Betsie Valley TrailScenic ride captures the essence of Northern Michigan By Mike Terrell The Valley Trail, which meanders for 23-miles through Benzie County from Thompsonville to Frankfort, could be called the “gem” of Northern Michigan’s rail/trail conversions. Connecting several rural communities, it also passes through Beulah, Elberta and even a ghost town. The trail, which follows the old Ann Arbor Railroad line, was first opened in its entirety about five years ago. The paved portion of the trail from Frankfort to Mollineaux Road just outside Beulah was completed a few years earlier. Having ridden it both ways on my mountain bike, from Frankfort to Thompsonville and vice-versa, I prefer riding from inland to the coast. While the trail is essentially flat either way, it does offer a slight downhill run to the water. I enjoy the change of scenery from hardwood and pine forests, tall ranging hills and stream crossings, down to riding along the shore of Crystal Lake and on over to Lake Michigan along the Betsie River. It’s a scenic ride. Spur trails in both Frankfort and Elberta lead you to their beautiful Lake Michigan beaches. It really captures the essence of Northern Michigan in one ride.
WILDLY POPULAR “Since the Betsie Valley Trail opened a few years ago, it has proven a real boon to our communities,” said Joanne Bartley, a spokesperson at the Frankfort-Elberta Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s one of our most requested brochures. People frequently ask about it. They want to know about the trail. It really brings many people into our area as well as getting a lot of local use.” Leaving the village of Thompsonville you pass over the Betsie River – which you won’t see again for another 16 miles – at the site of an antique railroad bridge that has been restored. For the next seven miles you travel through the Pere Marquette State Forest passing over Dair Creek and an extensive beaver dam area. At one point, twin steps lead down both sides of the high dirt overpass to the creek. You pass the site of a ghost town, formerly called Homestead, as you approach Aylsworth and Zimmerman Roads. Railroad maintenance workers lived here in boarding houses at the turn of the 19th century. The trail turns west at this point and cruises through a valley called “The Cut,” which was named by the railroad. Tall hills line both sides of the valley. As you cross Homestead and Case Roads, look carefully and you can spot the remains of an old lumber mill.
BEULAH REFRESHMENTS You drop quickly out of the forest and down to Crystal Lake as you approach the village of Beulah. There are several choices for refreshments, and the Beulah Trailhead & Visitor’s Center, a replica of the former railroad station, has public restrooms, a water fountain, picnic pavilion and bike racks. There’s also a public park down on the lakeshore. You are about halfway to Frankfort at this point. The next three miles glide along the lakeshore and by the many old, well-preserved cottages that line much of the Crystal Lake shoreline. This has been a popular summertime destination since the turn-of-the-last-century for many Chicagoans. Many of the cottages are at least a half-century old, and some more than that. The last mile you ride along Crystal Lake, the cottages disappear and the trail hugs the lakeshore offering unparalleled views. The waves almost lap at your feet. The last eight miles are paved, which you pick up at Mollineaux Road as you leave Crystal Lake. The six-mile section over to Elberta is a peaceful, easy ride with some beautiful overlooks of the Betsie River, which you can once again see. You also start to see more trail users at this point. The eight-mile paved section of trail gets a lot more use from both cyclists and rollerbladers. Up to this point, most of your ride is away from busily traveled roads. You will see few vehicles between Thompsonville and Beulah, nor along the Crystal Lake section. That’s a nice feature of this rail-to-trail that you don’t find along many such pathways; solitude and peace. A lot of rail/trail conversions seem to follow along busy routes.
BRING YOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE The trail has three different surfaces; the paved portion from Frankfort to Mollineaux Road, a crushed limestone surface along Crystal Lake, and a hard aggregate surface from Beulah to Thompsonville. While cross bikes will work fairly well, especially on the paved and aggregate surfaces, a mountain bike works best for the entire trail. Skinny-tired road bikes would have problems on non-paved portions of the trail. A nice option for trail riders is that Benzie County Bus service – 231-325-3000 – will take you and your bike to any road crossing along the trail. Just spot your car. The busses have bike racks, and the fee is $3 per person, $1.50 per person for seniors (55+). While a 24-hour reservation is preferred, sometimes reservations may be made on shorter notice. More information is available at www.benziebus.com. It’s a nice plus, because you don’t have to do an out-and-back ride.
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