Timbertown Trailhead

As of October 2025, the Timbertown Trailhead is OPEN! After a tremendous community effort, both the trail and trailhead have been upgraded, along with the playground, art installation, and pickleball courts.

On September 30, 2025, members from HWPI, WCPARC, and the City of Chelsea hosted a dedication ceremony of this trailhead to Joel Gentz, a soldier killed in action along with four other airmen in Afghanistan.

Chelsea Councilman and Parks Commission Liaison George Merkel submitted Gentz’ name for this recognition.  “Naming the trailhead for Capt. Joel C. Gentz honors his legacy as a Chelsea resident who gave their life in service to our town, state, and country,” added Merkel.

WCPARC and HWPI has a long history of partnering with the City of Chelsea to create some of the longest continuous stretches of B2B Trail. Both groups  also worked with the Timbertown Reimagined project and the City during their planning and design process to ensure that the new park features and trailhead amenities were well coordinated.

As part of the naming of TimberTown as an official B2B Trailhead, 4 projects — independent, yet with each bringing an important  and complementary vision — are at the core of ‘Reimagined TimberTown’ effort. Six new pickleball courts opened in June and the wooden play structure complex received much-needed repairs and enhancements, which were funded by private donations earmarked specifically for these initiatives. 

Contractors began in fall 2024 on building a parking lot, planting native trees, and installing one of the primary orientation kiosks per the B2B Trail wayfinding plan.

Contact Information

Questions concerning the project should be directed to:
-Primary Contact: Roy Townsend, Project Manager, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation,
phone: (734)-845-1903
email: townsendr@washtenaw.org
-Peter Sanderson, Project Manager, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation,
email: sandersonp@washtenaw.org

Follow the project at B2BTrail.org for construction progress updates.

734-971-6337 | parks@washtenaw.org | washtenaw.org/parks