Van Buren Trail State Park: Difference between revisions

Van Buren Trail State Park
Van Buren Trail State Park
Length	14 miles (23 km)
Location	Lower Peninsula, Van Buren County, Michigan
Established	1994
Designation	Michigan state park
Trailheads	South Haven (42°24′07″N 86°16′33″W / 42.40191095°N 86.27582721°W) ; Hartford (42°12′41″N 86°10′16″W / 42.211410°N 86.171065°W)
Use	Biking, Hiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, ; cross-country skiing
Difficulty	Easy
Season	All
Sights	Farmland, blueberry fields, wooded areas.
Surface	Dirt and gravel
Maintained by	Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Website	Van Buren Trail State Park
Trail map

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Latest revision as of 01:42, 3 August 2023

Van Buren Trail State Park, also known as Trail State Park, is an unimproved rail trail running along a former railroad right-of-way between Hartford, Michigan to South Haven, Michigan in Van Buren County. It is 14 miles (23 km) long and is used by hikers, mountain bikers and horse trail riders in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. Terrain is flat with farmland and trees.^[3]

In 2004, Van Buren County took over operation of the state-owned trail after state budget problems. There was a trail pass system to pay for maintenance ^[4] but that was resolved years ago and the trail is now free for Michigan residents with a Parks Passport.

In 2015, The Michigan Department of Natural Resources paved the 4.5-mile stretch which connects Van Buren State Park to the South Haven Trail system The pavement is a 10-foot-wide asphalt surface. South Haven maintains the marked route that connects to a downtown trailhead, city businesses, beaches and Kal-Haven Trail State Park.^[5]

In the fall of 2022 the Friends of the Kal-Haven Park installed directional and mile posts along the trail to better direct guests traveling from Hartford to South Haven via Covert.

Its northern terminus is South Haven near Lake Michigan. The Kal-Haven Trail starts in South Haven northeast of downtown. The trail pass is valid for both trails.

References[edit]

^ "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
^ "Van Buren Trail State Park". Shoreline Visitors Guide. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
^ "Van Buren Trail State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
^ Van Buren County Comprehensive Plan
^ "Paved Van Buren trail extends from South Haven to Van Buren State Park, MLive, Rosemary Parker, Nov 6 2015"

External links[edit]

Van Buren Trail State Park Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Kal-Haven Trail State Park Michigan DNR
Van Buren Trail Van Buren County Community Center
Van Buren Trail State Park Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (Free registration required to view map)

[mdnr3-1] "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 7, 2020.

[shoreline-2] "Van Buren Trail State Park". Shoreline Visitors Guide. Retrieved May 7, 2020.

[mdnr-3] "Van Buren Trail State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 7, 2020.

[4] Van Buren County Comprehensive Plan

[5] "Paved Van Buren trail extends from South Haven to Van Buren State Park, MLive, Rosemary Parker, Nov 6 2015"

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+{{Short description|State park in Van Buren County, Michigan}}
-The '''Van Buren Trail State Park''', also known as '''Trail State Park''', is an unimproved [[rail trail]] running along a former [[railroad]] right-of-way between [[Hartford, Michigan]] to just south of [[South Haven, Michigan]] in [[Van Buren County, Michigan|Van Buren County]]. It is 14 miles long and mostly used by horse trail riders in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. Terrain is flat with farmland and trees.
+{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
+{{Infobox hiking trail
+| name        = Van Buren Trail State Park
+| photo       =
+| photo_size =
+| caption     =
+| location    = Lower Peninsula, [[Van Buren County, Michigan]]
+| map = {{maplink-road|from=VanBurenTrail.map}}
+| designation = [[List of Michigan state parks|Michigan state park]]
+| length      = {{convert|14|mi}}
+| established = 1994<ref name=mdnr3/>
+| trailheads  = [[South Haven, Michigan|South Haven]] ({{coord|42.40191095|-86.27582721|format=dms}})  <br>[[Hartford, Michigan|Hartford]] ({{coord|42.211410
+|-86.171065|format=dms}})<ref name=shoreline/>
+| use         = Biking, Hiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, <br>cross-country skiing
+| elev_change =
+| highest     =
+| lowest      =
+| difficulty  = Easy
+| season      = All
+| months      =
+| sights      = Farmland, blueberry fields, wooded areas.
+| surface     = Dirt and gravel
+| maintainer  = [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources]]
+| hazards     =
+| website     = [https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=354&type=SPTR Van Buren Trail State Park]
+}}
+'''Van Buren Trail State Park''', also known as '''Trail State Park''', is an unimproved [[rail trail]] running along a former [[railroad]] right-of-way between [[Hartford, Michigan]] to [[South Haven, Michigan]] in [[Van Buren County, Michigan|Van Buren County]]. It is {{convert|14|mi|km}} long and is used by hikers, mountain bikers and horse trail riders in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. Terrain is flat with farmland and trees.<ref name=mdnr/>
-In 2004, Van Buren County took over operation of the state-owned trail from between South Haven and [[Hartford, Michigan|Hartford]] after state budget problems. There is a trail pass system to pay for maintenance.
+In 2004, Van Buren County took over operation of the state-owned trail after state budget problems. There was a trail pass system to pay for maintenance <ref>[http://www.vbco.org/downloads/final_vbc_comp_plan_july_2006_ch_6.pdf Van Buren County Comprehensive Plan]</ref> but that was resolved years ago and the trail is now free for Michigan residents with a Parks Passport.
-Its northern terminus is near [[Van Buren State Park]] on [[Lake Michigan]]. The [[Kal-Haven Trail]] starts in South Haven a few miles north. The trail pass is valid for both trails.
+In 2015, The Michigan Department of Natural Resources paved the 4.5-mile stretch which connects Van Buren State Park to the South Haven Trail system The pavement is a 10-foot-wide asphalt surface. South Haven maintains the marked route that connects to a downtown trailhead, city businesses, beaches and Kal-Haven Trail State Park.<ref>[http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/11/paved_van_buren_trail_extends.html "Paved Van Buren trail extends from South Haven to Van Buren State Park, MLive, Rosemary Parker, Nov 6 2015"]</ref>
-The trail is marked with mileposts installed in 1995 by [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]] Kyle Mead.
+In the fall of 2022 the Friends of the Kal-Haven Park installed directional and mile posts along the trail to better direct guests traveling from Hartford to South Haven via Covert.
-==External links==
-*[http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/ParksandTrailsInfo.aspx?id=503 Michigan DNR entry for Van Buren Trail State Park]
-*[http://www.kalhaventrail.org/ Kal-Haven Trail State Park]
+Its northern terminus is [[South Haven, Michigan|South Haven]] near [[Lake Michigan]]. The [[Kal-Haven Trail]] starts in South Haven northeast of downtown. The trail pass is valid for both trails.
-{{Michigan-geo-stub}}
-{{Michigan state parks}}
+==References==
-[[Category:Michigan state parks]]
+{{reflist|refs=
-[[Category:Rail trails]]
+<ref name=mdnr>{{cite web |url=https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=354&type=SPTR |title=Van Buren Trail State Park |publisher=Michigan Department of Natural Resources |access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref>
-[[Category:Van Buren County, Michigan]]
-[[Category:Hiking trails in Michigan]]
-The Van Buren Trail State Park, also known as Trail State Park, is an unimproved rail trail running along a former railroad right-of-way between Hartford, Michigan to just south of South Haven, Michigan in Van Buren County. It is 14 miles long and mostly used by horse trail riders in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. Terrain is flat with farmland and trees.
+<ref name=mdnr3>{{cite web |url=https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/DatesEstablished_650313_7.pdf |title=When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established? |publisher=Michigan Department of Natural Resources |access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref>
-In 2004, Van Buren County took over operation of the state-owned trail from between South Haven and Hartford after state budget problems. There is a trail pass system to pay for maintenance.
+<ref name=shoreline>{{cite web |url=http://www.shorelinevisitorsguide.com/select-michigan-state-park-maps-and-guides/van-buren-trail-state-park/ |title=Van Buren Trail State Park |publisher=Shoreline Visitors Guide |access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref>
+}}
+==External links==
+*[http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/details.aspx?id=354&type=SPTR Van Buren Trail State Park] [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources]]
+*[http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=463&type=SPRK Kal-Haven Trail State Park] Michigan DNR
+*[http://www.vbco.org/natfeat2148358.asp Van Buren Trail] Van Buren County Community Center
+*[http://www.traillink.com/trail/van-buren-trail-state-park-.aspx Van Buren Trail State Park] [[Rails-to-Trails Conservancy]] (Free registration required to view map)
+{{MichiganTrails}}
+{{Michigan state parks}}
+{{authority control}}
-Its northern terminus is near Van Buren State Park on Lake Michigan. The Kal-Haven Trail starts in South Haven a few miles north. The trail pass is valid for both trails.
+[[Category:Rail trails in Michigan]]
-The trail is marked with mileposts installed in 1999 by Eagle Scout Kyle Mead.
+[[Category:State parks of Michigan]]
+[[Category:Protected areas of Van Buren County, Michigan]]
+[[Category:Protected areas established in 1994]]
+[[Category:1994 establishments in Michigan]]