When complete, the trail will be an 18-mile east/west connector between the North Central State Trail and the Northwestern State Trail. The trail will be a separated, ten-foot-wide crushed limestone pathway for non-motorized recreation.  The first phase, 5.1 miles in length, will begin at Maple Bay Campground.  It will pass through the  Chaboiganing Preserve and will run north along the non-lake side of West Burt Lake Road to Hogsback Road. Thanks to Burt Township, the Cheboygan County Road Commission, local residents and the Top of Michigan Trails Council, the first phase will be ready for area residents and visitors to bike and hike in 2013.

The first phase is funded by a Transportation Enhancement grant of $473,325 from the Michigan Department of Transportation, a grant of $398,500 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and $140,000 in personal contributions to fulfill the required local match. Major donations were received from the Burt Lake Preservation Association, Tri-County Bicycle Association DALMAC Fund, the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, Hospitalists of Northern Michigan, and more than 120 individual donors.