ATV Trail Riding in Michigan U.P.
Going to ride in the U.P.
Michigan Trails and Recreation Alliance of Land and the Environment, commonly known as MI-TRALE, is an alliance of multiple trail and outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
The Ottawa National Forest has over 2,300 miles of Forest Service road and trail open to off-highway vehicles (OHVs).
Roads and trails designated as open to OHVs are open to vehicles 65 inches or less in width and utilizing off-road low pressure tires.
Attached mitrails.org Maps that show ATV’s/ORV’s are allowed:
- St-Ignace-to-Trout-Lake-Trail
- North-Country-Trail-Mackinac-County
- Manistique-Boardwalk
- Keweenaw-Peninsula-Trails-Network
- Jack-Stevens-Hancock-Calumet-Trail
- Iron-Ore-Heritage-Trail
- Houghton-Waterfront-Trail
- Houghton-Chassell-Trail
- Haywire-Grade-Trail
- Apple-Blossom-Trail
A few other maps from other source that clearly are for ATV/ORV’s
This is a start but I will need to start looking more closely and see how to plan a trip with our ATV in the UP.
My next attempt at finding trails and where we can ride our ATV is these resources:
- trailsoffroad
- onx Offroad
- VVMapping (I have some papermaps)
- GAIA (allows planning online)
Prepare
Also need to verify you have supplies and this is a live article that I’ll keep updating as I think of and discover items that would be a good idea to bring along.
Fuel is an important piece especially if you drive a thirsty monster like we do. When you are exploring the Upper Peninsula its very sparse which means not a fueling station on every corner so be prepared. Issue I see is I am not finding a fuel can that will fit our 2024 Outland Max XT-P 1000R so I need to keep looking.
Also you need to keep hydrated and carry some snacks so you can leave a trail of m&ms to find your way back (lol just kidding). Snacks help keep you alerts with some protein.
Most of us use apps for trails or know where we are going that all run on your phone. Consider a mount that will hold and charge your phone. Consider getting a vibration dampner and most motorcycle handlebar mounts will work. Here are a couple of ideas…
I personally went with the wireless Quad Lock because it feels robust and like it won’t break or let my phone go. Not that the Ram Mount would break or let go but I have that comfort of knowing the Quad Lock won’t and I didn’t see a wireless charging mount even though I’m sure they are out there.
Does your helmets support Comm’s? You need to be able to talk to the person riding with you for emergency situations, bathroom brakes or whatever may occur.
Some great options to add to your helmet is Moman (30hrs battery life), Sena or if you have the very nice Shoei helmet you can go with the Shoei SRL Bluetooth Headset By Sena (10hrs battery life).
