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Michigan creates new 10-year plan for trail system

Steep terrain can be found on the trails in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which has banned e-bikes on its dedicated mountain bike trails.
Mark Arehart
/
WKSU
Steep terrain can be found on the trails in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which has banned e-bikes on its dedicated mountain bike trails.

Michigan’s trail system has been working with hikers, bikers, horse riders and others to put together a new ten-year plan.

A lot more people are looking to the great outdoors since the pandemic struck, and many of them are hitting Michigan’s trails.

“Everything just became very, very popular.”

That’s Nikki Van Bloem. She's a trail specialist for the Department of Natural Resources.

“We’re seeing an increase in all trail uses, generally. You know, mountain biking has gotten huge. Our O-R-V permit sales have greatly increased, especially through COVID.”

The only trail use that’s not growing regularly is snowmobiling because of a lack of snow some years.

The ten-year plan is looking at how to make the state's trails easier to use and connect to local and federal forest trails.

Lester Graham reports for The Environment Report. He has reported on public policy, politics, and issues regarding race and gender inequity. He was previously with The Environment Report at Michigan Public from 1998-2010.