Trail 1 and 13 loop open?

[indy_500]

With the heavy traffic , especially on years when other areas don’t get a good snow cover , and the reduced trails in recent years one has to wonder if the western UP is the attractive destination it once was. My group only rides on weekdays now but even those get rough more often than not. Been riding sleds for close to 60 years , have had more awesome trips than I can remember and have seen my fair share of rough trails but making the journey to the western UP knowing there will likely be rough trails is not as appealing as it once was. Not whining just stating the obvious - grooming simply cannot keep up with more sleds concentrated on less trails.

I said this ~5 years ago when trails started disappearing, and got flamed big time for it on this site. If you aren’t into big big miles the western UP is no longer very attractive to trail riders, especially since large majority of the remaining trails are just railroad grades.

DNR having total control over the MI/UP trail system is a massive fail. NWI clubs would’ve had that trail rerouted or a bridge slapped together in a weekend. Worried about groomer weight on a homemade bridge? Run the groomer from each direction and turn around. There’s ways around these issues, but the DNR wants it their way. I fully understand there is less manpower and resources in a lot of the UP, but if they were allowed to make these things happen, they would find the manpower and resources to do so…

Eastern UP is just as crowded and much less scenic sites to see, but still some great riding to be had. Everyone from Lower MI rides over there.

 

[saber1]

My sons and I were just talking about this How we used to go to the western UP for 15yrs ,past 8 or so we have been hitting the Eastern just because of all the trail closings and fewer choices Sad