… Breaking News…  Major washout closes section of CRT in Rochester.

See details at bottom of newsletter

Dear Friends,

While FCRT continues to celebrate the Clinton River Trail’s 20th Anniversary, we have some very sad news to report. Heavy rain of July 16 severely damaged our beloved Clinton River Trail. A disastrous washout occurred around mile marker 1/2 just west of Dequindre Rd in Rochester. Unfortunately, the trail is completely impassable and will require major effort and time to repair.

FCRT immediately worked with the City of Rochester and Oakland County to develop and publish a “Detour Route.” The City has installed closure signs and barricades. The “Detour Route” can be found below, is posted in trail kiosks, on our social media pages and website clintonrivertrail.org. For everyone’s safety and enjoyment on the CRT, please respect the barricades and use the detour.

Be assured, FCRT is committed to assisting the City of Rochester wherever possible in the lengthy process to rebuild the trail. Trails don’t just happen; people make them happen! So, get involved and come to our monthly meetings the last Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the Auburn Hills Community Center.

Despite the disastrous loss of a beautiful portion of the CRT, this fabulous summer is making our Anniversary Celebration a hot one! That’s even more reason to get out on the Clinton River Trail in the early morning or evening hours to enjoy a leisurely stroll or ride. Perhaps our paths will cross…

 Melinda Hill, President FCRT

CLIINTON RIVER TRAIL: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE was the theme for FCRT’s party to celebrate CRT's 20th Anniversary.  Nearly 60 people heard an overview from Todd Scott - Executive Director, Detroit Greenways Coalition.  Scott was one of the authors of the original CRT Master Plan.  Andrea LaFountaine - Executive Director, Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance (MTGA) provided a glimpse into future trail plans for the region.  The group sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the trail and enjoyed cake while sharing stories and experiences along the trail.

FCRT has partnered with the Detroit Institute of Arts and the five trail communities to host the installation of artwork as part of the DIA’s 2024 Inside|Out Program.  A total of eight images from the DIA’s collection are located along the 16-mile length of the trail.  Each image is accompanied by a brief explanation of its origin and responsible artist.  Displays are intended for viewing during daylight hours by trail users and the general public.  Although the artwork is located on the trail, convenient parking is available near each photograph or painting for easy access by interested non-trail users.  The DIA has provided a map of the locations which can be found on either the DIA or the FCRT website.

June 1st – National Trails Day – was a busy day for FCRT.  First stop was a pop-up information tent on the trail in Sylvan Lake. Volunteers greeted riders on the Michigan Air Line Trail sponsored multi-trail ‘Table to Table’ ride. FCRT welcomed them with information on the CRT’s history and planned future developments.

Folding their tent in Sylvan Lake, FCRT then went to downtown Auburn Hills joining additional FCRT’ers and representatives from the City. The 20th Anniversary of the trail was honored by a short presentation by Mayor Marzolf and Melinda Hill, FCRT president. Attendees then participated in either a walk or ride along the trail, followed by the Auburn Hills “Trail Mix Bar” where everyone could create their own jar of trail mix from an extensive assortment of goodies.

This fall, FCRT will be removing all the trail-side map boxes after 18 years of service. The boxes were built as an Eagle Scout project and originally installed in 2006. The decision to remove the boxes was made by the CRT Alliance for several reasons, including the age of the boxes, existence of on-line maps and on-trail kiosks and monuments with permanent maps, and dramatically declining usage of the paper maps. Many people know the trail and simply don’t need a paper map.  The number of maps pulled from the boxes has dropped from over 12,000 a year down to less than 1,000.  Maps will still be available from city recreation departments, or you can print your own from the on-line pdf.

Torrential rains the week of July 16 caused the pond to overflow and wash away roughly 100 feet of the trail. An additional 100 feet has been made unstable as well. The detour route is shown in the map below.  Recovery will be expensive and lengthy.  It is too soon to know what this rebuild will look like, how much it will cost, how it will be funded, or when it will be done. Updates can be found on the FCRT website at clintonrivertrail.org

Please Note: Continued heavy rains can lead to washouts anywhere along the trail.  Places where people and/or animals create side paths off the trail are most vulnerable to such erosion.  Please do your part, stay on the surfaced trail.

Helping the owner-cities build, maintain, beautify, and, when needed, repair the trail is what the FCRT is all about. Your engagement with us will be an important part of those efforts. Trails don’t just happen; people make them happen. So, get involved. Come to our monthly meetings. They are on the last Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the Auburn Hills Community Center. If we change the time or location, we will post on our social media and website.