Effective December 1, 2010 the Department of Natural Resources and Environment will be partially funding the Kal-Haven and Van Buren Trails. Therefore, Van Buren County will no longer be requiring users to pay a fee to access the Kal-Haven and Van Buren Trails.
We would like to thank everyone for their past support of the Kal-Haven and Van Buren Trails through your trail pass purchases. Due to the uncertainty of trail funding at this time, we still need your support. Donations can be made to the "Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail". This organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has supported the trail for years by financing projects such as the picnic structure in South Haven, replacement of water wells on the Kal-Haven Trail, paving the parking lot on 10th Street in Kalamazoo, sponsoring events like "Boo on Your Bike" and the "Trail Blazer" bike ride, as well as other construction, maintenance and repair operations. Contact information for the Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail is as follows:
Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail
c/o Van Buren County Road Commission
Post Office Box 156
Lawrence, Michigan 49064
Once again, thank you for your past support, and we hope that you will continue to support and enjoy the trail!
Van Buren County Road Commission
Phone: (269) 674-8011
Snowmobilers Still Need State Trail Permits
There seams to be some confusion about the need for snowmobiles on the Kal-haven & Van Buren trails to have a State Trail Permit and the removal of pass fees on the trail. This is strange since snowmobilers never purchased trail passes from us anyway and as it states on the DNR web site,
MICHIGAN SNOWMOBILE REGULATIONSIf owned by a nonresident, before operation
in Michigan, a snowmobile must display
a valid registration from the operator’s
home state or province, or be registered in
Michigan.
A person who desires to operate a
snowmobile in this state shall obtain
a snowmobile trail permit sticker. The
snowmobile trail permit sticker shall be
valid for a period of one year which begins
October 1 and ends September 30 of the
following year.
The trail permit sticker shall be permanently
affixed to the forward half of the snowmobile
directly above or below the headlight
It also is stated on our web site under the listing, "Snowmobiling on the Kal-Haven Trail" where it also says "You don’t need a Kal-Haven Trail pass but you must have a DNR Snowmobile Trail Permit." This has always been the case and remains so. The lifting of pass sales was for users other than snowmobilers.
