NCT in the LP of Michigan

[JimL]

Woohoo! Finally made it out to lay down some tracks for all the bike-able sections of the North Country Trail in the lower peninsula of Michigan.  Approximately 332 miles of bikepacking goodness through magical forests, swamps, road and the like.  Short verbiage, google map track and pic slideshow on my blog here: http://zipspot.blogspot.com/.  Be warned- there's plenty of hike-a-bike on this route, quite a bit of sand and some steep climbs. But also some of the best flowy singletrack riding in Michigan.  Plenty of services (stores, motels), but some stretches which required filtering water from streams.

The maps for the route can be purchased from the NCT Assoc. here: http://www.northcountrytrail.org/.  You'll want maps MI-04 through MI-07.

You can download my slightly cleaned raw track here: http://trey.aiserv.net/~jal/nct_lp_mi.gpx. (right click, save link as.  It's 2.5 meg.)

If you have any questions or are interested in doing this route and want someone to ride with, send me a pm.  There's a possible Labor Day weekend run taking shape.

Jim

[caseygreene]

man, thats awesome. nice work. i love that part of MI

[l-s-d]

JimL = The champ. Thanks so much for doing the legwork, I can't wait to check it out!

[cjsbike]

Only a few have done this over the years.  Awesome job, Jim!

I have completed the route a few times over the years, in sections.

Jim and I are planning to do the whole route from north to south next month.

Jim rocks!

-Chad

[jhl99]

Good to see some activity about recon on trails E of the Mississippi. 

Part of the NCT crosses through my state of PA, I never got to the point of investigating how much of it would be bike friendly... might have to look into this.

I lived in Dearborn for a few years right out college in the early 1990s.... traveled N in the lower P for hiking, atbing and skiing.  At the time, considered parts of the state to be giant litter box do the the sandy conditions.

What is the major reason for the hike-a-bike portions?

[JimL]

Thanks for the kind words.

The NCT is primarily a hiking trail, so you might have to invest in the maps and read the fine print about which areas open to bikes.  I've found very little information on the internet.  I'm going to take a trip over to the store soon, so I'll see if I can peruse the PA maps.  I'll post up if I find out anything.

The hike-a-bike is primarily because of sand (as you mentioned, northern MI is pretty much a sand dune with a loamy crust.) and the nature of it being a hiker trail.  For instance- as you cross M-115 near Mesick, heading north, the trail follows the Manistee River for about 40 miles or so, from ~ mile 111 -> 150.  Besides being generally uphill, you cross many tributaries that drain into the Manistee.  Usually bombing down (some walking) and almost 95% of the time, hiking out, due to the steepness of the trail.

Jim

[cjsbike]

South of Petoskey is Chandler Hill. 

600 feet straight up.  That is big for Michigan!

Chandler Hill photos from May's NCT bike packing adventure:

[mmeiser]

Dude, awesome!  I live in SW michigan, am always looking for trans michigan routes.

Tried importing the GPX file into google, something is a-miss in it. Saw it mapped on google on your website you wouldn't have some other GPX or some other link to it into google. Otherwise I'll be trying to figure out what's wrong with the original google file.

[JimL]

Hey mmeiser,

Sorry for the delay, here's a link to the kml file: http://trey.aiserv.net/~jal/nct_lp_mi.kml

Any interest in a group start ITT sometime in the spring?  Either a through ride, White Cloud -> Mac City or what I've dubbed the 'Lollipop Loop'.  Here's the short of it: Start in White Cloud and head north to Mesick.  A loop is created at the top end going east on M-115 through Mesick then north on M-37 to where the trail crosses, then take the trail back south to M-115.  You can choose your poison, traversing the loop either clockwise or counter clockwise.  Then head back south retracing the trail to the White Cloud TH.  I haven't put together the track yet, but by my estimates it should come in around 240 miles and 18k'.  I'd say the route is 95% ride-able, but the section between 115 and 37 will definitely have some hiking.

Jim

[wieringaj]

Hey Jim,

I was wondering what route you take to get around the sections of the NCT south of the Bowman Lake trailhead and the Tippy Dam trailhead which are closed to bikes on the map?

[JimL]

Hey wieringaj,

From Cleveland Drive W to the Bowman Lake TH looks like this (going S -> N, ~15 miles):

As you exit the trail heading north proceed straight down Alger Ave -> left onto W 16 Mile Rd. -> right onto Osborn Ave -> right onto S Star Lake Dr. -> left onto W 76th St. -> right onto S Evergreen Rd. -> right onto 40th St. -> left onto W 56th St. -> right into Bowman Lake TH.

From Udell TH -> Tippy Dam TH (going S -> N, ~15 miles):

As you exit the trail onto Fire Tower Rd. right onto M-55 -> left onto Huff Rd. -> right onto Chicago Ave -> left onto N High Bridge Rd. -> right onto River Rd. -> left onto Keith Rd. -> right onto Dickson Rd. -> left on Clements Rd. -> right on Flarity Rd. -> right onto Dilling Rd. -> left onto the trail.

Also, you should keep off the trail as it runs through Consumers Power land around Hodenpyl Pond.  Once you pop out at/on Beers Rd, turn right and stay on that all the way to M-115.  You can pick the trail up again on the north side of M-115.

Hope this helps.

Jim

[clydeone]

Great job! I was actually trying to put a similar route together early last year and was trying to id bypasses for the "non biking" sections of the NCT.   I was looking on a map the other day trying to work up a connector route from Yankee Springs up through Middleville SGA through Cannonsburg SGA, Cannonsburg Ski area, Luton park (I know these 3 are easily linked from discussion on MMBA) then from Luton to the "bottom" of the NCT. 

[wieringaj]

Is there a way to cross on top of Tippy Dam?  I was looking at the map and wondering if it is possible to hike-a-bike across the top.

[JimL]

re: Luton -> NCT connector

Since the NCT from the Ohio state line -> 40th street contains a lot of 'temporary connectors' using roads, you could easily follow most of the trail from Luton Park in Rockford to the M-20 TH.  I'd thought about riding from my house, utilizing the rail trail that runs from Owosso -> Ionia and then roads over to Lowell where you can pick up the 'trail', albeit on the road parts only, since it's off limits to bikes between Ohio and M-20.  Funny though, I've ridden some parts around Yankee Springs but have not seen any signs explicitly prohibiting bike access, like you see in other areas.  When I take a break from my current studies, I'll break out the maps and see if I can get a bead on a good route from Rockford/Lowell -> M20.


re: Tippy crossing.

Nope, I tried.  They have limited access to that area for 'Security Concerns' from what the ranger told me.  The land is owned by Consumers Power and they don't lease through access to the public.  Also some factual history- Tippy Dam is the largest bat hibernacula in the LP, holding a 20,000+ bat population during times of hibernation.  Another possible reason for limiting access to the area?

Jim

[mmeiser]

!!!  Sweet!   Alright!

First, pardon the delay just spent a month riding from MI to Charleston, SC via the Skyline and Blue Ridge Parkway: http://www.flickriver.com/photos/mmeiser2/popular-interesting/

THE KML is loaded and on my Android phone via google maps! It's a thing of beauty. Funny that it looks better on my phone that on maps.google.com.

A "trans michigan" has been on my mind a lot recently.  Gravel grinding is getting hot in SW michigan around Jackson and Ann Arbor. The cyclocross crowd has been going endurance and a local just wrote a book called "dirt road Washtenaw" on Washtenaw county's superb backroads.

I had figured it'd be impossible to put together a route all the way across the UP and lower, but there's already some posts here on a fairly flushed out UP... this covers most of the lower.

I know we can come up with some superb dirt in SW, perhaps using some of the NCT... my only prob is while this is generally my back yard I'm going to be busy working in Ohio much of the summer.

I wonder if there's any way throw down a route in without doing all the leg work... just so that we can declare a complete route, throw out a date or just start promoting it as an IIT or otherwise.

I think already there's enough to create a TransMichigan blog using blogger.com to start tracking and promoting the idea.

I love it, but I can't even imagine doing a single event for this.

I did the Trans Wisconsin (well most of it anyway) at 650 miles this summer and it took five days.... how many miles are we talking for a trans MI.... 2,000 - 2500??  just holy cow. It'd be almost as long as the Great Divide!

(Actually I guess what I'm most worried about is when I personally could get the time to do it... I guess I might have the time this fall.)

I love the idea of using the NCT if it can be done... popularize some of the route and I'm sure given your photos and review that 99% of it's going to be great riding.

[mmeiser]

FYI, the thread on the Northern Peninsula loop: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=1566.0

Didn't realize it was a loop. Perhaps we're talking as little as 1500 for a full Trans Michigan

[JimL]

I'm all for publicizing a TransMichigan route.  I would think that you could have several alternatives as the amount of rail trail in the state has really grown in the last 5 or so years as well.  One of the routes could follow the NCT as closely as possible from Ohio to Wisconsin.  From my digging though, there seems to be delicate tensions between use groups regarding the NCT, as I've been directed to relay correspondence through channels instead of taking them on my own.   

Personally, I'd like to see a group start self supported ITT develop.  I would think for the LP (Ohio -> Mac City), it would be 500+ miles.  Going from S -> N, the route would be front loaded with ~150-200 miles of pave/gravel grinding and back loaded with ~200 miles of sweet singletrack, generously sprinkled with hike-a-bike.  From a quick scan of the maps and eyeballing in TF, I think to declare the route 'passable' there would have to be scouting from Ohio -> M-20.  I'll set to making a track and if the weather holds toward the end of the month, get out to verify some parts.

[JimL]

Had a little time this morning to bang out the track from Ohio -> M-20 and tack it on to the other section for a full view of the route.  Looks to be about 574 miles in total.

http://trey.aiserv.net/~jal/full_nct_lp_mi.gpx

http://trey.aiserv.net/~jal/full_nct_lp_mi.kml

[mmeiser]

@JimL, haven't even looked at the KML/GPX yet, but all I can say is just wow, I didn't think it possible that a TransMichigan route could even be put together in the next couple years, let alone happen now. Any thoughts on the UP... correct me if I'm wrong but while it looks absolutely awesome it's still completely untested by bike.

I was joking with my bro about the possibility that it might require a fatbike/pugsley/mukluk due all the sand, but it those adv photos, and I looked through them all, just looked dreamy... for the most part.

[mmeiser]

This should be a viewable public version of it on google:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=207115310463077740711.00049c5fe2fb87e649395&z=8

Oddly it again loads in its entirity and looks better on my phone. I don't understand why on google's website it can't show the entire route all in one view. Works on my phone though.

So... it starts practically in my backyard here in SE Michigan.  By backyard I mean probably 60-70 miles from here, but relatively speaking. I have ridden through the area south of Hillsdale on many occasions. Absolutely beautiful Amish Country. Great backroads too, and as the doorstep to Michigan it's a subtle introduction as it just gets more interesting as you head north and get into the hills. Indeed S to N would be a great way to run it, but then I guess I'm not partial.

So, I have to ride as much of it as possible as soon as possible.  I'm thinking if I can get a good four or five days I can ride pretty much all of the route to GR... if I can get a certain someone to pick me up at the northern end... and I think I can.

The question is when. Should have some time in March or April... which is the perfect time to actually do a transMichigan. Perhaps we should just go nuts and throw out a start date for the first annual despite the fact that it will be impossible to pull of and absolutely fail... therin being the fun.

Hrmm... well, if we just did the TransLPMichigan i think it'd probably be doable in 4-5 days. Of course if TransWisconsin taught me anything it's that it's way to easy to estimate an untested route on backroads and trails.

Anyway, I guess this is all to embrace an old tech startup adage... fail quickly. The important thing is to have a doable route, it doesn't matter that it's good, it can always be improved on... and then to just do it, and promote it in the hopes others will be inspired to do it as well.

The fact that it could follow or roughly follow the NCT means ttechnically in the long term it can't fail, even if it does in the short term.