New B2B trail segment and playground open in Ann Arbor's Barton Nature Area

Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation has opened a new 0.6-mile segment of the Border to Border Trail (B2B) through Barton Nature Area, featuring a paved, accessible pathway and reconstructed canoe livery drop-off area. The project also includes native plant restorations and will connect with a planned pedestrian tunnel to Bandemer Park in 2025.

"We’ve been working on this project for two years now," says Hillary Hanzel, park planner and landscape architect for the city of Ann Arbor. "We made a lot of efforts to reduce impact, like protecting high-quality old-growth trees and clearing out a lot of invasive plants to give the trail more breathing room."

Alongside the new segment of trail, the "Great Oak Nature Playground" near Barton Dam is also now open to the public. The play structure was created using a 150-year-old white oak tree, which was removed during construction due to safety concerns and repurposed on the site as a natural play structure. Hanzel says that her own children have enjoyed using the playground, but since it "isn’t geared to a specific age," plenty of adults are also exploring the new addition to Barton Nature Area.

"We were very deliberate in felling the tree to preserve its branch structure, then worked with a playground contractor to make sure it was safe," Hanzel says. "It wasn’t initially part of the project, but it was a nicer legacy for the tree than just going into a chipper."

In another effort to reduce the impact of construction, Hanzel says native seed mixes, trees, and shrubs will be spread along the trail at Barton Nature Area this fall to combat invasive species and ensure the health of the landscape. Construction on the pedestrian tunnel is slated to wrap up in 2025, and Hanzel says construction updates will be posted on the city’s website. 

"This section of the trail is a gateway into Ann Arbor, but it also will make the surrounding area much more safe for pedestrians," Hanzel says. "Once the pedestrian tunnel is complete in 2025, it will also really help connect people across Ann Arbor and Ypsi."

For more details on the Barton B2B project, visit the city's website. An interactive map of the Ann Arbor section of the Border to Border Trail is also accessible online through the B2B website.

"The trail, tunnel and playground are projects that aren’t possible without our partners like Ann Arbor Parks, Washtenaw Parks, and [the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative," Hanzel says. "We’re very thankful to them."

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Hanzel.