mrsrunningbear
Active member
Some of us from MI-TRALE will be riding the NEW 70 mile Ottawa Eastern Connector Route (EC) tomorrow to celebrate it's opening!!
We will be starting our ride by the town of Rousseau at the Pori Junction. Take FFH16 (North if by Kenton or South if by Mass City) to South Laird Rd/Pori Rd. turn west, go all the way to the end to the railroad tracks, there is parking near the tracks, we will be there at 9:30 and will leave for the ride at 10am, bring a lunch as we'll stop on the trail for a picnic. We are going to ride south until the group says lets turn around and head back so we really have no idea when the ride will be over. Be prepared for fun, dust, and/or rain. Hope you can join us
Here is the press release
MI-TRALE, (Michigan Trails and Recreation Alliance of Land and the Environment), a multi-use trail organization, is proud and pleased to announce that the Ottawa 70 miles of the new East Connector (EC) will officially open for travel on Saturday, August 31, 2013. We are excited that all the necessary preparatory work has been completed so that this great new trail is able to be opened for people to enjoy it during the 2013 riding season. We urge everyone to get out and travel on this trail through the beautiful Ottawa National Forest (ONF) as soon as they can. We are positive you will have an enjoyable ride!
“We are excited about the opportunities this new trail route provides to the OHV community,” stated ONF Supervisor Anthony Scardina. “Forest Service staff have worked hard to complete the necessary actions for opening this trail, including some trail maintenance and signing. We want OHV users to enjoy their riding experience on the Ottawa and look forward to the trail opening.”
The EC is a North-South route on the East side of the ONF (see map below) that enables the rider to connect to three other major trail arteries: The southern most Iron River to Marenisco Route (IRM), the central Sidnaw to Bergland Route (SB) and the northern most Bill Nichols Route (BN) that runs from Mass City to Houghton. These three trails run through five counties in the Western UP. Riders can now go from the southern-most IRM route to the northern-most BN route, with multiple opportunities to branch off east and west, all the while being able to be serviced for fuel, lodging and food needs.
President of MI-TRALE, Don Helsel, commented that, “MI-TRALE believes this is a win-win situation for both the tourists traveling our trails as well as for the communities they are now able to easily access in which to spend their dollars. It helps promote what we already know to be true. The Western UP is a wonderful vacation destination!”
The ONF approved the EC route in April of this year and as of August 14th, the MDNR awarded the EC the status of being a designated route. This status affords MI-TRALE and the ONF the ability to properly maintain the trail according to their partnership agreement and ensure a safe and well-maintained trail for our riding guests.
DNR Trails Analyst Rob Katona said, “We would like to thank the Ottawa National Forest and the ORV organization MI-TRALE for their partnership and commitment in creating this additional ORV opportunity. This new route bolsters additional tourism and partnership that will help the local economy.”
The “Grand Opening” of the EC, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, will take place in the Spring of 2014.
We will be starting our ride by the town of Rousseau at the Pori Junction. Take FFH16 (North if by Kenton or South if by Mass City) to South Laird Rd/Pori Rd. turn west, go all the way to the end to the railroad tracks, there is parking near the tracks, we will be there at 9:30 and will leave for the ride at 10am, bring a lunch as we'll stop on the trail for a picnic. We are going to ride south until the group says lets turn around and head back so we really have no idea when the ride will be over. Be prepared for fun, dust, and/or rain. Hope you can join us
Here is the press release
MI-TRALE, (Michigan Trails and Recreation Alliance of Land and the Environment), a multi-use trail organization, is proud and pleased to announce that the Ottawa 70 miles of the new East Connector (EC) will officially open for travel on Saturday, August 31, 2013. We are excited that all the necessary preparatory work has been completed so that this great new trail is able to be opened for people to enjoy it during the 2013 riding season. We urge everyone to get out and travel on this trail through the beautiful Ottawa National Forest (ONF) as soon as they can. We are positive you will have an enjoyable ride!
“We are excited about the opportunities this new trail route provides to the OHV community,” stated ONF Supervisor Anthony Scardina. “Forest Service staff have worked hard to complete the necessary actions for opening this trail, including some trail maintenance and signing. We want OHV users to enjoy their riding experience on the Ottawa and look forward to the trail opening.”
The EC is a North-South route on the East side of the ONF (see map below) that enables the rider to connect to three other major trail arteries: The southern most Iron River to Marenisco Route (IRM), the central Sidnaw to Bergland Route (SB) and the northern most Bill Nichols Route (BN) that runs from Mass City to Houghton. These three trails run through five counties in the Western UP. Riders can now go from the southern-most IRM route to the northern-most BN route, with multiple opportunities to branch off east and west, all the while being able to be serviced for fuel, lodging and food needs.
President of MI-TRALE, Don Helsel, commented that, “MI-TRALE believes this is a win-win situation for both the tourists traveling our trails as well as for the communities they are now able to easily access in which to spend their dollars. It helps promote what we already know to be true. The Western UP is a wonderful vacation destination!”
The ONF approved the EC route in April of this year and as of August 14th, the MDNR awarded the EC the status of being a designated route. This status affords MI-TRALE and the ONF the ability to properly maintain the trail according to their partnership agreement and ensure a safe and well-maintained trail for our riding guests.
DNR Trails Analyst Rob Katona said, “We would like to thank the Ottawa National Forest and the ORV organization MI-TRALE for their partnership and commitment in creating this additional ORV opportunity. This new route bolsters additional tourism and partnership that will help the local economy.”
The “Grand Opening” of the EC, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, will take place in the Spring of 2014.