A heavily used trail in Ontonagon County is now closed due to a washout.
By Marqui Mapp
Tuesday, May 06, 2008 at 8:26 p.m.
Read more: Local
MASS CITY -- A rainstorm last Friday created a massive hole on the Bill Nichols Trail in Ontonagon County.
The DNR has closed the trail until they can fix the 50-foot deep hole. "We have some estimates that it's probably about 400 cubic yards of material that moved," said Baraga Unit Manager for the DNR, Don Mankee.
The gully was reported to the DNR on Saturday afternoon by a grant sponsor who was maintaining the trail.
Although at this time of year, the trail doesn’t get anywhere near the 50,000 riders that it does in the winter, the DNR is concerned about keeping it closed for too long. Right now, the Baraga unit is working with the DNR office in Lansing to find the funds to pay for the repair, but they are still unsure of what it will actually cost. “We really don't know at this point. Part of that depends on where contractors will be able to get the fill material that's needed to fill the hole,” said Mankee.
DNR officials hope to have the trail up and running by the end of the month. Until then, they're asking visitors to stay away from the site as more erosion could occur.
