With increased use and popularity throughout the four seasons, partners are working to make crucial updates and improvements at the Vasa Pathway, including the expansion and maintenance of the Vasa Pathway Bartlett Road Trailhead and the construction of a new maintenance and grooming facility at Timber Ridge. These projects are completed through impressive collaboration between TART Trails, the Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Grand Traverse County.
Vasa Pathway Bartlett Road Trailhead Project
Public Input Survey Takeaways from the 30% Plan Concept
On October 8th, 2024, Grand Traverse County, TART Trails, and Prein & Newhof hosted a public input meeting to review the 30% completed Vasa Pathway Bartlett Trailhead concept. Public surveys were distributed to the 20 in-person attendees.
Following the meeting, TART Trails created and shared an online version of the survey to garner as much public input as possible. The survey was accessible from October 11th to November 1st, 2024. The survey takeaways are as follows:
- Good participation and representation of bikers, XC skiers, walkers, and Bike Park users
- Largely positive responses to the 30% design
- Consistent desire for nature focus
- Desire for improvements to the driveway and parking area
- The existing trailhead amenities are utilized by most respondents, especially the bathrooms
- Consistent positive responses to the fire pit addition
- A desire for a better connection between buildings and trails i.e. connector trail and signage
- Concern about losing natural character, encroaching into bike park, follow-up maintenance, developing beyond what is needed
Please find the complete survey summary here:
Public Input from the 60% Plan Concept
- Explore and compare wider parking spaces to accommodate ski and bike unloading/loading and snowy conditions
- Pipe water from the warming hut roof to the stormwater system
- Incorporate any easy grading opportunities to ensure a flat staging area for skiers at the top of the connector trail as well as a gradual slope down to the existing trail
Explore this document for more information:
Year Round Maintenance and Grooming Facility at Timber Ridge Project
TART Trails has long outgrown the current grooming barn located at the Vasa Pathway trailhead located off Bartlett Road in Williamsburg. NMMBA is currently without a facility and has entered into a yearly agreement to store equipment at Timber Ridge Resort. TART and NMMBA want to share a facility at the southeast corner of the Timber Ridge property, provide a maintenance area, and house an office for grooming and maintenance operations. In addition to the building facility, the proposed location offers better access to the south side of the Vasa Pathway which receives and holds more snow compared to the existing Bartlett Road trailhead. This move will extend grooming in the early and late portions of the winter season. More to come…