By: Mary Beth Almond | Rochester Post | Published August 10, 2022
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — Trail users now have a new place to park to access the northern end of the Paint Creek Trail.
On Aug. 1, Oakland Township Parks and Recreation opened a new trailhead at Paint Creek Junction Park, north of Adams and Orion roads, to service the northern part of the Paint Creek Trail.
“It’s been in the works for a little while, but building materials shot up in price, and it was a little bit hard to get contractors. We would have liked to have opened it back in the springtime, but we pushed hard — very, very hard — to get it open this summer,” said Oakland Township Parks and Recreation Commissioner Brian Blust. “It was pretty monumental.”
“It has been a long process, but it has been well worth it,” added Oakland Township Parks and Recreation Director Mindy Milos-Dale. “I think people have been waiting for it — I know we have, so it’s quite exciting for us.”
The township’s Parks and Recreation Commission purchased the parcel at 2210 Orion Road in 2003 to allow for future trail connections between the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area, the Paint Creek Trail and Marsh View Park. The land, which was renamed from Marsh View Connector to Paint Creek Junction Park in February 2015, was undeveloped.
“Oakland Township has been interested — for a number of years — to come up with a solution to provide better access to the trail at the northern end. We have the parking at Gallagher Road, which is basically at the Paint Creek Cider Mill; and we have a tiny parking lot at Silverbell, and we have a pseudo lot on Dutton Road that is only for a couple of cars too, so we’ve never had, within our township, a really good parking area at the north end,” Milos-Dale said. “This is going to give folks a new and larger place to park at the north end of the trail.”
The project includes a 35-space universally accessible parking lot with horse trailer parking, an access trail, two unisex universally accessible vault toilets, a well for water, and a picnic area.
Township officials said interpretive signage will soon be available to incorporate the trail’s natural and cultural background — sharing information about the Paint Creek Trail’s railroad history, Paint Creek Junction’s section of the Detroit Urban Railroad, and how railroads contributed to the preservation of native prairie areas.
The Paint Creek Trail is part of the Polly Ann Trail System, as well as the Iron Belle Path that’s over 700 miles long and goes from Ironwood, Michigan, to Belle Isle in Detroit. The Paint Creek Trail also has great fishing access areas all along the trail.
“This new parking lot and trailhead not only provides access to the Paint Creek Trail, it provides access to all of these recreation opportunities,” Milos-Dale added.
The project cost around $400,000, with approximately 75% of the cost covered by grants — including a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Funds and the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan. Milos-Dale said the township paid approximately $75,000-$100,000.
For more information, call the Oakland Township Parks and Recreation Commission at (248) 651-7810.