Climb aboard your bicycle and pedal into the past while catching a glimpse of the future. The Betsie Valley Recreational Trail, built on the bed of the former Ann Arbor Railroad corridor, traces 23 miles of transportation history as it crosses open countryside and forests, paralleling the Betsie River and skirting the shores of Crystal Lake before ending at Lake Michigan's sandy shoreline.

Preserving a sense of the past while creating a major asset for the future, the Betsie Valley Trail begins just nine miles east in the village of Thompsonville. Here's where the roar of locomotives and piercing train whistles once created in, where a bustling village of 1200 people once thrived and hotels, sawmills, saloons and even a cigar factory lined the streets. A tall gristmill standing across from the trailhead parking lot is a hulking reminder of the days when Thompsonville's strategic location at the junction of the Pere Marquette and Ann Arbor Railroads made it a prosperous center of commerce. Over a century ago, railroads were the economic engines of Benzie County communities as railroad tracks stitched the small towns together. Eventual depletion of the surrounding forest resources, plus the rise of the automobile and interstate road system, led to the demise of the railroad industry as Betsie County's primary mode of transportation. By the mid-twentieth century, the tracks were abandoned.

In 1993, the Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail, a non-profit volunteer group, formed to encourage the development of a recreational trail along the deserted rail corridor. With its wide paths and low grades, the Betsie Valley Trail offers a healthy place to recreate as well as providing a catalyst for community revitalization. Like the railroad before it, the trail is again linking small towns together, recycling the picturesque countryside views once enjoyed from a passenger train window.

Your bicycling journey begins at the Thompsonville trailhead on a surface of compacted aggregate. Within the first two miles of the 12.3 miles stretch to Beulah, there is a spectacular overlook of the Betsie River on the old trestle bridge that spans the water.  Pedaling eastward, you'll coast over a landscape loaded with young hardwood forests, field of ferns and wildflowers and open vistas. Near Homestead and Zimmerman Roads is the site of the former settlement of Homestead, which maintained a post office and housing quarters for railroad workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries before evaporating into time.

"Brake" time in Beulah

Entering the village of Beulah, bicyclists are greeted by a handsome new depot building serving as the trail's welcome and information center. Completed last summer, the building is a replica of the former Ann Arbor Railroad Beulah depot and was built by the Benzie Sunrise Rotary Club in cooperation with the Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail and the Village of Beulah. Park your bike and stretch those cycling muscles with a walk down Beulah's main street. Enjoy hot or frozen coffee drinks and fresh fruit smoothies at the Phoenix Cafe. Don't miss the flavorful sandwiches and unique beverages offered at the East Shore Market and the L'Chayim Deli.  There's lot to browse through at Crystal Crate & Cargo or a number of other gift and antique shops. If you've worked up a sweat, now's the time to take a dip at Beulah's Crystal Lake beach, a prime swimming and sunbathing beach spot. But don't dally long. Put a bookmark in Beulah and saddle up, for the best riding is yet to come

Shifting Gears

Leaving Beulah's Village Park, the trail has a crushed limestone surface for 3.2 miles as it fringes the south shore of Crystal Lake between cottages and the water. Homes disappear as you pedal west toward Railroad Point Natural Area, a solitary stretch of lakeshore with over 61 acres of forested bluffs and one-third mile of pristine Crystal Lake shoreline. Here, the trail runs adjacent to a piece of Benzie County history. A concrete embankment not visible from the trail marks the site where, in 1872, a canal was dug with the intent of connecting Crystal Lake to Lake Michigan. That effort prompted the water levels of Crystal Lake to immediately drop by ten feet - but the village of Beulah owes its existence to this error, standing today on what was formerly swamp land.

After crossing Mollineaux Road, the trail is paved and cuts a swath through forested hills and wetlands. From here to Cannon Park in Frankfort, these 6.7 miles of pavement is ideal for road bikes, roller blades, strollers and wheelchairs. Hardwoods provide awnings of shade as you pedal high above the banks of the Betsie River, catching occasional glimpses of the river on your left as it meanders below. On your right, wetlands and small swamps team with turtles who often bask in the sunlight on platforms of fallen logs. It's an easy 2.8 miles to Elberta from here, including a stop at the David Harrison Memorial Lookout, a bird watching platform adjacent to the Betsie River bridge. It's a great vantage point for checking out waterfowl, cranes, and a variety of shore birds that frequent the Betsie River delta and marsh area.

Emerging Elberta

Arriving at the Elberta trailhead, cross M-22 to merge with the Beach-to-Beach trail connecting the beaches of Elberta and Frankfort. Here you can either turn left toward Elberta or turn right to head into Frankfort. A left turn will put you right in the palm of the Elberta Farmer's Market, open every Thursday from 7:30am-noon from May until October (after Labor Day, it's 9:00am-noon). Pick up some fresh local farm produce - or go the restaurant route with breakfast or lunch at the Elberta Beach Diner on M-22. The village of Elberta, on the cusp of a complete revival, boasts a lovely waterfront park along the south shore of Betsie Lake. Here you'll find the historic Lifesaving Station of pre-Coast Guard days. En route to the park, you'll coast along Ferry Street where you can stop by the Mayfair for lunch, the Cabbage Shed for dinner, or the Trick Dog for a coffee break and eclectic art experience.

Fuel up in Frankfort

If you were to take the trail to the right at the Elberta trailhead, you'll cross the bridge that spans the marshy end of the Betsie River as its waters are swallowed by Betsie Lake. The trail follows the curve of the lake's eastern shoreline before emerging into the open space on the waterfront in downtown Frankfort.