Iron Ore Heritage Trail will expand this year

The weekend of June 7th is shaping up to be a fun-filled couple of days, with not only the Iron Range Roll set to take place but also the Marquette Trails festival.

For those who like to get out and enjoy some of Marquette’s most scenic routes, we have some great news — the Iron Ore Heritage Trail is being expanded.

The current trail connects five communities from Chocolay Township to downtown Republic. Five new miles will be added this year, with plans to start improvements in July and finishing in November.

“We are going to upgrade, and what we are probably going to do is add crushed limestone, signage, boardwalking and platforms,” Iron Ore Heritage Trail administrator Carol Fulsher said. “This section of the trail will be truly multi-use. Everyone is going to share the trail — walkers, bikers, ATV’s, equestrians, so we have a lot of education to this portion to this portion of the trail.”

The Marquette Trails Festival includes a mountain bike race, trail run and tours as well as other family friendly events. Festival information can be found at www.marquettetrailsfest.com.