Trails are about people. An investment in trails is an investment in community development, a healthy and active outdoor culture, a place that attracts talent and inspires a high quality of life.
Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that formed in 1998 when four individual trail groups in the Traverse City area united to create a stronger force for recreation and alternative transportation in northwest Michigan. Those groups included work on what we know today as the Vasa Pathway, TART, Boardman Lake Trail, and the Leelanau Trail.
Led by 15 staff and 11 volunteer board members, TART Trails’ mission is to bring trails to life. Our vision is a future where pathways are woven into everyday life—shaping culture and community, fostering movement and connection, deepening care for each other and the environment, now and for generations to come.
TART is dedicated to providing recreation and transportation opportunities through preserving open space corridors, building trails, and advocating for active living and outdoor recreation. Our work includes negotiating easements, hosting events that promote healthy lifestyles, and collaborating with community partners to support healthy, happy connected communities.
