By Lisa Carolin
Chelsea may soon have a new claim to fame: the gateway to some of Michigan’s longest and most appealing mountain biking trails. That’s because construction of the Waterloo Trail will soon be underway.
It’s been years in the making, and on Saturday, May 16, the official groundbreaking will take place for the Waterloo Trail. Anyone interested in being part of the activities is invited to meet at the Clocktower Commons parking lot in Chelsea at 10 a.m.
Bicyclists are invited to ride to the Waterloo Recreation Area, and at 11 a.m. at the Eddy Discovery Center, the groundbreaking will take place.
At noon back in Chelsea, there will be a celebration featuring veggie sandwiches from Chelsea Alehouse, watermelon from the Plaid Melon, Jet’s Pizza, and a concert by Mr. B and his Boogie Woogie Bicycle Piano. There will also be a bicycle corral for kids ages 3-7 years to practice cycling on a short obstacle course.
Mike Casey, a member of the Friends of Waterloo, who owns Aberdeen Bike and Outdoors, has been working to make this trail happen for years.
“We put together a proposal that we got business leaders and surrounding communities to support, and the Department of Natural Resources approved the concept,” said Casey. “After that we partnered with the Michigan Mountain Biking Association and worked with them to develop the trail, and in the winter of 2013, the DNR gave its approval to the trail.”
Kathy Bradbury, fundraising chair for the Waterloo Trail, says the trail will be a huge economic generator for the area because more people will come to Chelsea to shop, eat, and stay.
“To have the extra 20-plus miles in Waterloo will make this the biggest trail in the area when combined with the Potawatomi Trail in the Pinckney Recreation Area,” said Bradbury. “We are so blessed with such a huge network of trails here. People come from Ohio and Indiana and all over the region to bike the Potawatomi trail, and the Waterloo Trail will make the Chelsea area even more of a destination.”
Bradbury says it will take a long time to put in 20-plus mile of trail, but that if enough money is raised, the first trail could be completed by the end of this summer.
“The unique thing about the Waterloo Trail is that we’re going to have it professionally built so that it will be a sustainable trail with erosion control and drainage,” said Bradbury. “Waterloo is an absolute treasure, and has so much to offer.”
She says that volunteers are needed to help with various aspects of getting the Waterloo Trail built. For more information, click here.
