The Betsie Valley Trail runs on the old Ann Arbor Railroad bed for 22 miles, from Frankfort through Elberta and Beulah to Thompsonville. From December on, it works as three separate winter trails. The plowed stretch out of Frankfort, the limestone along Crystal Lake and the snowmobile corridor south of Beulah each have their own rules, surfaces and users. This year the two places where the trail is being rebuilt both sit on trailheads you use to get on it: Mollineaux Road at the Crystal Lake outlet and the new trailhead park in Thompsonville. Both are scheduled to finish in spring.
That makes the coming months the last stretch before both trailheads are finished. Which winter you get depends on where you park.
Where One Winter Ends and the Next Begins
The Michigan DNR owns the trail, and the Betsie Valley Trailways Management Council of Benzie County manages it. The rules change in two places. The first is at Elberta, where plowing stops. The second is at Beulah, where snowmobiles start.
| Stretch | Surface | Winter use |
|---|---|---|
| Frankfort to Elberta | Asphalt | Plowed for general trail activities |
| Elberta to Mollineaux Road | Asphalt | Non-motorized; skiing and snowshoeing, not groomed |
| Mollineaux Road to Beulah | Crushed limestone along Crystal Lake | Non-motorized; no pets except service animals |
| Beulah to Thompsonville | One paved mile from Beulah, then compacted aggregate | Open to snowmobiles Dec. 1 to March 31 |
The surface details come from the Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail's 2026 trail map. It shows 6 miles of asphalt from Frankfort to Mollineaux Road, then 3 miles of crushed limestone into Beulah. It also says the trail is non-motorized year-round from Frankfort to Beulah. The plowing and snowmobile dates come from the DNR's Betsie Valley Trail page. It says the Frankfort to Elberta section is plowed and that snowmobiling south of Beulah runs Dec. 1 to March 31.
The middle stretch, between Elberta and Beulah, is the quiet one in winter. Nobody plows it and nobody grooms it. The DNR calls cross-country skiing on the trail popular but notes that it is not groomed. It also asks snowshoers to keep off ski tracks when they can see them. So the ski track along Crystal Lake is whatever the first skier after a snowfall sets down. Leave it intact and the next skier gets a usable track.
There's one more rule along the lake. Leashed pets are allowed on most of the trail, but not between Mollineaux Road and Benzie Boulevard in Beulah. Service animals are the exception. If you ski with a dog, start from Frankfort or Elberta and turn back before the limestone begins.
Mollineaux Road Is the Trailhead in Transition
Mollineaux Road is where the asphalt ends. This winter it's also where the trail has moved. Benzie County's Crystal Lake outlet project adds a kayak launch, restrooms and parking there. The DNR's August 19, 2026 grant status report lists it as the "Crystal Lake Outlet Water Access Site," with a $300,000 Trust Fund grant and an approved contractor. The Friends' Summer 2026 newsletter credits Benzie County Park & Rec members Shaun Johnson, Ed Hoogterp and Charles Kraus with leading the project for several years. It also says the trail would stay open during construction.
The latest progress report is in the Benzie County Board of Commissioners' October 26 packet. By October 20, the contractor, Waltons, had done the following:
- cleared the site and built the parking area
- added an island in the middle of the lot to guide drivers and absorb runoff
- put a rain garden and a row of trees between the trail and the parking lot entrance
- added a walking path around the lot that connects the parking spaces, restroom and boardwalk
- pulled its heavy equipment off the site
The change you'll feel on skis or on foot is to the trail itself. The report describes a "major turn" added on the south side of Mollineaux Road. It's designed to slow trail users and line the trail up with the road. There were some disruptions on October 20, but by the next day the work areas and an alternate trail were clearly marked.
The report lists the remaining work in this order:
- Build the boardwalk on site, with work starting soon. The lumber is already there, and a Spicer surveyor has staked out the route.
- Add concrete aprons and road stops to the trail, and pave the south side this fall.
- Repair the rain garden after two hard rains damaged it, and add a border to slow the water flowing in.
- Set the vault toilet, which was built off site, this fall. It stays locked until the facility is dedicated.
- In spring, finish the site work, put up signage, install the Eazy Doc launch and Mobi strips, and dedicate the park.
So all winter, the Mollineaux Road trailhead will have new parking, a new curve in the trail and a restroom that isn't open yet. In the meantime, the DNR lists restrooms at the Frankfort, River Road and Beulah trailhead parking areas. The DNR describes the Mollineaux Road access as the Crystal Lake boating access site, 2 miles west of US-31 on M-115.
Thompsonville Is Building the Other End
The second construction site is at the far end of the snowmobile stretch. The Thompsonville Area Revitalization Project, or TARP, is building a trailhead pavilion and redoing the campground beside it. The DNR report lists the "Thompsonville Multi-Use Trailhead and Campground" under the Village of Thompsonville, with a $276,600 grant.
TARP's September progress update describes a building well underway:
- Lange's Painting and Wall Covering was priming the block walls of the restroom and shower units. The finish is light gray on three walls with an olive green accent wall.
- After weather delays, the KSB carpentry crew was due back the following week to finish the exterior siding, and Moore Mechanical was set to return then to continue its work.
- Isenhart Electric was running cable for five exterior security cameras.
TARP signed the Phase 2 campground contract with Burdco, Inc. the same day. AJ's Excavating was due back to start the earthwork. The DNR describes Thompsonville trail parking as roadside along Thompson Avenue.
The surface changes after the pavilion. The Friends' Summer 2026 newsletter says they plan to pave about one mile from the new Thompsonville trailhead park to the Betsie River train trestle bridge next spring. They had hoped to finish it this year, but the long state budget process delayed it. That will give the trail a paved mile at each end of the Beulah to Thompsonville stretch. The first one runs south from the Beulah trailhead to Case Road. The Friends celebrated finishing it in June 2025. The roughly 10 miles in between stay compacted aggregate. Paving the next 6.3 miles has conditional approval for an MDOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant, but it still needs another Trust Fund grant for the match. The newsletter puts completion at 2028 at the earliest.
For this winter, the Thompsonville end looks the way it always has to sleds. The trail through the Betsie River valley is unpaved, and the snowmobile season starts December 1. The Benzie-Manistee Snowbirds snowmobile club has spent the fall getting ready. It hosted a landowners dinner on October 17 and a second trail cleanup on October 24. If you've followed the river from the water, our guide to fall on the Betsie and Platte covers the same valley at a different time of year.
Beulah Sits in the Middle of All Three
The Beulah Trailhead and Visitor Center on Crystal Avenue is where the non-motorized trail ends and the snowmobile trail begins. It also has one of the three restrooms on the trail. It's also close to downtown Beulah's two biggest winter events on the Crystal Lake Community Business Association calendar:
- Christmas Magic, Saturday, December 12, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Downtown shopping, family activities, Santa, wagon rides and a lighted parade.
- Winterfest, Saturday, February 13, 2027. An all-day event at Village Park with a chili cook-off, a frozen fish toss, games, an outhouse sprint and fireworks.
Some of Beulah's summer spots close for the winter. The Cherry Hut closed its front counter for the season on October 31 and plans to open for its 105th season in May 2027. L'Chayim Delicatessen's Beulah location runs on fall and winter hours: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sundays. All its locations close for the month of March.
If you find a downed tree or a washout anywhere on the 22 miles this winter, the Friends take trail condition reports at [email protected].
The Betsie Valley Trail connects nearly every part of the Betsie River and Platte River area that we work in, and the outlet and Thompsonville projects will change how people get on the trail at both ends. If you're thinking about buying or selling near any of these trailheads and want to know how the trail fits into that decision, Jon Zickert and our team are glad to talk it through. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
