about
Learn about our mission, history, and the community efforts behind preserving and enhancing the Polly Ann Trail for everyone to enjoy.
Information About The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail
The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail is a volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to preserving, enhancing, and promoting the 20-mile Polly Ann Trail in Lapeer County for walking, running, biking, horseback riding, and other non-motorized activities. Below you’ll find an overview of our mission, how we maintain and improve the trail, ways to get involved through events, memberships, and donations, and helpful resources like maps and meeting information.
About The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail
Formed in 1997, the Friends of the Polly Ann Trail is a grass-roots organization of citizens that promotes and supports the development and operation of the Polly Ann Trail in Lapeer County. Owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the abandoned corridor was once used by the Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad, nicknamed the "Polly Ann" (P, O & N). The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail creates awareness of the recreational corridor with events, political action, volunteerism and other efforts.
Trail Info
The trail is mostly undeveloped, but its current form provides an ideal setting for horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, running, and opportunities for nature lovers. The Polly Ann Trail in Lapeer County is a 20-mile former rail corridor stretching from Bordman Road to Kings Mill, passing through Dryden, Imlay City, and Lum. This trail connects directly to the Polly Ann Trail in Oakland County, also owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and managed by the Polly Ann Trail Management Council (PATMC).
Future Planning
The Lapeer and Oakland County Polly Ann Trails are considered major trail systems of southeastern Michigan. Future plans include connections of the Oakland County Polly Ann Trail to the long-established Paint Creek Trail and its connection to the Clinton River Trail, Macomb-Orchard Trail, and other systems, creating an east-west recreational corridor across the State of Michigan. For more information about Michigan’s trail networks, please contact us.
Milestones/Accomplishments
- The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail was founded in the fall of 1997 to build community support for acquiring the 20-mile former rail corridor in Lapeer County.
- In spring 1999, after a year-and-a-half campaign, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission approved purchase of the corridor using a $449,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant.
- Prior to the 2000 Michigander bike ride, The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail constructed six bridges over former railroad trestles (a seventh came later).
- The group contributed to the development of the initial master plan for the Polly Ann Trail.
- Riseman: The Riseman family donated a ten-acre parcel adjacent to the trail, including the Belle River and wetlands, to the Lapeer Land Conservancy, and it is now owned and managed by the Six Rivers Land Conservancy.
- The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail contributed $10,000 toward acquiring a seven-acre parcel linking the trail to General Squier Park, establishing a trailhead.
- A bike rack and informational kiosk were donated for Dryden Memorial Park, now a trailhead for the Polly Ann Trail.
- In 2012, The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail donated over $6,000 to build the Imlay City trailhead, featuring parking, benches, hitching posts, and a message board.
- In 2017, the group raised over $115,000 to match a $300,000 development grant application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
- In December 2022, The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail, in partnership with Lapeer County, secured a $287,000 Spark grant and supplemented it with $15,000 for a 1.5-mile crushed-limestone trail segment.
Community Benefits & Ongoing Support
The Polly Ann Trail in Lapeer County offers area residents a nearly 20-mile non-motorized corridor for walkers, runners, bicyclists, equestrians, and cross-country skiers. Its economic benefits bring visitors to Dryden, Imlay City, and Lum for shopping and dining; environmentally, it encourages non-motorized travel, protects wildlife corridors, and preserves the community’s rural character.
The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail has kept the vision alive for over 27 years—funding improvements, supporting maintenance, and promoting the trail. They continue to raise funds and engage volunteers for the trail’s ongoing development and stewardship.
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