The North Central State Trail is a 62 miles (99.8 km) recreational rail trail

Rail trail

A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...

 serving a section of the northern quarter of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. Following a route generally parallel to Interstate 75

Interstate 75

Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...

, the trail goes northward from the Michigan town of Gaylord

Gaylord, Michigan

Gaylord is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,681. It is the county seat of Otsego County. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord; it is by far the smallest settlement serving as the location of an active Roman...

 to the top of the Lower Peninsula at Mackinaw City

Mackinaw City, Michigan

Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2000 census the population was 859. The name "Mackinaw City" is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually a village...

. It serves the towns of Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt, Michigan

Vanderbilt is a village in Otsego County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 587 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...

, Indian River

Indian River, Michigan

Indian River is an unincorporated community in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and is not legally recognized as a municipality. The population was 2,008 at the 2000 census....

, and Cheboygan

Cheboygan, Michigan

Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....

.

History

The North Central State Trail occupies what was once the northernmost segment of the Michigan Central Railroad

Michigan Central Railroad

The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...

. This Detroit-based railway, one of the largest and most profitable in the Lower Peninsula, constructed a land-grant section of trackage northward from its primary service area to Mackinaw City in 1882. This spur line served what was then a booming area of old-growth timberland

Timber

Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...

.

The Michigan Central, which was affiliated with the even larger New York Central system, operated passenger trains on this section of railroad from 1882 until the early 1960s. These trains served the tourist industries of Michigan's Northland.

North of Mackinaw City, train passengers and freight transferred onto the railroad car ferries

Train ferry

A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...

 operated by the Mackinac Transportation Company

Mackinac Transportation Company

The Mackinac Transportation Company was a train ferry service that shuttled railroad cars across the Straits of Mackinac from 1882 until 1984. It was best known as the owner and operator, from 1911 until 1984, of the SS Chief Wawatam, an icebreaking train ferry.-History:The Mackinac Transportation...

, a joint venture

Joint venture

A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...

 operated by the Michigan Central and two other railroads. On these ferries, railroad service was extended to St. Ignace and onward points on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

When the Mackinac Bridge

Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...

 was opened for public use in 1957, passengers and freight in this area shifted to road-based vehicles, and the section of railroad line where the North Central State Trail runs today began to fall out of active use. Its last period of active operation as a railroad was in the 1970s and 1980s as a spur line of the Detroit and Mackinac Railway

Detroit and Mackinac Railway

The Detroit and Mackinac Railway , informally known as the "Turtle Line", was a railroad operating in the northeastern part of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The main line stretched from the southern hub at Bay City, to its northern hub at Cheboygan...

.

The North Central State Trail's northern end in Mackinaw City is close to the docks once operated by the Mackinac Transportation Company. The trail was dedicated for public use in June 2008.

Assets

The North Central State Trail borders a substantial section of the shoreline of Michigan's Mullett Lake

Mullett Lake

Mullett Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is named after John Mullett, who, together with William A. Burt, made a federal survey of the area from 1840 to 1843. A neighboring lake was named after Burt. Historically, Mullett Lake has been recorded as Mullet...

. It also borders the Cheboygan River

Cheboygan River

The Cheboygan River is a short but significant river in the Lake Huron drainage basin of the U.S. state of Michigan. in length, the Cheboygan River flows from the north end of Mullett Lake at to the Straits of Mackinac at . The river forms the boundary between Benton Township and Inverness...

. The trail also passes directly past Historic Mill Creek State Park

Historic Mill Creek State Park

Historic Mill Creek State Park is a state park, nature preserve, and historic site in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is run by Mackinac State Historic Parks, the operating arm of the Mackinac Island State Park. 625 acres in size, the park is located 5 miles southeast of Mackinaw City, Michigan...

 located 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Mackinaw City.

Waypoints

Waypoint

Waypoint

A waypoint is a reference point in physical space used for purposes of navigation.-Concept:Waypoints are sets of coordinates that identify a point in physical space. Coordinates used can vary depending on the application. For terrestrial navigation these coordinates can include longitude and...

s for the North Central State Trail.
↑ in the Distance column points to the other waypoint that the distance is between.

Location	Services	Distance (approx.)	Coordinates
Gaylord, Michigan Gaylord, Michigan Gaylord is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,681. It is the county seat of Otsego County. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord; it is by far the smallest settlement serving as the location of an active Roman...	Parking, Restroom		45.03838°N 84.67949°W
Vanderbilt, Michigan Vanderbilt, Michigan Vanderbilt is a village in Otsego County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 587 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...	Parking, Restroom	↑ 7.6 miles (12.2 km)	45.14539°N 84.66174°W
Wolverine, Michigan Wolverine, Michigan Wolverine is a village in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 359 at the 2000 census.The village is in the sparsely populated southwest corner of Cheboygan County, lying mostly within Nunda Township, though a small portion lies in adjacent Wilmot Township...	Parking, Restroom	↑ 10.9 miles (17.5 km)	45.27270°N 84.60211°W
Indian River, Michigan Indian River, Michigan Indian River is an unincorporated community in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and is not legally recognized as a municipality. The population was 2,008 at the 2000 census....	Parking, Restroom	↑ 9.6 miles (15.4 km)	45.41318°N 84.6112°W
Topinabee, Michigan	Parking, Restroom	↑ 5.6 miles (9 km)	45.48421°N 84.59168°W
Mullett Lake, Michigan Mullett Lake Mullett Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is named after John Mullett, who, together with William A. Burt, made a federal survey of the area from 1840 to 1843. A neighboring lake was named after Burt. Historically, Mullett Lake has been recorded as Mullet...	Restroom	↑ 6.6 miles (10.6 km)	45.56234°N 84.52489°W
Cheboygan, Michigan Cheboygan, Michigan Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....	Parking, Restroom	↑ 5.3 miles (8.5 km)	45.63579°N 84.48728°W
Mackinaw City, Michigan Mackinaw City, Michigan Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2000 census the population was 859. The name "Mackinaw City" is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually a village...	Parking, Restroom	↑ 16.3 miles (26.2 km)	45.78024°N 84.73079°W