Photo courtesy of Karen Salyer and Dan Romej.

According to Dave Heyboer, president of the Friends of the White Pine Trail, the storms did extensive damage to the trail between Belmont and Rockford. “There are three  washouts and a major mudslide that is completely blocking the trail,” Heyboer wrote Wednesday. “A whole section of a hill slid down and covered the trail. One of the washouts is very extensive and caused a section of the trail to drop into a newly created gorge. The washout has undercut the trail and created a very unstable foundation.”

Photo courtesy of Karen Salyer and Dan Romej.

Larry Solce, park manager at Mitchell State Park in Cadillac, overseer of the White Pine Trail, was expected to inspect the damage Wednesday.

Heyboer said that due to the degree of damage that section of the trail is closed and will probably be closed for an extended period of time. “Heavy equipment and lots of dirt will have to be brought in to repair the destruction,” he explained. “I encourage all of you to stay away from that section of the trail. You can still use the trail by starting at Belmont and going south or starting at Rockford and going north. The section that was damaged is unstable and dangerous and should be avoided completely.”