Planners to work on vision for Lake Michigan trail (UPDATE)

SAUGATUCK, Mich. (AP) — Government planners from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin anticipate being among those meeting next week to work on plans for a proposed 1,640-mile trail network around Lake Michigan.

The biking, hiking and kayaking route in the four states along the shoreline of Lake Michigan is the topic of the Nov. 8-9 Lake Michigan Trail Conference at Saugatuck Center for the Arts in southwestern Michigan, MLive.com reported. More than 150 people, including planners, are expected to attend.

“The objective … will be to establish a long-distance recreational trail that highlights the vast natural beauty of the Lake Michigan shoreline and the many historic, recreational and cultural offerings,” said Dave Lemberg, conference planner and associate professor of Geography at Western Michigan University.

The trail would be over land and across water. States and regional organizations have been independently putting together more shoreline trails in recent years.

The conference is expected to include discussion of an overall vision for the trail, creating water trail partnerships and incorporating existing routes into the trail system.

The event is free and get its money from a grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Coastal Zone Management Program. Registration is required to attend.

(Map courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR -- Click to view full map)