New segment of Washtenaw County border-to-border trail opens

This file photo from 2007 shows the Huron River in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park, which runs along the river between Cross Street and Michigan Avenue.

File photo

“It’s really a nice area,” said Bob Krzewinski, director of Friends of the Border-to-Border Trail. “You wouldn’t even hardly be able to tell you are in a city.”

A path has existed in the area for years, but Krzewinski said it fell into disrepair. The group, along with the Washtenaw County Parks Commission, is working lay woodchips on the stretch, along with benches and signage.

“The county is doing really good work,” Krzewinski said. “Things are progressing fairly well. It takes a long time to build a good trail, and this is all part of the process.”

The border-to-border trail effort is now more than a decade old and was part of a 10-year, 0.25-mill park improvement millage passed by voters in 1998.

The Water Street corridor is the latest in several chunks of the trail that are already complete. Among the most heavily traversed parts are trails in areas like Ann Arbor’s Gallup Park, and residents can now travel a stretch of trail between Eastern Michigan University and downtown Ann Arbor.

In addition, the western part of the county has seen the opening of trails in Hudson Mills Metropark, Dexter and Dexter Township.

Ultimately, Krzewinski and others working on the project envision a path where bicyclists, joggers, walkers can use a unique recreation outlet or even a nonmotorized path to commute to work.

Krzewinski said woodchips along the Water Street segment are temporary until a concrete path can be installed. The Friends of the Border-to-Border Trail is holding events like Saturday’s walk and fundraisers to push for the project’s completion.

“We hope to have a really good walkable trail with woodchips markers, maps and all that by late spring,” he said. “The main thing we want to do right now is spread the word about the trail.”

The group holds walks monthly and organizes a large New Year’s Day walk annually.

Those interested in exploring the new segment of the trail can gather on Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. at Bombadill’s Cafe in downtown Ypsilanti or at 12:30 p.m. outside the Shadow Art Fair at the Corner Brewery on Forest Avenue. The walk will take approximately an hour.

• Download a copy of the border-to-border map, courtesy of the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Department, or click here for more information.

Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.