From website
you can go anywhere! Delta County’s snowmobile trails are a part of the state’s vast trail system in the Upper Peninsula. And with the U.P.’s large forested areas and unplowed roads, traveling by snowmobile may be the only way to experience the U.P. in winter.
“There’s lots of woods, lots to see.” says the coordinator of the Bays de Noc Convention and Visitors Bureau in Escanaba. “I like to snowmobile at a slow pace to enjoy the beauty and serenity of the area.”
She suggests using Escanaba, Gladstone or Rapid River as a central point to exploring the region. “You can get anywhere you want in the Upper Peninsula from here,” she said. “From Rapid River you can head north to Munising or east to Manistique. You can access many of the trails, and we have a mild enough winter to do other things here.” Delta County, Michigan Escanaba and Gladstone Area
The trail in Delta County is split into two parts. Efforts are being made to connect the trails across the Whitefish River near Rapid River, but for now the Felch Grade trail ends about a half mile north on Rapid River on U.S. 41 and the Nahma Grade has a trailhead on County Road 509 east of Rapid River.
The Nahma Grade trail travels east from Rapid River to Federal Forest Highway 13. Turning south at that junction takes you to U.S. 2. Turning north at the junction takes you to another trailhead that splits in two – east to the Garden Peninsula and Manistique, and north toward Munising, on Big Bay de Noc, is a small community with restaurants, bars, a service station and small shops.
Rapid River is slightly larger community with small motels, restaurants, bars, service stations, stores and a snowmobile dealer. There are several service stations near downtown on U.S. 2 and two other service stations where U.S. 2 and 41 join just west of town.
The Nahma Grade trail is maintained by the U.S. Forest Service which has a district office in Rapid River. The Felch Grade trail that heads west out of Rapid River is maintained by the Michigan DNR which has a district office in Escanaba. “The trail is flat with some of it running on county roads,” said Russ McDonald, DNR recreation officer. “There’s a couple of spots that it goes through swamps which causes some problems early in the year.” Michigan’s snowmobile season lasts for 16 weeks, from December 1 to March 31. But it depends on winter conditions. Less snow falls in the Bays de Noc area compared to many other parts of the peninsula, so McDonald suggests checking on trail conditions.
The Felch Grade travels west through Delta County. “From here, you can get up to Gwinn or over to Iron Mountain,” McDonald said. “There are some trails that are not state funded that go into Wisconsin.” The Felch Grade runs directly towards Crystal Falls with several breaks toward the Iron Mountain area. Past LaBranche, the trail also turns north toward Gwinn which then splits to Marquette or Munising. In Escanaba, the trailhead appears next to the Days Inn on the west side of North Lincoln Road and U.S. 2, 41 and M-35. A snowmobile dealer is also located at the trailhead.
