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Articles by Brian Beauchamp
Brian Beauchamp: Trails connect us
With the November election just days away, I suspect I’m not alone in looking forward to putting another season of attack ads, endless mailings, and political divisiveness behind us. Somewhere along the way, elections seem to have become more about what separates us than what brings us together. But there’s one issue on the ballot this November that I’m proud to be a small part of, precisely because I believe it has the power to unite us.
Building a Sustainable Model for Trails
Guest Opinion By Brian Beauchamp | Sept. 12, 2026 The Grand Traverse region is a place most clearly defined by water and the natural features of our sugar sand beaches, cold water streams, inland lakes, and wooded hillsides. Another feature that has come to define our region is the access provided to these spaces through sustainable trails that immerse us in the landscape and bring our senses alive. A hiking trail through one of our area’s many nature preserves offers a certain quietude.
Brian Beauchamp: Where the trail begins
When I was a kid, asking mom or dad for a ride somewhere was usually low down on the list of options when I had somewhere I wanted to go. For me, a Gen X-er who grew up in a suburban neighborhood in metro-Detroit, my bike was my freedom. It got me to school, to practices and games, to friends’ houses, and just about anywhere else I needed to go. My parents didn’t spend their mornings sitting in a pickup line because, for the most part, riding a bike to school was simply part of growing up.
Brian Beauchamp: Smart growth and access to nature can go hand in hand
For more than two decades now, dating back to the mid-2000s, the idea of extending the non-motorized pathway along the Three Mile Road corridor has quietly been taking shape. Like many trail projects, most people don’t notice the years (and in this case decades) of planning, meetings, engineering and persistence that go into getting trails on the ground. Trails often seem to appear overnight once construction begins, as if they emerged out of thin air. kAm%96 %9C66 |:=6 %C2:= 92D 366?
Brian Beauchamp: Trailblazing Tomorrow: A community vision for year-round trails in the Pere Marquette
There’s a quiet kind of magic in the woods. Maybe you’ve felt it gliding through the trees on skis after a fresh snowfall, kicking up dust on a mountain bike trail in July, or hiking with a friend and finding the space to truly talk. These moments aren’t just about recreation–they’re about connection. That sense of connection is at the heart of Trailblazing Tomorrow, a collaborative effort led by TART Trails and the Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association.
Brian Beauchamp: From Bayshore to Boston: Connecting through running
In 2000, at a global sporting awards ceremony, Nelson Mandela famously said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire.
Brian Beauchamp: Embracing orange-barrel season with a smarter (and funner) commute
Well it has begun. This week the reconstruction of Grandview Parkway kicked off along with the traffic backup and detours that are inevitable during a massive corridor project of this scope and scale. With the reconstruction of Grandview Parkway between Garfield and Division now a part of our shared reality for the next few months, residents of the Grand Traverse region find ourselves bracing for the snarls of traffic and detours that accompany seasonal roadwork in Michigan.
Brian Beauchamp: Trends on the trail: A reflection on 2023 and the path ahead Original
We’re a few weeks into 2024 now, which seems like an appropriate time to reflect what 2023 analysis shows us about trend lines from the multi-use non-motorized trails both locally and across the nation. From a local standpoint it was a banner year.
Brian Beauchamp: Finding gratitude on the trail
In her No. 1 New York Times best-selling book, “Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience,” author Brené Brown writes that there is overwhelming evidence that gratitude is beneficial for us physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Brian Beauchamp: Finding gratitude on the trail
Brian Beauchamp is the communications and policy director for TART Trails, a local nonprofit that provides and promotes a trail network that enriches people and communities throughout the greater Traverse region. Find out more about our region’s many year-round, non-motorized, multi-use trails at traversetrails.org React to this story: Love Funny Wow Sad Angry Articles Images Videos Commented
Brian Beauchamp: Traverse City rides to the top as Michigan's Most Bikeable City
In case you missed it, Traverse City made it to the top spot on yet another list last month. Being recognized as the No. 1 most bikeable city in Michigan and ranking 23rd out of 946 small cities nationwide is a significant achievement.
Brian Beauchamp: Take the Smart (and fun) Commute challenge
If you have taken to the roads these past couple of weeks in and around the Traverse City area you have undoubtedly noticed the seasonal uptick in traffic.
Brian Beauchamp: A quarter century of TART Trails
Depending on the source, the number of years that make up a generation is somewhere between 20 to 30 years, so for the sake of this column, let’s call it 25. What’s the significance of 25 years, you might ask? It was 25 years ago that TART Trails attained status as an incorporated nonprofit public charity headquartered right here in Traverse City.
Brian Beauchamp: Cross-country collaboration and community
Let’s start by pointing out the elephant in the room regarding this winter weather — it’s unlike anything any of us have ever seen.
Brian Beauchamp: Multi-use trails are critical infrastructure
Twenty-five years ago, a group of local citizens came together around the idea that the Grand Traverse region would benefit from a network of multi-use, non-motorized trails that provide residents and visitors with recreation and transportation options to access nature and the places they love, and to connect with each other and create thriving communities.
Brian Beauchamp: Community connections in Acme
There is a saying in the world of non-motorized trail development that goes something along the lines of, “first the community builds the trail, then the trail builds the community.” In most cases, that statement rings true. There is no question that creating places for people to get outdoors and active for both recreation and transportation supports a stronger local economy, improved public health and a myriad of cultural impacts that improves lives.
Brian Beauchamp: Emphasize etiquette as trail use rises
Non-motorized trail use has been steadily on the rise in our area over the past 20-plus years. User numbers are a driving reason why we are so fortunate to see new recreation and transportation trails under development along with the ongoing maintenance and care of our existing trails. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, trail use spiked and is still up 30 percent on average with no signs of slowing down.
Brian Beauchamp: The Boardman Loop is a symbol of what's possible
Trails, like bridges, help unite us. The holiday weekend celebrations got a head start when, last week, Team Elmer’s lifted the barricades and opened two bridges and 900 feet of boardwalk on the south end of Boardman Lake.
Brian Beauchamp: All-in-one-day season is here
Beauchamp In late March of 2019 a group of individuals and organizations led by our Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation joined forces to launch an event dubbed, the All-in-One-Day Day. The event aimed to encourage the embrace of the season and the wide variety of outdoor activities available on the 45th parallel during this transition time of year. How many winter and summer activities could you fit into one day?
Brian Beauchamp: How to hack winter when you dislike the cold
Beauchamp My friends, family, and colleagues know I love winter. I love the quietude of the woods, the excitement of a fresh blanket of snow, the exhilarating sensation of gliding downhill on skis. What sometimes gets lost on them is that I do not like being cold. Who does? What I love about winter is beating the cold.
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