Huron Sunrise Trail extended into Hoeft State Park
With members of the Top of Michigan Trails Council in attendance, the official ribbon cutting for a new trail spur into Hoeft State Park took place over the weekend. The 10-foot wide paved trail meanders into the park from the Huron Sunrise Trail near US-23, adjacent to the road leading into the park, and makes its way to within several yards of the ranger station before continuing a short distance to the historic pavilion building in the southern section of the park. The pavilion, which was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, will offer trail users a chance to take a break before heading back to Rogers City. The pavilion has picnic tables, restrooms and a drinking fountain.
ACCORDING TO park supervisor Blake Gingrich, the trail was made possible with funds from a Forest/Mineral and Fire Management grant. He said some of the grant dollars are specifically set aside to construct non-motorized trails. ?Michigan Department of Transportation brought the trail out here and it?s great for the campers, but they had to ride the road to get into the park,? said Gingrich, ?so this got them off of the road. It?s a safe place for non-motorized traffic.? Gingrich hopes the new trail will attract more people to one of Michigan?s oldest state parks, which was ranked by the DNR in a Detroit Free Press article as one of the 10 best in state.
?We are one of the hidden gems and that?s what everybody is saying?but how do we get people up here?? Gingrich asked, walking back to the pavilion after participating in the ribbon cutting near US-23.
HE SAID the state parks in Harrisville and Tawas have been full but Hoeft has not reached that level this season and Gingrich wants to know why. ?Once they come here and we get them into the park, they realize the beach is nice and that there is a lot to do here,? said Gingrich.
The park supervisor believes the Huron Sunrise Trail, and the new extension into the park, will make people stop and eventually make the park a destination again. ?We are trying promote Rogers City and Presque Isle County, not just Hoeft State Park,? said Gingrich. Attending the dedication were Rogers City mayor Beach Hall, park officials, members of the construction crew, and others.
BRANDON WIRGAU, who helped clear and construct the trail late last year, officially cut the ribbon, allowing members of the Top of Michigan Trails Council to ride their bikes through and continue on their journey. The bike club started their day at Little League Park in Rogers City and traveled to the park with most of them arriving 15 minutes before the dedication. Former County Development Commission director Mary Ann Heidemann is a member of the club and said, ?We had set this date, but the park had been looking for a good date to have the ribbon cutting.
?THEY ORGANIZE a series of trail rides every summer, probably about a dozen rides in different parts of the state, to publicize the bike trails,? said Heidemann. The Huron Sunrise Trail was stop number four of eight this summer. The trails council will be in Alpena on July 23 and in Mackinaw City August 6.
After the ribbon cutting, the riders ventured up US-23 to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse. Fred Wenn, DNR seasonal worker, who also worked on the new trail, would like to see the trail extended all the way to the park. That too, would be an added attraction for Rogers City tourism, as well as the state park.