Mountain Biking Upper Michigan
Where to Snowmobile in the Midwest
You can only go to the same patch of land so many times before you can reconstruct the trail in your head, in your sleep… If you live in the Midwest region and are looking for some interesting changes in venue for your next snowmobiling adventure, check out these tasty trails.
If you’re near Michigan, check out Copper Country Trail National Scenic Byway. The snow falls and quiet beauty of the Upper Peninsula region offer some of the best trails around. The byway boasts 233 miles of groomed trails which traverse through forests, isolated lakes, historic mines, and logging camps. Copper Country is bordered on three sides by Lake Superior and over 200 inches of lake-effect snow falls on an average year. Some of these lake effect storms bring inches upon inches of fresh powder to the region’s snowmobiling trails, which are always well-groomed from December to April. Before you go, be sure to check the snowmobile trail conditions.
And while you’re over near Lake Superior, go ride the North Shore State Trail System, which has been called “the crown jewel of northeastern Minnesota” running from Duluth to Grand Marais.
This trail system has a 153-mile network of all-season trails. You can snowmobile along the ridges, and woodlands of Minnesota’s Sawtooth Mountains. There are spectacular views of cliffs along the shoreline of the world’s largest freshwater lake. And while you’re there, Mother Nature may treat you to the “Lake Superior Ice Train” which is the process of ice sheets cracking and grinding their way along the waves as they crash onto the shoreline.
If this isn’t enough for you, head on over to Minnesota and check out the Paul Bunyan Trail. This is a trail system of over 100 miles of paved trail, used for biking in the summer. Once things get frosty, this incredible area, which connects to 15 towns, is open for snowmobiling! At Brainerd Lake, you’ll find a 1,200 mile network of snowmobile trails stretching out in every direction, making the Brainerd Lakes area one of the upper Midwest’s favored snowmobiling destinations.
As with any snowmobiling adventure, ALWAYS call ahead to confirm conditions, secure any permits, and get a copy of local rules and regulations. You’ll soon see why there’s nothing wrong with venturing outside your own backyard for fun!
About the Author
John Eimerman, a life long snowmobiler, shares his experiences and perspectives on snowmobiling on his his blog, John Eimerman Wisconsin.
Trip up Brockway Mountain, near Copper Harbor, MI with a Kawasaki ZX6E
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Mountain Biking Michigan: The Best Trails in the Upper Peninsula (Mountain Biking Michigan’s Best Trails) $14.95 Tired of crowded mountain bike trails? Bored of riding through scenery that is little more than mowed farm fields and gravel pits? The head north to the great Upper Peninsula of Michigan! In this special region above the Mackinac Bridge, the trails are plentiful, the wilderness scenery is outstanding and the chances of encountering wildlife from the seat of your bike – deer, bald eagles, possibly … |
