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The Paint Creek Trail is a recreational rail trail that runs 8.9 mi in the right-of-way of the former Penn Central Railroad. The trail, acquired in 1983, was the first rail trail developed in Michigan. It runs south-southeast along the meandering path of Paint Creek, and includes 12 bridge crossings over the creek. The trail is open for use by hikers, joggers, and horseback riders, year-round, from 6 AM to 10 PM. With the exception of a small section in the Village of Lake Orion, the trail surface is crushed limestone".

History
The Detroit and Bay City Railroad (later the Detroit, Bay City, and Alpena Railroad) began operating freight and passenger rail service along the present-day Paint Creek Trail right-of-way in 1872. The line was acquired by the Michigan Central Railroad in 1881, and leased by the New York Central Railroad in 1930. The New York Central Railroad discontinued its "Beeliner" passenger rail service between Detroit and Bay City in 1964, and the right-of-way was sold to the Paint Creek Trailways Commission (PCTC), a consortium of local governments, in 1983. The PCTC completed re-surfacing work on the right-of-way in 1990.

Route
The Paint Creek Trail begins in Downtown Rochester (Mile 31.2 of the former rail line) adjacent to the Rochester Municipal Park. North of the Ludlow Avenue crossing, which forms the northern border of Rochester Municipal Park, the trail runs alongside the western limit of the Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve. The trail enters the City of Rochester Hills near Mile 31.9. At Dutton Road (between Mile 33.3 and 33.4), the trail enters Oakland Township. At Mile 34.9, the trail crosses Gallagher Road near the unincorporated village of Goodison. North of Mile 38, the trail enters Bald Mountain Recreation Area and Orion Township. The trail ends in the Village of Lake Orion at Mile 40.1.