A committee tasked with reconnecting Petoskey's storied Miracle Mile trail has received two design proposals and expects a third as it works through options for repairing a stretch of the Little Traverse Wheelway that has been impassable for years. The Top of Michigan Trails Council announced it revived the Little Traverse Wheelway Committee specifically to chart a path forward for the beloved lakeside route, and the group discussed possible fixes in October before planning to review the proposals this month.
A Scenic Stretch Cut Off By Erosion
The Miracle Mile is widely regarded as the most scenic portion of the 26-mile Little Traverse Wheelway, which runs between Harbor Springs and Charlevoix, according to Bridge Michigan. Accounts of exactly how long the closed segment runs differ: one report from MLive describes it as a 1.25-mile stretch between Petoskey and Bay Harbor, while a separate MLive report pegs it at roughly one mile. The timeline of the closure is similarly muddled in the public record — MLive has reported the trail has been shut since late 2019 due to erosion tied to record-high Lake Michigan water levels, while Bridge Michigan's account describes an eroded section collapsing in 2020 and remaining closed ever since.
Whatever the exact starting point, the damage has been severe. A football-field-sized section of the coastal bluff beneath the trail gave way in 2020, and more recently, a portion of the Wheelway collapsed into Little Traverse Bay between Magnus Campground and East Park on April 13. In the meantime, trail users have been detoured along U.S. 31, losing direct access to the Lake Michigan shoreline views that made the Miracle Mile famous.
Three Scenarios on the Table
The revived committee has been working through three broad scenarios: keeping the trail's existing horizontal alignment while changing its vertical alignment, altering both alignments, or pursuing a bridge concept. The group has also discussed public access ideas for the bluff area in case a full rebuild isn't feasible. Concept design work is being funded by $50,000 secured by the Top of Michigan Trails Council.
Becca Nelson, the trails council's interim executive director, said bringing stakeholders together is helping build consensus and establish a path to reconnect the trail. She added that the council is encouraged by the committee's commitment to reconnecting the Miracle Mile and prioritizing safety. The committee includes Petoskey City Manager Shane Horn, Bay Harbor Company General Manager Denny Brya, trails council board member Jed Howbert, Resort Township Supervisor Brad Coulter, and trail advocates Emily Meyerson and Jill O'Neill. Recent work on the closed section has included debris cleanup under an agreement with adjacent landowners.
The $20 Million Question
Any rebuild faces a steep price tag. An engineering report from October 2025 estimated that stabilizing the bluff and reopening the Miracle Mile would cost $19.8 million, a figure MLive rounded to about $20 million in earlier coverage. The proposed approach centers on stabilizing the 120-foot bluff through what engineers call dynamic revetment, a method involving the construction of a new cobble beach, with construction likely to take about two years once it begins.
This isn't the city's first attempt to fund a fix. Petoskey was previously awarded $800,000 through the State High Water Infrastructure grant program in 2023, intended to fund a plan to stabilize the bluff and rebuild the mile-long trail section, according to MLive's earlier reporting. Estimates of how much economic activity the Wheelway generates also vary: a 2021 survey cited by MLive put annual usage at about 116,000 people and roughly $10 million in economic activity, excluding the Miracle Mile connection, while a separate 2021 study cited by Interlochen Public Radio estimated around 160,000 annual users and up to $10 million in annual economic activity.
Erosion Fight Playing Out Up and Down the Shoreline
The Miracle Mile's troubles reflect a broader erosion crisis that gripped Lake Michigan's shoreline. The high-water crisis that lasted from late 2019 through 2021 intensified erosion across the region, according to a report from Petoskey News-Review. The state's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy issued 2,238 shoreline-work permits in 2020, compared with 730 the year before, department official Jerrod Sanders told the paper. Great Lakes water levels have since receded, but the report notes they will eventually rise again.
A Legal Fight Over Access Looms
Compounding the planning challenge is an ongoing legal dispute over the trail's path. Property owners Gustav and Courtney Lo sued the city, demanding it pay for repairs they said were needed to protect their land from further damage and asking the city to release easements on their property, Bridge Michigan reported. Petoskey's council rejected a proposed settlement and authorized the city to prepare for trial over public access to the Miracle Mile, a move the city estimated would cost $100,000 in legal expenses.
