Leelanau and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Connection
The University of Michigan and TART Trails are seeking your input on options to connect the Leelanau Trail and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail:
Leelanau County is home to two popular and widely used non-motorized trails, the Leelanau Trail and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Currently, these trails remain separated with the Leelanau Trail on the east side of the County and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT) on the west side. Connecting the two trails with dedicated non-motorized infrastructure (biking/walking trails) would increase recreational opportunities, promote economic development by linking rural based businesses, and provide alternative transportation options for residents and visitors of the County.
The resulting impact of linking the two trails would continue to boost the economic progress the County has made over the past decade while maintaining the natural character of the County that has made it such an attraction. A vital part of this project is gathering public feedback on several possible connections. This website outlines all of the routes and provides opportunities to comment. In addition to commenting on the four routes, there are questions about the state of non-motorized infrastructure in the County and several optional demographic questions.
This project identified four possible connections between the SBHT and the Leelanau Trail. The routes were identified by looking at a key set of criteria which includes, proximity to residential areas, ability to connect recreational assets, proximity to local oriented businesses (professional services, healthcare, etc.), proximity to tourist oriented businesses (retail, food service, etc.), and overall distance.
