The Iron Ore Heritage Trail stretches 4.3 miles farther east as of Monday, Sept. 28, connecting Kawbawgam Road to Lakenenland Sculpture Park on M-28 in Chocolay Township.

Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority Trail Administrator Bob Hendrickson said the extension, built on an old railroad grade within the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) corridor, is open to both motorized and non-motorized users. Motorized vehicles must be 65 inches wide or narrower, according to MyUPNow. That means side-by-sides, four-wheelers and motorbikes can use the path, but full-size trucks and SUVs cannot.

The segment is part of the DNR's "C Route," which links to trails running to Munising and Shingleton.

Hendrickson told WLUC on Monday, Sept. 28 that trail grading is finished and crews are wrapping up a parking area with a bike rack and signage. The trailhead at Lakenenland includes a two-car, ADA-accessible parking pad and interpretive panels highlighting the area's natural features and cultural history, according to MyUPNow.

$450,000 project taps two grants

The project cost about $450,000. A $300,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant through the DNR covered most of it, with a $100,000 grant from the Michigan Trails & Greenway Alliance, and the Recreation Authority itself contributed the remaining $50,000, MyUPNow and The Mining Journal reported.

Susan Estler, executive director of Travel Marquette, the county's official destination marketing organization, welcomed the addition. "Any enhancement to our ... (trail network) is a benefit to visitors and residents," she told The Mining Journal.

Construction crews upgraded the unimproved railroad bed with gravel and topped it with fine crushed aggregate. "We built that up with some gravel and capped that with a fine aggregate, which is a bicycle aggregate, but it's really durable," Hendrickson said on WLUC. "We're looking forward to seeing how that works on the motorized side of things."

The extension runs through pine groves in Chocolay Township and ends at Lakenenland Sculpture Park, a free, 24-hour sculpture park at 2800 M-28 East, about 15 miles east of Marquette.

Second project, fall colors and a five-year plan

The Lakenenland extension was not the trail authority's only summer project. Crews also laid 1.2 miles of new gravel between Ely and Humboldt, grading the stretch twice.

Hendrickson recommended the paved, non-motorized corridor between Negaunee and Ishpeming for fall color viewing, calling it canopied with fall color. He said foliage is also turning farther west through Ishpeming, Tilden, Ely and Humboldt.

The Iron Ore Heritage Trail spans 47 miles across the Marquette Iron Range, according to the trail authority's website. It crosses 10 municipalities.

Looking ahead, the authority is beginning work on its 2028 Recreation Plan, a five-year master plan that will guide trail development. A Chocolay Township press release said construction had been on schedule for mid-September completion. Public feedback sessions on the new plan are expected across all 10 municipalities in 2027, though specific dates have not been announced.