North Central State Trail is now a recreational rail-trail that is 62 miles long. It used to be part of the Michigan Central Railroad. The railway was based in Detroit and in 1882 a section of track was constructed to extend the railway up to Mackinaw City. At this time, the timberland industry was booming and the railway made the transportation of timber to other regions possible. This new piece of track also helped to bring tourists to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Decades later, in 1957, automobiles became the preferred mode of transportation and the Mackinac Bridge assisted with travel from the Lower to Upper Peninsula.