NCT in the LP of Michigan

[DallasW]

Hey everyone,
Just wondering if there were any major changes going on in this route in 2012 (bikers being allowed/not allowed on certain sections). We're thinking of planning a trip in early summer 2013 across Manitoulin Island (getting dropped off at the ferry to start off, if anyone has some tips for the island that would be great), over to Mackinac, then down through the NCT until Grand Rapids, where we will either grab a train or take back roads back to Port Huron to finish the loop.

Thanks guys!

[JimL]

Hey Dallas,

Not that I'm aware of.  I rode the entire route (S->N) over two full moon fever weekends in the fall and only skipped two sections, taking the roads instead.

They were:

- ~10 miles of Wilderness State Park, from Sturgeon Bay (Lakeview Road) to just outside Mackinaw City where I picked up the rail trail into town.  Excuse: Sand.

- The small section from M-115 <-> M-37 where the trail skirts around the town of Mesick. Excuse: Excessive bushwhacking.

I will probably start riding the trail again sometime in March or April if the snow clears out, so if I hear or see anything new, I'll post up.  I do see that they have updated several of the maps since I purchased mine.  Here's the link: http://northcountrytrail.org/shop/category.php?category_id=54&page=g

Your route sounds like a good one!  Have a great time!

Jim

Here's the post at the Kipp Road trailhead.

[sdr]

Have some vacation time coming up and would like to do part of this route starting near Traverse City, maybe ending at Whitefish. Plan on buying the maps but wonder about loading the route onto my Garmin. Any tutorial on how to do this?

P.S. I'm on a Mac.

[JimL]

Hey sdr,

Did you get this figured out?

I'm on the mac and mount my etrex30 as a drive via usb, then copy the tracks I want on the mounted drive here: Garmin -> GPX

You'll then need to go to the Track Manager on the unit, select that track and choose 'Show On Map'.

Jim

[sdr]

Due to the insanity that has become my life this summer, that ride may not happen this year. Thanks for the info.

[Stickboy]

Thanks Jim for taking the time and sharing the details.    

[balexander87]

Not sure if this is any more useful to anyone, but since I did it, I figured I'd share it.

I tried to go through and apply the useful points of interest to the GPS tracks provided above. So far, I've just worked on the section through Manistee, referencing points of interest from the maps from MMBA's Trail Guide. For now, points of interest include access points, campgrounds, and water sources. Disclaimer: the water sources are simply transferred from the MMBA map; I have not verified any of them.

North of Manistee, the MMBA maps don't show anything, so it will take a little longer to go through and identify points of interest.

Google's map making program is a little quirky, but it works well for making, sharing, and collaborating on things.

North Country Trail - Lower Michigan