Volunteer group urges Norwalk to add trail signage, market North Coast Inland Trail to draw tourists

Joe Manty, a volunteer with Firelands Rails to Trails, told Norwalk City Council that simple signage and cross-marketing can increase trail tourists who stop and spend money in Norwalk.

Manty said the North Coast Inland Trail segment that serves the area stretches from Lorraine to Toledo and is managed by several entities; he described plans to add standard blue-and-green trail signs and noted that Ottawa County recently secured the northcoastinlandtrail.org domain to aid cross-county mapping and marketing. “These tourists are coming into your town on 2 wheels or 2 feet. No GPS. They’re just following the trail and relying on you to provide them some signage,” Manty said.

Manty offered examples from volunteer contacts: long-distance cyclists and hikers who rely on trail signs, day-trippers from nearby counties, and “hub-and-spoke” tourists who base themselves in an area and visit multiple nearby attractions. He said the volunteer organization records about 2,000 trail users per week and estimates 1,000 to 1,200 are from out of Huron County; volunteers also track user counts with hidden traffic counters and patrol reports.

Manty invited council members and staff to a guided trail tour and said the group will work with Norwalk’s visitors bureau and area partners to add trail signage directing users to food, lodging and services. Council members and staff asked about volunteer workdays, membership, and nonprofit status; Manty said Firelands Rails to Trails is a 501(c)(3) and runs regular volunteer workdays and social-media outreach.

No council vote or formal action followed the public comment; Manty’s remarks were taken during the public comment period.