In this portion of my Lansing River Trail Trail (LRT) journey I pick up where I left off in Section 2 at the Ottawa Street Power Plant building and make my way south along the Grand River and terminate my walk just south of the I-496 freeway where the Grand and Red Cedar rivers fork. This section led me to reflect on car-centric infrastructure and its racialized history.

Section Overview

I utilized street parking in front of the Ottawa Street Power Plant, though there are also several parking garages within the radius of a city block. This trail section requires you to temporarily leave the banks of the Grand River and cross the Michigan Avenue bridge from the river’s west to east side to continue utilizing the trail. As you proceed south on the east bank you pass the entrance to the Impression 5 science museum and R.E. Oldsmobile museum. Impression 5 has an interesting exhibit called the ‘Planet Walk’ that illustrates proportionally the distance of the planets in our solar system from the sun. Proceeding from Impression 5 the solar system extends out 5.5 miles south along the trail terminating with Pluto.

I concluded my walk just south of the I-496 bridge across the Grand River. From my ending point, you can look north and still see the Boji Tower and Ottawa Street Power Station. Downtown Lansing will recede rapidly from here as the trail meanders a bit farther south, then turns east towards Potter Park.

Section Commentary

Crossing west to east on the Michigan Avenue bridge, you get a stunning view of the Michigan State Capitol and the heart of downtown Lansing. Downtown has been struggling post-COVID/2020 to revitalize itself since the predominately clerical workforce that populates downtown office space embraced remote/hybrid work. There is some construction, with a concert hall and mixed-use development projects identifiable by the cranes that hover over their worksites. The vibes downtown are pretty sleepy during the workweek, and practically comatose most weekends.

Encountering I-496 is jarring. My experiences on the trail so far have driven home the fact that highways are dead zones, for both pedestrians and nature. The sound of traffic is deafening, and the natural environment–while potentially green in appearance–suffers from the toxic runoff precipitating from the roads above. The odor of exhaust and mechanical pollution acts as an invisible miasma.

The highway encounter left me reflecting on the scarred legacy that car-centric urban development engenders. ‘They even took the dirt’ is a revealing I-496-specific documentary that illuminates the (predominantly Black) neighborhoods permanently degraded by the destruction wrought upon them in the name of economic and technological progress. You can see the wider systemic legacy of the racist planning practices that targeted Black communities at ‘Segregation by Design’. I snapped some photos of urban art featured near and under I-496 on this section of trail. The city is trying to beautify the area, but I think a larger lesson from the experience is that cities should favor pedestrian, bike-centric, and public transit infrastructure over automobiles.

This section represents the LRT at its most urban and recognizably a capital city. The trail will eventually transition back to predominantly parkland and residential neighborhoods as I progress. The museums, architecture, artwork, and the trail itself are a testament to the fact that this region carries its own cherished history and cultural fingerprints. Contrary to what some Detroiters might insinuate, Lansing isn’t just one big parking lot, (though the city absolutely has too much parking.) I choose to believe that I’ll live long enough in Mid-Michigan to see Downtown rise beyond its reliance on clerical commuters to become a multi-modal weekend destination in its own right.

Section Photos

In this portion of my Lansing River Trail Trail (LRT) journey I start in Municipal Lot 56 in Old Town heading south along the east and then west bank of the Grand River into downtown Lansing and stop just north of the Michigan Avenue bridge.

Section Overview

My second portion of the LRT transitions from a mixture of mid-density residential near the Turner Dodge mansion, and urban retail in Old Town into the thoroughly urban core of Lansing. Municipal Lot 56 provides convenient parking though it is a paid lot. Although the trail requires a temporary bypass because of work on the Brenke Fish Ladder. I proceeded south along the east bank of the Grand River. The trail then snakes its way along the river bank tucked behind commercial and manufacturing properties. Eventually, crossed to the west bank of the grand river at the Adodo Park pedestrian bridge and proceeded into downtown Lansing. I concluded my walk at the former Ottawa Street Power Station building.

Section Commentary

Much of this portion of the trail runs along boardwalks or directly next to the river. As I’ve progressed further along the trail I’ve missed the river vistas. It’s also predominately an urban environment. Particularly around Adado Park you can see what a fantastic piece of land the park resides on, and why it is a great space for community programming. Inevitably because it is a densely populated urban public space I also encountered unhoused people. I was intrigued to encounter what I assume were sculptures created by people living in the park. Lansing, like many cities, has failed to house everyone that looks to the region for economic security and belonging. This section of the LRT also featured some fun trail art (found in the pictures below). The Ottawa Street Power Station building, like several other Board of Water and Light (BWL) buildings stands as a towering Art Deco inspired structure. The opulence evoked by the art deco styling projects a confidence and comfort with visibility from a public utility that I find lacking in many of our current institutions that make civic life and prosperity possible.

As an introduction to Lansing’s urban core I am thankful that the city maintains pedestrian and bike exclusive pathways that make encountering the city a much more pleasant experience than from a hermetically sealed vehicle driving through town.

Section Photos

I start my exploration of the Lansing River Trail (LRT) at its northern terminus in Dietrich Park, and work my way down to the portion of the trail that runs through Old Town.

Trail Overview

Vehicle parking at Dietrich Park is within view of Olympic Broil, an old-school drive-in burger joint known for their (mid-michigan originating) olive burgers. The trail quickly crosses Grand River avenue, and climbs sharply up to the Turner-Dodge House before slowly descending onto a boardwalk that runs south along the Grand River’s east bank, and under the César E Chávez Street bridge in the heart of Old Town. I concluded this section just beyond the Brenke Fish Ladder in Burchard Park. From the location I stopped one can just see the Boji tower in downtown Lansing.

Section Commentary

As a first taste of the LRT this section provides a robust sample of the types of walking/running/biking experiences found along the trail collectively. The trail changes elevation rapidly, which provides a good workout regardless of your pace. The Grand River itself features prominently, one encounters historical landmarks, and the trail includes easy access to a commercially diverse neighborhood. As the trail progresses southward the walking environment becomes more dense urban landscape. The trail also continues to hug the grand river closely for the next couple of sections. You get a little taste of everything that can be experienced further along the trail with the satisfaction that you’re doing your body some good navigating the terrain.

Section Photos

I took few photos on this section of the trail, I wasn’t sure at this point if I was really going to try and walk the entire trail and as I have progressed I’ve gotten more enthusiastic about documenting my experience!

Lansing River Trail Intro

I don’t think the Lansing River Trail gets the enthusiastic universal acclaim that it deserves. As someone who has lived in Mid Michigan since 2017 it has been a best kept secret I have yet to explore.

As a means of motivating me to prioritize some mental and physical well-being this summer I am going to walk sections of the Lansing River Trail and blog about it.

In each post I’ll provide some overview of the trail portion I walked, provide a bit of commentary of the experience, and provide some photos. My hope is that if you live in Mid Michigan it will encourage you to get out and use this fantastic public resource, and if you aren’t in Mid Michigan provide an additional reason to come visit!

River Trail Overview

A vision for the Lansing River Trail began to appear in city master plans in the 1970s with initial portions of the trail opening in 1975. Federal Department of Interior recognition was gained in 1981 and the largest portion of mileage was added in 1983. Steady improvements and expansion have continued through to the present. A more detailed history of major milestones can be found here. The trail’s history stands as a triumph of successful long term urban planning effort that has included private, municipal, county, and state cooperation.

The trail borders the northern trunk of Grand River Avenue that bypasses Old Town, to slightly south of Jolly road. The eastern edge of the trail runs between Pennsylvania and Aurelius roads following Sycamore creek. The western edge of the trail follows South Waverly Road until it reaches the Grand River and then follows the river northeast towards Frances Park. There are “branches” off the primary trail that extend east thru Michigan State University and ultimately terminates at Lake Lansing, and south into the Holt/Delhi Township interurban trail system. In what I assume is a frustrating reality for city planners, the trail remains an incomplete loop (though there are ambitious plans to complete the loop.)

In practice, the LRT is a green necklace draped across the urban and suburban landscape which interconnects several Lansing parks.

What to expect

I will be starting from the northern terminus of the trail and working my way clockwise towards Francis park. I may also explore some of the LRT’s branches and push further into the Meridian and Delhi Township trail systems once I complete the LRT.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you and I welcome your comments or suggestions as I make my way along the trail. Happy walking!