Belle Isle is getting a non-motorized trail that will loop around the island as part of a master plan for the 985 acre island park.
That’s what the Department of Natural Resources is saying is the plan, as part of the beginning of the “Iron Belle Trail” that runs from Detroit’s Belle Isle to Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula.
There’s a master plan that’s looking for public input at a meeting on August 24 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Flynn Pavilion. The public is welcome to attend and participate in the planning process.
Some of the baseline items to be included in the trail plan include:
- Help develop a trail system throughout the 200-acre, wet-mesic flatwoods on the east end of the island.
- Develop standards for trail signage.
- Identify gaps in Belle Isle’s existing trail system.
- Locate a trailhead for the southern terminus of Michigan’s Iron Belle Trail.
“This master plan is critical in developing Belle Isle Park as a regional trail hub, connecting the park to the region’s trail system,” said Amanda Hertl, landscape architect for the DNR. “When combined with the additional amenities on the island, the proposed looped trail around the island with views of the Detroit River and Canada will be a one-of-a-kind experience not found anywhere else in the city of Detroit or surrounding region.”
In case you didn’t know, The Iron Belle Trail, the longest designated state trail in the nation, incorporates 1,273 miles of hiking and 791 miles of bicycling trails that run from Belle Isle Park in Detroit to Ironwood in the western Upper Peninsula.
Belle Isle is a Michigan State Park as part of a 30 year lease from the City of Detroit.