NEWS

Can’t make the Mighty Mac? 6 more bridge walks

Kathleen Lavey
Lansing State Journal

For the 58th year, thousands of walkers will make the trek north to hike across the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day.

The tradition is so popular that many communities have copied it, holding bridge walks of their own.

Here are a half-dozen unique bridge walk possibilities on Monday that will give you a little exercise before that Labor Day picnic but don’t require driving all the way north and back.

Take a walk in Portland: Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. Monday for a 4.1 mile bridge walk, mostly on Portland’s trail system. Walkers leave from the City Hall parking lot (259 Kent St.) at 8 a.m. Parks and rec director Mary Ellen Scheurer said the event has drawn as many as 120 walkers, who wind around the city and cross six bridges during the event.

“It’s a great way to see our aesthetic hiking and biking trail, of which we have 8 miles, and using the Grand River and the Looking Glass River as focal points,” she said.

Walk the bridge and trail in Grand Ledge: This walk runs from 9 a.m. to noon and starts at Oak Park. Walkers can park at Fitzgerald Park and take a free shuttle to the Oak Park start. Walkers cross the Grand River Bridge, hit the trail at Island Park to Fitzgerald Park or follow the sidewalk on Jefferson Street to Fitzgerald Park. The scenic route is fully accessible. State Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville, will serve as grand marshal of the walk.

Trek the Trestle in St. Clair County: The thrilling part of this 5-mile walk on the Wadhams to Avoca Trail in St. Clair County is crossing the 640-foot Mill Creek Trestle. It’s the longest bridge of its type in the state. The event has been held each year since 2007 in an effort to promote fitness. It begins at 9 a.m. at the Avoca trailhead on M-136, between Kilgore Road and Duce Road. Parking is on the west side of the park. It’s about a two-hour drive from Lansing, so why not continue on to Port Huron after the walk? You can visit the waterfront Lighthouse Park or stroll the Thomas Edison Parkway.

Head for Holland: The annual Labor Day Boardwalk sponsored by the Holland Parks Division begins at Heinz Waterfront Walkway and continues along the Kollen Park Boardwalk and Window on the Waterfront and will end at Windmill Island Gardens. Transportation will be provided to take walkers back to the start. There’s also a pancake breakfast. Heinz Waterfront Walkway is at 16th Street and South Shore Drive in Holland. Other Lake Michigan towns with Labor Day walks include Saugatuck (the walk crosses the Blue Star Bridge between Saugatuck and Douglas and there’s also a pancake breakfast involved) and a 3.5-mile bridge walk in Grand Haven (Begins at 9 a.m.; start at the north side of the Third Street Bridge; ends at Chinook Pier).

Hike the Paint Creek Trail in Oakland County. The Paint Creek Trail is Michigan’s first Rails-to-Trails park, and the Friends of Paint Creek Trail sponsor their 10th annual Labor Day Bridge Walk and Run Monday (the trail crosses Paint Creek). Take a 2-mile walk or a 10K run. The event is free; there’s a suggested donation of $5 per family. Registration is encouraged; you can do that online at www.paintcreektrailfriends.org. You also can register on site on Monday beginning at 8 a.m.; the event begins at 9 a.m. in the Kiwanis Pavilion at Rochester Municipal Park, 600 Madion Ave., Rochester. In a nod to the Mackinac Bridge walk, there will be fudge samples for everyone.

There’s no organized walk, but we can’t resist this place near Battle Creek: You don’t have to be a civil engineer to appreciate the elegance of a beautifully built bridge, and you can create your own bridge walk as you stroll the grounds at Historic Bridge Park, southeast of Battle Creek in Calhoun County. This bridge museum includes various examples of truss bridges that have been moved to the park and restored; there’s also a stone-arch railroad overpass. The park includes paved trails to walk or bike, restrooms and picnic and playground areas; there’s also a canoe and kayak launch. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is located at 14930 9 Mile Road, Emmett Township (beware, as some GPS programs can’t find it). Learn more and get written directions at http://historicbridges.org/info/bridgepark/

Contact Kathleen Lavey at (517) 377-1251 or klavey@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KathleenLavey