Marquette, as well as to the community and its retail and entertainment offerings. 
 
Bicyclists are the most typical type of trail user, followed by in-line skaters and individuals walking, running or strolling a child.  Reasons for using the trail include exercise, recreation and transportation.  Approximately 60 percent of the use is considered by users as exercise, 35 percent as recreational and five percent as transportation.  While they are not reflected in these figures, many users combine purposes such as exercise and transportation or recreation and exercise.  Many users enjoy the solitude and natural environment that the trail provides, while others enjoy a place where they can either be by themselves or with family and friends. 
 
The study showed the multiple benefits and diversity of use a trail can bring to a community and regional economy.  As communities address issues of land use and sprawl, alternative and cleaner forms of transportation, and growing health concerns often emerging from lack of exercise, a trail can help address many of these issues.  Importantly, trails attract non-residents thus creating economic benefits for local businesses such as hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, and sport stores. 
 
The research of trailways will continue into the 21^st century.  Michigan State University has received a new grant from the same funders to study several other Michigan trail systems and will more closely examine transportation and tourism benefits. 
 
Submitted by Christine Vogt, Principal Investigator for these community trailway research studies, Assistant Professor in the Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Resources and the Michigan Travel, Tourism and Recreation Resource Center.  She can be contacted at vogtc@msu.edu.  Findings from the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail study can be found at www.prr.msu.edu/trails/pere_marquette_rail.htm.