Hart-Montague Trail State Park

Hart-Montague Trail State Park is a linear state park in Michigan consisting of a bicycle trail running from the city of Montague in Muskegon County to the city of Hart in Oceana County. Recognizing its potential, Bill Field of Shelby purchased the former railroad and donated it for trail use to the State of Michigan. Opened in 1991 and officially adopted as a Rails to Trails park in 1996, it was one of the first "Rails to Trails" projects in the State of Michigan. Its success paved the way for more trails throughout the state and Midwest. The trail's total length is 22 miles; however continuous expansions have increased that length in recent years with the hope of linking it to other trails throughout Western Michigan. A number of local businesses, such as restaurants and ice cream parlors, in the towns along the trail have posted small, discreet signage near the trail to attract cycling visitors who might not otherwise ever notice the little shops in the intervening small municipalities. [ [http://www.a1trails.com/rail/mi/hart.html Hart-Montague Trail State Park, Michigan - A1 Trails ] ] A whimsically themed ice cream / dairy bar in New Era, roughly halfway along the trail, is often mentioned by trail visitors, although there are also a number of others spread along the trail. There is a bicycle shop for repairs on Water Street in Montague in the south, as well as a bike rental shop on Silver Lake Rd in Mears near the northern end of the trail.

The trails goes through the following communities.
* - Montague, Michigan
* - Rothbury, Michigan
* - New Era, Michigan
* - Shelby, Michigan
* - Mears, Michigan
* - Hart, Michigan

References

External links

* [http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/wildlife/viewingguide/slp/74Hart/index.htm Official Site of the Hart-Montague Bicycle Trail (Hosted by Michigan Department of Natural Resources)]
* [http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/Publications/PDFS/RecreationCamping/hart-montague_map.pdf Map of the Hart-Montague Bicycle Trail]