COLUMBIAVILLE, Mich. (Michigan Back Roads) – The Thumb area of Michigan is sometimes called the “forgotten digit” of the mitten. Amid the broad fields of this vast agricultural region are trails and treasures unlike any in the rest of the state.

Those looking for a place to take a walk and enjoy the wildlife might want to try the pathway known as the Southern Links Trailway. This is a multi-use trail and that means walkers may be sharing the pathway with bikers, skaters, and even horses.

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While there are water trails and bicycle routes in the region, the Southern Links Trailway has a lot to offer for hikers, bikers, and walkers. It is even open for snowshoers of all skill levels. This rail-trail runs 10-miles through the communities of Columbiaville, Otter Lake, and Millington, just south of Caro. The trail is paved with smooth asphalt, and an adjacent path is offered for those who prefer to travel on horseback. On a bicycle, you could just coast from Otter Lake to Millington because of the gentle incline from the old railroad days when this was the Detroit and Bay City Railway.

The ten-foot-wide paved surface is especially suited to groups who like to ride together. A variety of deciduous trees line the trail, and the colors are spectacular in the fall months. Trail users will pass through a mixed rural landscape, including fields, wetlands, forests and farmland. Local wildlife is plentiful including rabbits, chipmunks, woodchucks, frogs and turtles. Encounters between the animals and trail users are not uncommon. The southern section of the trail is popular with bird watchers.