Paint Creek Trail
Encyclopedia
Paint Creek Trail is a 8.9 mile rail trail
linear park
in northern Oakland County, Michigan
. The course of the park generally follows Paint Creek
, a stream that flows southeast towards the Clinton River.
The trail is composed of crushed limestone and has a slope of 2% going south to north, and has a width of 8 feet. The trail is administered and funded through an inter-government commission representing the townships that the trail services.
Paint Creek Trail was named a National Recreation Trail
in 2006.
in Michigan. The trail is in the right-of-way
of the former Michigan Central Railroad
and Penn Central Railroad lines. The original rail line was built in 1874 and was in service until 1974. The property was purchased by the trail commission in 1983 for $450,000.
, Orion Township, Michigan
, Oakland Township, Michigan, Rochester Hills, Michigan
, and Rochester, Michigan
. The unincorporated village of Goodison is located within the Oakland Township boundaries. The trail also crosses into Bald Mountain Recreation Area
.
and exercise, with activities such as walking
, jogging
, running
, cycling
, and horseback riding. Motor vehicles are not permitted. The trail is conductive to other outdoor activities such as geocaching
and bird watching; as well as trout fishing in Paint Creek.
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...
linear park
Linear park
A linear park is a park that is much longer than wide. It is often formed as a part of a rails-to-trails conversion of railroad beds to rail trail recreational use...
in northern Oakland County, Michigan
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
. The course of the park generally follows Paint Creek
Paint Creek (Michigan)
Paint Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in northern Oakland County and rising in Brandon Township in the northern part of the county. The creek drains through a series of lakes that lead into Lake Orion. Paint Creek continues as the outflow from the east end of Lake Orion in...
, a stream that flows southeast towards the Clinton River.
The trail is composed of crushed limestone and has a slope of 2% going south to north, and has a width of 8 feet. The trail is administered and funded through an inter-government commission representing the townships that the trail services.
Paint Creek Trail was named a National Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. Over 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to in length, have been designated as NRTs...
in 2006.
History
Paint Creek Trail opened in 1983 as the first rail trailRail 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...
in Michigan. The trail is in the right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
of the former 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...
and Penn Central Railroad lines. The original rail line was built in 1874 and was in service until 1974. The property was purchased by the trail commission in 1983 for $450,000.
Route
The trail runs through Lake Orion, MichiganLake Orion, Michigan
Lake Orion is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" is often used to describe both the village and the much larger Orion Township, of which the village is a part....
, Orion Township, Michigan
Orion Township, Michigan
Orion Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 35,394 at the 2010 census. The official motto of the township and village is "Where living is a vacation". Orion Township contains the much smaller village of Lake Orion...
, Oakland Township, Michigan, Rochester Hills, Michigan
Rochester Hills, Michigan
Rochester Hills is an affluent city in northeast Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 70,995. The city of Rochester is bounded on the north, south, and west by Rochester Hills...
, and Rochester, Michigan
Rochester, Michigan
Rochester is an affluent city in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan on the northern outskirts of metro Detroit. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census...
. The unincorporated village of Goodison is located within the Oakland Township boundaries. The trail also crosses into Bald Mountain Recreation Area
Bald Mountain Recreation Area
Bald Mountain Recreation Area is a state park located near Lake Orion, Michigan off M-24. It consists of some of most the rugged terrain in southeastern Michigan....
.
Activities
The trail is used for a combination of recreationRecreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
and exercise, with activities such as walking
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
, jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
, running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, and horseback riding. Motor vehicles are not permitted. The trail is conductive to other outdoor activities such as geocaching
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world....
and bird watching; as well as trout fishing in Paint Creek.