A New Trail Now Links Linden and Fenton Along Silver Lake. It Was 17 Years in the Making.

By Carrie Thompson, Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent, eXp Realty, Grand Blanc, MI

A paved non-motorized trail now connects the City of Linden and the City of Fenton along Silver Lake Road. LAFF Pathways completed the ChoiceOne Bank Trail on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, and together with an earlier LAFF path through Argentine Township it creates more than five miles of connected trail (ABC12, September 29, 2026). ChoiceOne Bank marked the opening that day with a ribbon cutting at the corner of Silver Lake Road and Jennings Road in Fenton (ChoiceOne Bank release via StockTitan, September 30, 2026).

The trail runs from Triangle Park in Linden toward the Fenton sidewalks

LAFF describes the route as running "from the Linden city limits at Triangle Park, along Silver Lake Road and Silver Lake, and connect to the Fenton sidewalks" (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026). When construction was underway last fall, the route was described as connecting Jennings Road in Fenton to East Broad Street and Triangle Park in Linden (WFNT, November 25, 2025).

Published lengths do not match exactly. LAFF describes phase two as a 2-mile, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026). ABC12 said the finished trail "stretches more than two miles" (ABC12, September 29, 2026). WFNT reported 1.88 miles during construction (WFNT, November 25, 2025).

LAFF's timeline says construction began in the fall of 2025 (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026). The build plan reported in November called for a wooden boardwalk over the winter, weather permitting, then asphalt in spring and summer 2026. During the work, Silver Lake Road traffic was squeezed to one lane with flaggers between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. (WFNT, November 25, 2025).

LAFF grew out of a residents' effort that began in 2009

LAFF is short for Linden, Argentine Township, Fenton Township and Fenton. LAFF Pathway, Inc. is a Michigan nonprofit established in 2015, with a board of eight people who live in those communities (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026).

According to the group's history, the effort began in 2009 with interested residents in southern Genesee County. In 2010, Fenton Township, the City of Linden and the Genesee County Road Commission adopted resolutions. In 2016, LAFF began fundraising and signed its first preliminary engineering contract for the Silver Lake Road segment with NFE Engineers. In 2018, the Southern Lakes Parks and Recreation Commission agreed to take ownership of this phase, and the City of Fenton agreed to receive the federal and state grants for construction (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026).

"For Ron Stack, the completion is a moment that's been 17 years in the making," ABC12 reported. Stack, the chairman of LAFF Pathways and a local bike shop owner, said the group's original version, the Southern Lakes Trail Coalition, kept getting passed over for grants (ABC12, September 29, 2026). "If people are going to live, work, play in their community, they want to be able to move around in it a little bit better," Stack said (ABC12, September 29, 2026).

The trail honors Victor Lukasavitz, a civil engineer and founding member of LAFF who recruited Stack. Stack said the two toured the municipalities together collecting resolutions (ABC12, September 29, 2026).

The first phase already connects Argentine Township to Linden

The ChoiceOne Bank Trail is phase two. Phase one is a 2-mile, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail from Lobdell Road and Haviland Beach Drive in Argentine Township to Chestnut Way in Linden. Construction began June 15, 2020, it was completed in October 2020, and LAFF puts its cost at $1.4 million, funded through federal and state grants and local donations (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026).

Phase two carried a $2.8 million projected cost

LAFF lists the projected cost of phase two at $2,800,000, expected to be funded through a combination of federal and state grants and local public and private donations. LAFF also lists a Genesee County TAP grant of $441,500, toward which LAFF provided $52,800 in matching funds, on top of $60,000 in matching grants for the local governments and the Southern Lakes Parks and Recreation Commission (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026).

Private money mattered too. ChoiceOne Bank provided half a million dollars and the C.S. Mott Foundation contributed $280,000 (ABC12, September 29, 2026). "To get grant money you have to come up with money, it's called local match," Stack said (ABC12, September 29, 2026).

State recreation money was also lined up years ago. In 2021, the Southern Lakes Parks and Recreation District was reported as likely to receive $300,000 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund toward a nearly $2 million project linking Triangle Park in Linden to Silver Lake Park in Fenton, with "observation areas with unobstructed views of the lake, wetlands, and prairies" (WHMI, April 22, 2021). That 2021 estimate is lower than the $2.8 million LAFF now lists.

"The ChoiceOne Bank Trail encourages people to get outside. It creates opportunities to explore our beautiful communities," said Michael J. Burke, Jr., president of ChoiceOne. The bank describes the trail as part of the Genesee County Legacy Trails network (ChoiceOne Bank release via StockTitan, September 30, 2026).

Linden's city manager is tracking Triangle Park work

At the Linden City Council meeting on August 24, 2026, City Manager Ellen Glass gave a verbal update that listed a "Triangle Park/LAFF Pathway Project" and a "CDBG Gazebo Overlook project." The minutes, included in the council's September 14 packet, do not give costs or timelines for either item (City of Linden council packet, September 14, 2026).

A Fenton Road corridor project is next on LAFF's list

LAFF plans to keep connecting communities with a Fenton Road Corridor project slated for next year (ABC12, September 29, 2026). Its longer vision is "a 16-mile trail that will connect Argentine Township in Genesee County to Oakland County's Seven Lakes State Park and the City of Holly" (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026). The group's next fundraiser is a pancake breakfast on October 18, 2026 (LAFF Pathway, accessed October 1, 2026).

What this means if you are buying or selling near Linden or Silver Lake

If you own a home in Linden or along the Silver Lake Road corridor, the trail is now a real, mappable feature. Sellers should state how far the home is from the nearest trail access point and include it in photos or drone video. Buyers should walk the route at the hours they would actually use it and check where they would get on from the property.

Every listing I take gets professional photos and video, room sizes, targeted digital ads, and targeted buyer avatars. Call or text Carrie Thompson at (810) 893-3269.

About Carrie Thompson

Carrie Thompson, "Your Favorite Property Girl," is a Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent (REALTOR®) with eXp Realty serving Grand Blanc, Genesee County and nearby Michigan communities, including Linden, Fenton, Fenton Township, Lake Fenton, and Holly. Michigan license 6501338662. Call or text (810) 893-3269.