First sections of new Avalanche bike trails open

BOYNE CITY — Less than a month after work began to construct nearly 10 miles of new mountain biking trails at Boyne City’s Avalanche Preserve, the first 1.25 miles opened for use late last week.

Representatives from the Top of Michigan Mountain Bike Association, the nonprofit organization that has done all the fundraising, organization and many hours of volunteer work for the project, said the first segment of intermediate-level trail was officially opened for use on Sept. 29.

The trail segment begins near the two-track access road that leads up the main slope from the Avalanche parking lot and winds its way to the south.

Organization officials said the sections of trail that are still under construction and not open for use are marked with signs. The group asks riders to not use the trails until they are properly packed down and officially opened for use.

“It is very important that the new trail has time to firm up before bikes create ruts which could take significant effort to repair,” organization officials said in a news release.

A three-man crew from the professional trail-building firm Dirt Artisans, is planning to work through the first week of November and hopes to complete a total of about six miles of trails in that time. Officials expect trails of varying skill levels to be included in those that are completed before winter.

The trail project is being fully funded through the efforts of the association through its own fundraising efforts, a crowdfunding campaign that brought in $50,000 in matching funds through he Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and a grant from the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. The total cost of the project is expected to be around $259,000.

Organization officials have noted that Dirt Artisans is using “current best practices for sustainable trail development providing many years of use with little requirement for ongoing maintenance,” and that the trails are being laid out to avoid conflicts with other Avalanche users, such as disc golfers and people who enjoy the existing walking trails.

For more information about the organization and the trail project at Avalanche, visit www.tommba.org.

The organization will also be hosting a “meet-the-trail-builders” event at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Boyne City Tap Room, 220 South Lake St., in downtown Boyne City. Representatives from Dirt Artisans will be on hand to discuss what makes a great trail, how trails are built and what’s planned next for Avalanche.

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