August 8, 2003

Macomb Orchard Trail is the name given to the proposed multi-use, non-motorized trail on 19.5 miles of abandoned railroad right-of-way in Northern Macomb County. The name was selected in recognition of the many orchards in this area of the County.
The right-of-way has been abandoned by its owners, the Canadian National Railroad.  The section of right-of-way that they have recently abandoned is 38 miles long and runs from Richmond on the east to Pontiac on the west, connecting the following communities along the way: Armada, Romeo, Shelby Township, Rochester Hills, Rochester, and Auburn Hills. It is part of a larger railroad once known as the Michigan Airline, which extended west of Jackson to the small town of Concord. Other parts of this line are already used as rail trails. The proposed new trail also connects with the Stony Creek Metropark, Bloomer Park, and the Paint Creek Trail.

Spring has arrived in Michigan and the Macomb Orchard Trail is closer to being a useable trail for recreation and non motorized transportation in northern Macomb County. The Macomb Orchard Trail is the abandoned railroad right-of-way that’s about 23 miles long, extending from Richmond, MI to Dequindre Road, just south of 24 Mile Road/Parkdale Road in Shelby Township. En route it passes through Armada, Romeo, and Washington Township. It then crosses Dequindre and becomes the Clinton River Trail and connects to Rochester and beyond. It also connects to Bloomer park and to the existing Paint Creek Trail, with a few side streets through Rochester.

Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail Membership Application

Memberships renewed / made in October through December are good for the next calendar year.

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Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail
PO Box 385
Richmond, Mich. 48063-0385

www.orchardtrail.org