Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park


Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park is a long linear state park in the U.S. state of Michigan.
The trail extends from northern Grand Rapids to Cadillac, and it lies on the path graded for the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. The White Pine Trail is a rail trail park. It was named the "Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park" after a donation by grocery store executive Fred Meijer.

History

As the railroad ceased operation in the mid-1980s, the Michigan Department of Transportation came to own the rail bed. By 1994 the property was transferred to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which began replacing the rails with a trail for public recreational use.

Current Condition

The trail extends from Ann Street in Grand Rapids north to Cadillac. The trail has three paved sections: one extending between Comstock Park and Sand Lake, another stretch between Big Rapids and Reed City, and a 16-mile stretch between Leroy and Cadillac. The Michigan DNR paved of trail from Russel Road near Cedar Springs to Sand Lake during the summer of 2007. Unpaved sections of the trail are surfaced with packed gravel or cinders.
Snowmobiles are permitted on most of the trail, between Russell Road and South Street in Cadillac. Motorized wheel vehicles are not permitted.
Due to reduced public funding for state parks in Michigan, the trail's upkeep depends largely on volunteers, organized by Friends of the White Pine Trail.

Communities Along Trail

The trail passes through the following communities:
s for the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park.
↑ in the Distance column points to the other waypoint that the distance is between.
LocationServicesDistance
Coordinates
Cadillac, MichiganParking, Restroom
Waypoint 2Parking, Restroom↑
Tustin, MichiganDrinking Fountain, Restroom↑
Le Roy, MichiganDrinking Fountain, Restroom↑
Reed City, MichiganDrinking Fountain, Restroom↑
Paris, MichiganDrinking Fountain, Restroom↑
Big Rapids, Michigan↑
Morley, MichiganDrinking Fountain, Parking, Restroom↑
Howard City, MichiganDrinking Fountain, Restroom↑
Cedar Springs, MichiganParking↑
Comstock Park, Michigan↑

Plans

According to the Friends of the White Pine Trail, there are plans to extend the paved areas of the trail. The trail may also be connected to other trail systems in the state, including the Kent Trails system in Grand Rapids Musketawa Trail, much as the White Pine Trail already connects with the Pere Marquette State Trail in Reed City.