TART Trails seeks volunteers for spring cleanup across network

Winter left behind more than a seasonal mess on the TART Trails network. It left branches, brush, trash and worn edges on a system that sees more than 650,000 annual visits and serves walkers, runners, cyclists and families across Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties.

TART Trails called volunteers out Saturday morning, April 18, for its Spring Work Bee from 10 a.m. to noon, with work spread across various locations on the network. The nonprofit asked people to sign up solo or bring friends, family members or coworkers, and to bring light tools such as rakes or brooms if they had them.

The cleanup came at a practical moment for Grand Traverse County, where trail conditions shape how safely and easily people move between neighborhoods, parks and business corridors as spring turns toward the summer tourism season. TART says much of the maintenance on its trails is completed by volunteers, and the work bee fit into a broader model that depends on thousands of volunteer hours each year rather than staff alone.

TART Trails was formed in 1998 when four individual trail groups in the Traverse City area united. Today, its network includes trails in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties plus a cross-town bike route. The TART Trail itself is 10.5 miles long, running from M-72 and Bates Road in Acme Township to Carter Road in Traverse City, where it links with the Leelanau Trail.

That larger system helps explain why a spring cleanup matters. The Boardman Lake Loop Trail, which TART has described as its “crown jewel and centerpiece,” was completed in July 2022 and added another heavily used corridor to the network. TART’s annual report said overall trail usage rose 20 to 30 percent in 2020, and the City of Traverse City has said trail counts on a stretch of the TART topped two million annual visits in 2018 and 2019 before pandemic disruptions.

TART also says its Volunteer Ambassador Program supports safe, responsible and enjoyable use of the trail network through maintenance, program and outreach roles. The Spring Work Bee was part of that same stewardship effort, the kind that keeps a regional trail system usable after winter and presentable before peak outdoor season.

Spring Work Bee details: Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at various locations along the trail network. Bring rakes, brooms or similar light tools if you have them. Volunteers were welcome to come alone or bring friends, family members or coworkers.