ORV Trails
Our trails are open in the Western U.P. We are currently under the Michigan Stay Home, Stay Safe order. Therefore, trail riding will not be the same for a while due to the restrictions currently in place by the State of Michigan and the DNR. Trail maintenance has been halted, DNR personnel are very restricted, most Michigan businesses have been closed and others are limited. All of us certainly look forward to the day we can provide you with clear sailing trails and the outstanding hospitality that you have come to expect from the Yoopers!
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is the land of terrific trails for ORV enthusiasts to travel! The Lake Gogebic Chamber of Commerce would like to introduce you to our sister organization, Michigan Trails and Recreation Alliance of Land and the Environment, MI-TRALE. Read on and discover what delights await you as you take a trip on their trails…
**NEW: MI-TRALE Map App called “Michigan UP Trails”**
You can download the FREE app from the store (iOS or Android) of your choice. We encourage you to download the app and take a look at what it has to offer. It covers ATV, cycle, equestrian, biking, hiking, and paddle trails. (paper maps are still available also)
Let MI-TRALE’s Trails entertain you with…
Gorgeous UP scenery to view…Mines and historic settlements to explore…Unique little UP towns with their own distinct specialties to visit…Waterfalls to wonder at…Bridges to cross…Trout streams loaded with Brookies & Browns. If these spark your interest, then let MI-TRALE’s now 520 miles of trails tempt you into…a RIDING VACATION!
We have some major points of interest along these routes—marked with stars on our map. (If you’d like to acquire a MI-TRALE map, go to our website, www.mi-trale.org and click on the “ATV ORV” Tab and go to the “Maps” drop-down and you’ll see how to have us send you one. (There is also a list of our Sponsors that have maps available at their locations.)
One of MI-TRALE’s premier trails is the Pioneer (P) Trail. It winds through the stunning Ottawa National Forest, with whom MI-TRALE has a wonderful working partnership in maintaining this trail.
There are many places of interest to explore as you travel along its route. We are implementing the new feature of “Geocaching” throughout this trail in 2013.
For the history buffs, you’ll be interested to know that this trail was constructed by actual United States soldiers from the Army Corps of Engineers. It was a “practice” exercise for them to sharpen their skills of road construction! As you head North out of Bergland towards Rockland, you will come across two historic sites worth checking out:
The UP has many unique lodging opportunities for visitors. Just about every little town on our map has The UP has many unique lodging opportunities for visitors. Just about every little town on our map has something to offer: shopping, dining, history and much more!
MI-TRALE’s Western UP ORV Trail Map is marked with all of our trail types. We want to point out that there are different surfaces among our trail system. These include dirt, gravel and pavement. We are featuring information on MI-TRALE Sponsored “Preferred Routes” because these consist of both gravel and paved County Roads. MI-TRALE believes that what you’ll find along these routes will make it well worth your while to ride!
Victoria Dam, where you can still see part of the 2nd pipeline, constructed in 1959 out of Douglas Fir and Old Victoria.
Old Victoria is a 19th century mining village where copper was discovered in the 1840s. Tours of the restored frontier cabins and various exhibits are held there throughout the Summer.
Once you reach Rockland, you can get gas and always count on a tasty meal if you stop in at Henry’s Bar & Grill. If it happens to be a Friday evening, have Henry’s superb, one-of-a-kind Fish Fry Buffet. Right across the street from Henry’s is the famous (or is that “in”famous?) Weather Rock at the Rockland Weather Station. It will give you the latest local forecast so you can be properly outfitted for the rest of your ride!
Continue North out of Rockland on the P trail and cross over to the C trail to get to the town of Greenland.
There you can take a guided underground tour of the Adventure Copper Mine. (It is marked as #19 on our map.) Make a pit stop at the Greenland Pit Stop and devour some of their delicious homemade pizza. As you can see, miles and miles of riding and exploring options are yours when traveling the Pioneer Trail.
Last year MI-TRALE was lucky enough to create a trail (the DH) to connect 2 of the 3 ORV friendly State Parks in the UP, Twin Lakes and Baraga State Parks. Located on the Bill Nichols (BN) Trail is Twin Lakes State Park. The park offers a swimming beach, camping and picnic sites. When in town, you must stop for a famous UP specialty, a pasty, at Krupp’s Mini Mart! A little South of Twin Lakes (and North of Rockland) the trail takes you over 2 branches of the Firesteel River on three successive bridges that total nearly 1,300 feet in length, with a maximum clearance over the water of 85 feet, providing a breathtaking experience.
The Baraga State Park is located on the DH trail. The Park provides camping with full hook-ups and picnic spots. From there, you can ride the Baraga Plains Trail—a loop of 28 amazingly scenic miles to travel.
If nothing sounds better to you than having a lunch of your own freshly caught trout…then MI-TRALE can take you to trout fishing paradise! Pack your rod and reel and grab your creel and head East out of Watersmeet on the IRM Trail towards Iron River. If the fish beat the fisherman, you can always find food in Iron River and gas up your ATV to try again in the afternoon!
Do the majesty and grandeur of nature’s waterfalls fill you will awe and wonder?
Three sets of falls are easily accessible from our trail system. Bond Falls, 2nd largest in the UP, is located on the CR Trail in Paulding.
While in Paulding, treat yourself to a sub or burger from the Lonesome Pine Café and follow that up by going to the Paulding General Store for a cone of fabulous Jilbert’s (a UP dairy) ice cream. (Their ice cream is also available at locations you can stop at in Rockland and Bruce Crossing.) Agate Falls, in Trout Creek, is best seen when viewed from the old railroad trestle that you’ll cross on the SB trail, a perfect photo op if ever there was one! Kakabika Falls, in Watersmeet, is a series of “S” curves. There is a pull-off area for you to park your ORV and then go follow the path to the head of the falls. The further around the curves you go, the more beautiful it gets. Along the way, you’ll find some great big rocks perfect for hosting a picnic lunch!
So, from the few options we’ve given you, there is definitely something to tempt everyone to ride on MI-TRALE’s trails! We welcome guests and can guarantee that you’ll be delighted with the beauty you will find on your trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Come and enjoy! We hope to see you on our trails!