TART Trails

Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. was founded in 1998 to consolidate local trail groups and advocate for more trails in our area. Since that time, TART Trails has matured into the “go-to” organization for bicycle and pedestrian advocacy in the Traverse area. In the last several years, we have linked trail corridors together, completed several capital campaign efforts and have maintained outreach and advocacy programs and services.

Walking and bicycle travel for recreation and transportation in northern Michigan is exploding in popularity. As more people choose to move about our community on foot or by bicycle demand for better facilities, proper training, way-finding and a need to “share the road” is intensifying. TART Trails is uniquely positioned to help the community address these needs and begin to implement similar goals that have emerged from the Grand Vision planning process.

TART works to enrich the Traverse area by providing an interconnected network of trails, bikeways and pedestrian ways; and encouraging their use. The TART Trails are a network of four trail systems located in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties and include the Boardman Lake Trail, Leelanau Trail, TART Trail, Three Mile Trail and Vasa Pathway. These trails combine to form over 50 miles of recreation and transportation pathways spanning from Suttons Bay to Acme Township. It is estimated that the trails serve over 200,000 users annually while preserving valuable community greenspace. TART is working to integrate these trails into the community by advocating for interconnected bike lanes, bike routes and sidewalks, and is also working to extend these trails to connect with a developing regional trails system.

1. 'Because Trails Matter'

2. Bicycle and pedestrian advocacy

3. Creating healthy livable communities

4. www.traversetrails.org

5. www.smartcommutetc.org