BIG PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Finally, more than a decade after the concept was first developed and following more than five years of construction, Michigan’s Dragon at Hardy Dam is complete.

The 45-mile trail system will be celebrated Sept. 27 with a private ceremony to mark the end of the final stretch of work.

According to Nick Smith, the director of the Newaygo County Parks and Recreation Department, the idea to develop a trail system around the 4,000-acre Hardy Dam Pond was first conceived in 2009. It took a lot of work to get groups on board, including Consumers Energy, which owns the land, and federal regulators, who oversee the dam’s hydroelectric plant.

The first round of financing was secured in 2015. Construction started in 2019. Smith said the entire project was a monumental task.

“The whole area with the Dragon is undeveloped. It’s untouched land. … You’re really going out in the middle of nowhere and building a trail where there’s no infrastructure,” Smith told News 8.

The area around the pond has all sorts of terrains, requiring different strategies to build sturdy, long-lasting trails.

“Some of the terrain is very hilly. Some areas have a lot of groundwater that seeps out of the side hills. There’s a lot of challenges in building in wet areas of clay,” Smith explained. “Other areas are very sandy, so you’re trying to build a trail that doesn’t move on sand. There’s a lot of different techniques that are used for the boardwalks, bridges.

“There is a lot of areas where we used stone to anchor the trail,” he continued. “We also used the actual trees in the environment to help. We call them anchor trees. That holds the trail pressed into the hillside. It was very challenging.”

Heading into 2024, 34 miles of the trail were finished and already open for visitors. Segment One and parts of Segment Two and Seven were the last to be finished. Smith called them some of the most challenging.

The Dragon, named because of the pond’s unique shape, was designed to be accessible by as many people as possible. A one-mile stretch of Segment One complies with the American Disability Act, designed specifically to be accessible for people in wheelchairs or with other mobility issues.

The entire system offers several types of trails, with some designed with mountain bikers in mind and others for hikers.

“If you go out on Segment Nine, you’re going to go up and down and up and down these hills, whereas the ADA trail is pretty well flat,” Smith told News 8 last year.

The trails are already seeing a surge in use, which has made a positive impact on the community.

“We actually installed infrared trail counters to see how many people are using the trails,” Smith said. “In 2023, we counted over 80,000 people on the trail. This year, only 246 days in, we have already counted over 104,000. Those numbers are more than the population of Newaygo County, so the economic impact from the trail is very real.”

Another challenging aspect of overseeing a 45-mile trail system is divvying up the responsibilities through different municipalities. The system stretches between Newaygo and Mecosta counties and also includes a state park and parks that belong to nearby townships.

There is no fee to access the trails at Operator’s Village Park in Big Prairie Township, but there are fees or permits required for park entry at other trailheads, including Newaygo State Park. Newaygo County and Mecosta County have teamed up to offer a $60 annual pass that is good for any of the trailheads owned by either county. A state recreation passport on your license plate will also get you in to park at Newaygo State Park.