Super Yooper Dirt Tour Follow Up.

[BHB]

I promised some photos of my July 2013 bike packing trip across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

Since then Barking Bag Bagworks super dude, Jason, has completed the route in reverse. 

I have some pics of the trip that I posted on a local mountain bike forum:

http://mmba.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=119736&p=849931#p849931

If you need a review of the trip, check it out:

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,5881.0.html

Fat Yooper will be in July.  Same route but on Fatbikes!

-Chad

[mbeardsl]

Fat Yooper will be in July.  Same route but on Fatbikes!

-Chad

Awesome pics!

Keep us posted on plans for the fatbike group ride.  I may be living in MQT by then and looking for some adventure.

I'd also say you may want to research some better routes through the Triple A area as I believe they are REALLY f'ing up that road with all the new mine action.  May be a bit more dangerous by this summer, and I'd say a lot less scenic with lots of new paving and vegetation clearing on both sides of the road.  Some relatives of mine have been telling me stories of touring that area by dirt bikes in the 1970s in their early 20's which sounds amazing, but alas will never happen again.

[mbeardsl]

Chad - Would you mind sharing a gpx file of your ride if you were able to record one?

[asatrur]

Very cool pics and I did not realize there was more than one Grand Marais

[bekologist]

Regarding riding past the mine - if riders take AAA road, there's only going to be a few miles of shared traffic and construction this summer between the East end of AAA (the mine is near the end of the straightaway) and where it connects to 510. Once riders are on 510, the mine trucks continue N on 510 while riders heading into Marquette head South on 510.

  A different option to bypass as much mine traffic as possible would be to take the Northwest Road across the Yellow Dog Plains. it's a lot chunkier than AAA, but was once a route that skirted the yellow dog.  Northwest road is a few miles N of AAA, it gets across the Huron river at Big Ericks' Bridge East of Skanee then follows the contours of the Huron Mountains to reconnect with AAA at "dodge city" which isnt' a city at all. There's gates, rocks, a possible river ford; but a more wilderness -deep  wilderness- option to AAA. Other than the NW road, there's limited - read 'none' - other options across that swath of the UP. The MCCormick Tract wilderness area bisects most possible routes with impenetrable roadless area.

 The next viable route through south of AAA will be the Huron-Peshekee grade to Lake Michigamme and then the iron ore heritage trail. Another option would be extreme route finding to get to Silver Lake Basin and Mulligan Plains...Back in the 1980s' I did a summer bike trip across the plains, crossing the Yellow Dog river from Silver Lake and Mulligan Plains, which is probably still viable. Haven't been back that way lately but its likely very marginal.

From N to south, there's an illegal ride through the Huron Mountain Club (summer homes of the Duponts and Fords), the NW road, the AAA, and the the Huron-Pesheekee Grade road to 41. The snowmobile trails through this section of the state are lousy as BHB found out on his 2013 trip, which i'd recommend avoiding through the Yellow Dog.

 Once you get to 510 it's still very low key into Marquette.

[mbeardsl]

A different option to bypass as much mine traffic as possible would be to take the Northwest Road across the Yellow Dog Plains. it's a lot chunkier than AAA, but was once a route that skirted the yellow dog.  Northwest road is a few miles N of AAA, it gets across the Huron river at Big Ericks' Bridge East of Skanee then follows the contours of the Huron Mountains to reconnect with AAA at "dodge city" which isnt' a city at all. There's gates, rocks, a possible river ford; but a more wilderness -deep  wilderness- option to AAA. Other than the NW road, there's limited - read 'none' - other options across that swath of the UP. The MCCormick Tract wilderness area bisects most possible routes with impenetrable roadless area.

The next viable route through south of AAA will be the Huron-Peshekee grade to Lake Michigamme and then the iron ore heritage trail. Another option would be extreme route finding to get to Silver Lake Basin and Mulligan Plains...Back in the 1980s' I did a summer bike trip across the plains, crossing the Yellow Dog river from Silver Lake and Mulligan Plains, which is probably still viable. Haven't been back that way lately but its likely very marginal.

From N to south, there's an illegal ride through the Huron Mountain Club (summer homes of the Duponts and Fords), the NW road, the AAA, and the the Huron-Pesheekee Grade road to 41. The snowmobile trails through this section of the state are lousy as BHB found out on his 2013 trip, which i'd recommend avoiding through the Yellow Dog.

WOW, that's some great info.  I'll be in Marquette tomorrow for a couple months and looking forward to exploring the area.  Have been google mapping a LOT over the last couple weeks.  Had wondered about Northwestern Rd, good to know it's doable but also rough.  Any pics to share?  Also re the possible river ford, where/how bad is that?  Swim or walk?

Re Silver Lake Basin, looks like there's an unnamed road heading SW then S from AAA which then intersects a large number of roads that could take any which way depending on your goal.  Wildcat Rd would take you to Pesheekee Grade but you could hang a sharp East and skirt Silver Lake and heard towards 510 or south to Ishpeming.  Must have been some of what you did in the '80s?

Would love to hear about riding through HMC land.  Heard it's heavily patrolled, but I can't imagine that's true outside of the obvious road crossings/gates?

[bekologist]

we should go ride. Sat 10 AM at tourist park NTN trailhead, to ride the connector routes out of Marquette to 510. or whenever. Amd a correction, the mine is more west end of the straightaway, i just checked the plat maps and stand corrected. but, when completed, the road will have 3 foot paved shoulders.

[mbeardsl]

I'll be riding daily, living just off the Iron Heritage trail so close to most everything.  I'll hit you up for some rides for sure. Thanks for the offer.

[bekologist]

...nice spot to land with a bike. -

 update: Mbeardsl and I busted through the Bob Lake/Mulligan Plains cut in the center of the UP. IF any riders are looking to up the difficulty on their Huron Mountain rides, a southerly route from AAA past Bob Lake through Mulligan Plains works, with a river ford, mosquito gulch, some swampy/sandy or rocky sections (workarounds).

 We rode some other sections to try the Pup Creek drainages, and nothing else between 510 and the mulligan went through, maybe one very marginal option there.

 mbeardsl thinks a route just east of the Mc Cormick tract has promise, but it's going to need a recon.

 Peshekee grade, a possible just east of McCormick, Bob Lake to Mulligan Plains, AAA/510 and the Northwest Road are the thru-routes past the Huron Mountains.

 

[bekologist]

for anyone riding the central UP this summer, there is a route through W of Silver Lake.



As BHB found on his Super Yooper Dirt Tour 2013, the snowmobile trails in the UP laid out across swamps are typically tough sledding on a bike in the summer.  

I discounted route #5 across the mulligan swamp  and hadn't gone in with bike to check it out.  The 2012 plat book shows no through roads. No road + swamp + snomo trail=generally impassable.

MattB mentioned it as a possible route earlier in this thread, but i categorized it as a swamp run.

I rode it yesterday from Wolf Lake.

 Snowmobile route #5 between AAA and Wolf Lake is a wide open, mostly fast, gravelled road now. Some mining or forestry interests have been improving it, so it runs dry and fast all the way. A person wanting an alternate route into Marquette from L'Anse could ride : Big Eriks bridge to AAA to route #5 to Wolf Lake Road to Humbolt to Iron Ore Heritage Trail and have a mostly gravelled, good route Lanse to Marquette.