The trail is composed of crushed limestone and has a slope of 2% going south to north,[2] and has a width of 8 feet.[3] The trail is administered and funded through an inter-government commission representing the townships that the trail services.[4][5]
Paint Creek Trail opened in 1983 as the first rail trail in Michigan.[6] The trail is in the right-of-way of the former Michigan Central Railroad and Penn Central Railroad lines. The original rail line was completed in 1872, and was in service until Penn Central's railroad operations were taken over by Conrail in 1976.[7] The right-of-way was purchased by the Paint Creek Trail Commission in 1983 for $450,000.[5]