Lake St. Clair Coastal Water Trail Unveiled in New Baltimore

After a year of planning, organizers unveiled the Lake St. Clair Coastal Water Trail Tuesday morning in New Baltimore, giving local kayakers and canoers a nearby site to hit the water for a journey along the coast.

Dozens of paddling enthusiasts joined organizers and local government and law enforcement officials at for the official trail kickoff. The trail is a carefully planned route for kayakers and canoers that maps out boat launch areas, camping locations and points of interest, said Mary Bohling, an educator for Michigan Sea Grant, which contributed $10,000 to the trail initiative.

“This particular trail is going to link up not only with the St. Clair River blueways to the north of here, but also to the Detroit Heritage River Water Trail,” she said. “We’ll have one continuous water trail from the Michigan-Ohio border all the way up to Lake Huron.”

New Baltimore Mayor Larry Smith, Commissioner Kathy Vosburg and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel joined Bohling in unveiling the trail and emphasized the importance of Lake St. Clair to the region.

“I can think of nothing more beneficial than the use of our lake, and having (Burke Park) being the start and finish point for kayakers is a little added benefit to the city of New Baltimore,” Smith said. “Recreation is the heartbeat of our community; this is what helps build our community.”

Vosburg, who has been canoeing for 40 years and kayaking for 10 years, said the trail will allow residents who don’t live on the water to access it at various launch sites.

“I’ve always viewed Lake St. Clair as one of the greatest assets that we have in this area for both economic development and recreation,” she said. “This trail is a unique asset for us. It highlights some of our well-known natural areas, such as the Salt River, the Lake St. Clair Flats, along with tourist interests all the way from Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Metro Beach and, of course, this beach in New Baltimore and in Chesterfield.”

Hackel told the crowd gathered in the waterfront pavilion that he hopes to further promote Macomb County’s resources, especially the lake.

“It’s not considered one of the Great Lakes, but to us here in Macomb County it is our great lake,” he said, noting that it is one of the safest and most patrolled lakes in the state.

Bohling added that there has been a growing interest and participation in kayaking, noting that many people kayak to stay fit, relax or just stray from their normal daily routines.

The Lake St. Clair Coastal Water Trail map will be available at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Metro Beach Metropark, Great Lakes Docks & Decks, local municipality offices, select marinas, and online at miseagrant.com.