Interview with Paul Griffith, volunteer on the White Pine Trail, May 2026

The Fred Meijer White Pine Trail is a premier rail-trail here, having been named a Pure Michigan Trail, an honor shared with two other trails. Good infrastructure like the White Pine Trail doesn’t just fall from the sky- it takes planning, resources, and the hard work of many folks. One of the people advocating for the cause is Paul Griffith from Big Rapids, a volunteer for the White Pine Trail.

Paul has been active in development of the trail for a dozen years and has served on the board of directors of Friends of the White Pine Trail. Currently he is just a volunteer, but he’s clearly leading the way championing the trail. We asked him to sit and answer some questions about this. Please read on to learn a bit more.

JP: Please tell us a bit about your volunteer work:

Paul: I’m not on the board now, but I volunteer for some special projects and do a little trail maintenance. We have a new grant from the DALMAC fund to the Cadillac Rotary Club for signage on the trail, about 140 signs between Cadillac and Big Rapids, to give passing traffic a heads-up they’re about to see a trail crossing.

JP: Why volunteer for this trail?

Paul: That’s easy, I live within a mile of the trail, which used to be gravel north of Big Rapids, a rough stretch. We received some ARPA funding (Covid recovery grants) to be used for state parks; we are a state park, The Fred Meijer Linear State Park. This funding completed the paving on the last gravel section of the trail. There are 15 communities along the trail, and they’re all working with the DNR for trail improvements. For example, Howard City received a grant to renovate their old depot and add to it. Big Rapids recently finished a project, including opening a bike shop in the old train depot.

JP: Tell us about your bicycle experience, your person bike riding-

Paul: Since I’ve retired, I joined a group called Silver Spokes of Mecosta County, a club of mostly retired folks from the Canadian Lakes area. Every Monday and Thursday we go biking somewhere, almost always on a trail. Traverse City, Midland, Alma, Greenville Muskegon and Grand Rapids are just some of our trips.

JP: There’s a social component?

Paul: We do 40 to 50 rides a year, with 8 to 20 riders. We also have 3 or 4 potlucks a year. We have a lot of fun! We dive to the start, ride 20 or 30 miles, have a meal and drive home. That’s a full day. We try to do one night ride, has to be on a very smooth trail. It’s fun and Silver Spokes is a great group to belong to.

JP: So, back to the White Pine. Do you help recruit volunteers?

Paul: I do, and it’s interesting, more people come to me, than me going to find (volunteers). There’s 5 or 6 volunteers who help me, we do only the middle section. The DNR handles the north section, and the south end is handled out of Grand Rapids. We like to help the DNR with things like fallen tree removal or sign replacement, because it’s more efficient vs. having DNR drive 50-60 miles one way to do 15 minutes of work.

JP: How do you get notified of trail problems?

Paul: A couple of ways. The Friends of the White Pine Trail website has a portal for repair requests. The DNR also gets calls for repair, which they might pass on to us. We have a small stockpile of signs here and in Grand Rapids for emergency use.

JP: What parts of your volunteer work give the most satisfaction?

Paul: Well, the maintenance is fun (You can see progress).

JP: How about trail development?

Paul: Well, the Michigan Trails and Greenways newsletter, about 3 years ago, talked about Heritage Trails. I read their newsletter and thought, shoot, we’ve got a Heritage Trail right here (lacking designation). This trail is over 150 years old, dating back to the Civil War times. So I called Dan Spiegel of the DNR history center about this idea, and he was able to schedule a visit about 3 months later, in September 2023. Our board and the DNR knew about the Heritage Trail concept. He stayed for a longer visit, and I got him addresses of every library and historical society on the trail and researched old newspaper articles. We’ll soon have wayfinding signage along the trail, complete with these important historical notes about the local town. (Note: State grant funding for this project is pending).

JP: Here’s your chance to brag: are you the originator of the idea of Heritage Trail designation for the White Pine?

Paul: I am. I love to see these kinds of projects. Dan Spiegel dos 80 to 90% of the work, but he doesn’t know the area. I get him connected to a lot of people in the area. He’s a writer and a historian, he does the work, but he has to be connected.

We also have 3 or 4 ‘art projects’ planned with not a single dollar of DNR funding. The local communities have raised the funds. I get a lot of enjoyment being part of projects like that.

JP: I think your answer gives a vision of how the trail is managed. Someone like you has to create the vision…

Paul: Right. And Dave Heyboer, who is our chair for 28 years, he knows equipment and mechanics…he has all kinds of connections in Grand Rapids, so our skills complement each other.

Also, from mile 13 all the way to Cadillac, the trail is maintained in the winter by the Pere Marquette snowmobile club.

JP: Any closing thoughts:

Paul: Last fall I saw a group on the trail, turns out to be 29 cyclists from Grand Rapids going out & back to Cadillac over 2 days as a memorial to the Edmund Fitzgerald. They do this every year, guys in their 30s and 40s, I think they’re fundraising for a charity.

JP: Gosh, and they weren’t even born when the Fitzgerald sank.

To Summarize: The White Pine Trail is a 93-mile fully paved linear state park rail trail between Grand Rapids and Cadillac. Multiple civic groups of volunteers help maintain and upgrade the trail. Paul Griffith is one of those volunteers, and he’s very active in promoting the middle section of the trail.

Bike Tour Vacations LLC will be on the trail twice in 2026 with our Great Lake to Lake tours. Paul has lined up some special stops for our groups in and near Big Rapids. Thanks Paul!

THIS TOUR RUNS JULY 5-10, AND STARTS & ENDS IN BAY CITY, MI

Our New for 2026 Tour is your chance to ride from Lake Michigan all the way across to Lake Huron, 100% paved with about 90% of our riding on traffic-free rail trails, side paths, or protected bike lakes! We'd like to be 100% traffic-free, but occasionally each trail uses a small portion of public road.

Your registration fee gets six days of fun, 5 nights of lodging with breakfast, 2 tour dinners, and our wonderful sag-wagon lunch daily, if desired. Maps, staffing, and support will help make this a great trip for you!

This tour is one of our low-cost price leaders for 2026! The other similar priced tours are the Muskegon Great Lake to Lake Tour, and the River Towns on the Mississippi Tour. Due to their very attractive prices, additional discounts are not available on these 3 tours.

Plan your arrival in Bay City to allow for an optional ride to Lake Huron for the tire-dip Photo opportunity. Check in at our hotel in time for the group happy hour & orientation at 5 p.m., and dinner later.

We sag you via motor coach to the opposite side of the state, over to Holland on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan! You'll have time today for an optional ride to Saugatuck, or perhaps to Holland State Park. This day is your opportunity for the rear-tire dip in Lake Michigan photo op!

Today we ride inland along a combination of paved side paths, paved bike trails, plus just a few miles on township roads as we make our way into Grand Rapids and the White Pine Trail! Lunch today at the John Ball Zoo, with overnight at Comstock Park, right on the trail!

It's a big day, with about 50 miles on the White Pine Trail, now fully paved to Big Rapids. You'll pass through Rockford, Sand Lake, Pierson, and numerous other small trail towns each with a trailhead and comfort station. Tonight we're in Big Rapids, home to Ferris State University.

 Today you'll continue on the White Pine Trail to Reed City, then turn east on the Pere Marquette Trail. This is the longest ride of the tour, and your chance to enjoy a Metric Century ride, 100 kilometers or 62 miles, whichever comes first! There are many great overlooks on the Muskegon River. You might enjoy lunch at the College of Knowlege in Evart, or enjoy our sag lunch at one of the trailheads.

Today we close the tour with a 55-mile run back to Bay City. Start by riding on the Pere Marquette Trail until it ends at the Tridge in Midland, about 30 miles. the final stretch into Bay City is about 22 miles including riding on Wheeler Road/ US Bike Route 20. This is the largest section of road riding of the tour, as a rail trail does not yet exist in this area.