Betsie Valley Trail

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Betsie Valley Trail is a 22-mile (35 km) rail trail in Benzie County, Michigan, United States, owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and operated by Benzie County. [1] [2] [3]

Rail trail railroad bed converted to a recreational trail

A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway track into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding and snowmobiling. The characteristics of abandoned railways—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various developments. The term sometimes also covers trails running alongside working railways; these are called "rails with trails". Some shared trails are segregated, with the segregation achieved with or without separation. Many rail trails are long-distance trails.

Benzie County, Michigan County in the United States

Benzie County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,525. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869.

Michigan State of the United States of America

Michigan is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States. The state's name, Michigan, originates from the Ojibwe word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake". With a population of about 10 million, Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area, and is the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit. Metro Detroit is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies.

It is on the trackbed of a former Ann Arbor Railroad line and extends from Frankfort to Thompsonville, via Elberta and Beulah. [1]

Ann Arbor Railroad (1895–1976) defunct American Class I railroad (1895–1976)

The Ann Arbor Railroad was an American railroad that operated between Toledo, Ohio and Elberta and Frankfort, Michigan with train ferry operations across Lake Michigan. In 1967 it reported 572 million net ton-miles of revenue freight, including 107 million in "lake transfer service"; that total does not include the 39-mile subsidiary Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad.

Frankfort, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Frankfort is a city in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,286 at the 2010 census. The elevation of Frankfort is 600 ft (180 m) above sea level. The city is situated with Lake Michigan to the west, Lake Betsie, formed by the Betsie River before flowing into Lake Michigan, on the south and Crystal Lake Township to the north and east. The city is on M-22 just north of Elberta. M-115 has its western terminus in the city. The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse is at the end of the northern breakwater in Lake Michigan.

Thompsonville, Michigan Village in Michigan, United States

Thompsonville is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 441 at the 2010 census. The village is located in the south of the county on the boundary between Weldon Township and Colfax Township.

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Grand Traverse County, Michigan County in the United States

Grand Traverse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 86,986. The county seat is Traverse City.

Blaine Township, Michigan Civil township in Michigan, United States

Blaine Township is a civil township of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 551. It is located in the southwest portion of the county. There are no significant population centers in the township; the nearest towns are Arcadia to the south, Benzonia to the northeast, and Elberta to the northwest. M-22 is the township's main thoroughfare.

Elberta, Michigan Village in Michigan, United States

Elberta is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 372 at the 2010 census. The village located in the east of Gilmore Township, on the south side of Lake Betsie, which is formed by the Betsie River before flowing into Lake Michigan. The village is on M-22 just south of Frankfort. M-168, previously one of the shortest state highways in Michigan, extended 0.95 miles (1.53 km) from a junction with M-22 in downtown Elberta to the former Ann Arbor Railroad ferry docks in Elberta.

Inland Township, Michigan Civil township in Michigan, United States

Inland Township is a civil township of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,070 at the 2010 census, up from 1,587 at the 2000 census. The township is located in the east central portion of the county.

Grant Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan Civil township in Michigan, United States

Grant Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 1,066, a slight increase from 947 at the 2000 census.

Crystal Lake (Benzie County, Michigan) lake in Benzie County, Michigan, USA

Crystal Lake, the largest lake of this name in Michigan, is located near Lake Michigan in Benzie County about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Traverse City and about 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Frankfort at 44°39′N86°09′W. It measures approximately 2.5 by 8 miles, and has a maximum depth of 165 feet. At 9,854 acres (40 km2), it is Michigan's ninth largest inland lake. Up to and through the American Civil War years Crystal Lake was known as "Cap Lake" due to the frequent whitecaps visible on its surface. Crystal Lake is adjacent to the southern reaches of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

M-168 (Michigan highway) former highway in Michigan

M-168 was one of the shortest state trunkline highways in the US state of Michigan, extending 0.953 miles (1.534 km) from a junction with M-22 in downtown Elberta to the former Ann Arbor Railroad ferry docks. It followed the south shore of Lake Betsie. The highway was commissioned in 1931 and served as a connection to the car ferries until 1984. The road was being reconstructed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in preparation to transfer it to village control. That transfer happened on April 24, 2012, and now the former highway is a village street.

Otter Lake (Michigan) list of lakes that share the same name

Otter Lake is the name of several lakes and one village in the U.S. state of Michigan.

Michigans 2nd congressional district

Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. From 2003 to 2013 It consisted of the counties of Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, Mason, Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, Ottawa, and the northern portion of Allegan and the northwest portion of Kent. The borders were altered slightly for redistricting in 2012.

WQAN is a radio station in Beulah, Michigan. The station, which began broadcasting in 1979, is owned by Traverse City broadcaster Roy E. Henderson under the "Fort Bend Broadcasting" banner and has long been the primary local station for the Frankfort area and Benzie County. It was formerly simulcast on WCUZ 100.1 FM licensed to Bear Lake, Michigan, which now airs a talk format as Talk Radio 1340 WMTE.

Point Betsie Light lighthouse in Michigan, United States

Point Betsie Light is located on the northeast shore of Lake Michigan — at the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage — north of Frankfort in Benzie County in Northern Michigan. Construction began in 1854, but it was not completed until 1858, and began service in the shipping season of 1859. The lighthouse cost $5,000 to build. In 1875, a life saving station was built for $3,000.

Crystal Lake may refer to the following lakes in Michigan:

Crystal Mountain (Michigan) ski resort in Benzie County, Michigan

Crystal Mountain Resort is a resort and conference center located in Weldon Township, Benzie County, Michigan, just west of Thompsonville. The resort's area forms the Crystal Mountain census-designated place. The resort offers recreational activities including downhill and cross country skiing the winter months, and golf, water activities, and an alpine slide in other seasons. The resort was founded in 1956. In March 2015 the resort announced it was planning a $9 million expansion project that will add new ski runs, lifts, lodging, retail and other amenities.

Betsie River

The Betsie River is a 54.0-mile-long (86.9 km) stream in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Michigan. The name is derived from the French la rivière aux Bec-scies, meaning river of sawbill ducks (bec-scie). Other alternate names include Aug-sig-o-sebe, Aux Buscies, Betsey's River, Black Robe, Gay-she-say-ing, Riviere du Pere Marquette, Sawbill Ducks, and Shelldrake Ducks. The river is mostly within Benzie County, although the river rises in southwest Grand Traverse County and flows briefly through northern Manistee County, Michigan.

Mount Tremont, elevation 3,371 feet (1,027 m), is a mountain in Carroll and Grafton counties in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It stands southwest of the town of Bartlett and directly south of Crawford Notch. It is flanked to the east by Bartlett Haystack mountain, to the northwest by the Sawyer River valley, and to the northeast by the Saco River valley. The mountain is crossed by the Brunel and Mount Tremont trails.

Platte Lake is one of the many lakes located in the northwestern part of Michigan's lower peninsula. There are two lakes in Benzie County, Michigan based on the name Platte, the other being Little Platte. Platte Lake covers 2,516 acres and is 3.3 miles long and 1.6 miles wide. The average depth of Platte Lake is 24 feet deep. The deepest point of the lake is measured at 95 feet deep. The Platte River flows through the lake at a speed of 120 cubic feet per second. This means the residence time for the water in Platte Lake is 6 months. Also meaning that every hour 3.3 million gallons of water are passing through Platte Lake. The Platte River flows through Platte Lake and continues downstream through Loon Lake until it finally reaches Lake Michigan.

The Cherry Hut is a restaurant, bakery and store in Beulah known for its cherry pies and cherry hamburgers as well as other products made from locally grown cherries of Northwest Michigan. It was founded in 1922 and has been in Beulah since 1935. The restaurant is in a town of approximately 350 people in Benzie County and is located at the southeast end of Crystal Lake, about one mile (1.6 km) north of Benzonia on US Highway 31.

Pilgrim, Michigan Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Pilgrim is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Benzie County, Michigan, United States. The year-round population was 11 at the 2010 census.

References

  1. 1 2 Betsie Valley Trail, accessed 23 June 2009.
  2. ↑ http://www.aticonsult.com/trail_log.html#BetsieValleyTrail
  3. ↑ http://www.visitbenzie.com/bike--hike--11/

Coordinates: 44°37′00″N86°05′20″W / 44.61667°N 86.08889°W / 44.61667; -86.08889

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.


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