Proposed mountain bike trail around Hardy Pond could be premier biking destination

A proposed 30-mile hiking and mountain biking trail through the hills and ravines surrounding the Muskegon River’s Hardy Pond could put West Michigan on the map for some of the best hiking south of the Canada border.

According to excerpts from the story:

It could become one of the premier trail destinations in West Michigan if it gets built, local township officials say, of a 30-mile multi-use trail loop proposed around Hardy Pond on the Muskegon River. The non-motorized shoreline trail for hikers and mountain bikers would be built through forested property owned by Consumers Energy, which has agreed to forward the proposal this winter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“Hopefully, we will have FERC approval by next spring so we can get into more intensive planning and layout,” said Jim Bernier, the senior Natural Resource Manager of Hydro Operations for the utility. “There is a lot of boating at Hardy now, but once the trail is built, you could spend a week on it pretty readily.”

Read the complete story here.