The North Central State Trail is a 62-mile multipurpose recreational route along the former Gaylord to Mackinaw City Railway. Ten feet wide and upgraded with a crushed limestone surface similar to asphalt, it provides a compact, smooth path for year-round recreational use by multiple users while boosting communities along its route. The former railroad corridor between Taylor and Cheboygan was acquired from the Detroit and Mackinac Railway Company in six separate transactions beginning in 1998 and ending in 2000. Funding for the project came from a $1.48 million federal transportation enhancement grant administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation, along with state and local matching funds from the DNRE's recreational trails program and more than 40 local governmental units, businesses, and other organizations.