The development of the Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve lead to interest in linking the Village of Manchester with the park properties.

CWA evaluated a variety of routes and developed a final phasing strategy plan based on input from community members and Village and Township staff.

Preliminary cost estimates were established as well as implementation strategies. The project has since collected grant funds for preliminary engineering and is slated for final engineering in 2020, with a goal of constructing the trail by 2021. It is hoped that this trail will spur further development into Jackson County to Brooklyn, Michigan, and east towards the city of Saline.