My opinion, as well as many others I'm sure, would be the Rockland to Twin Lakes area. Plenty of places to stay and usually the best "overall" conditions. You can day trip to just about anywhere in the Western UP from either location.
It's all good. Love to ride North of the bridge. Have stayed in Hancock at the Ramada and traveled both North and South and feel that's the best of the UP. M&M is right across the parking lot so when you need the inevitible fix or part they are right there to help you along. Honestly, there isn't any place that's not good.
I am in the Greenland, Mass City and Rockland area, very good riding. Have ridden in the Keewee and equally if not better IMO. Twin Lakes awesome. Bergland great. Trail 13 loop from Greenland to Twin Lakes one of the nicest in da UP. Trail 109 off trail 3 south of Twin Lakes heading toward Alston incredibly awesome. Freeda Loop before Houghton off trail 3 is great. Flying up and down the Bill Nichols trail (3) at 375 mph is fun
I agree with the western UP. BUT! It can get a little busy over there sometimes. Depending on where you live, I would suggest Seney. Same amount of miles from Bourbonais, IL to either spot. Seney provides some of the best trails and low traffic. There are 5 loops you can make without ever hitting the same trail. Well a little but not much. In my opinion I would make 2 trips. One to each spot every year. I do! lol
Flying up and down the Bill Nichols trail (3) at 375 mph is fun
Bahahaha!
We have stayed from as far south as Watersmeet and north to Houghton and have ridden everywhere inbetween including up to Copper Harbor. IMHO anywhere you pick in that area will have great sights and good trails.
It's all good. We started riding Ironwood in 1977-78 the year of the big snow,and kept moving farther east to avoid the crowds. Based out Bergland for years, then Ontinogan, then Krupps, then Northgate in Calumet. We liked Calumet so much we bought a home and moved there. You can run any of the UP's best trails from there. Even trailer and drop to ride the eastern side. If I had to pick a "BEST" trail? I reread Lennys post, it must be 13. It would be from behind Pats Yamaha to Krupps forgot the #. But its 26 miles or so of the sweetest riding offered in the UP. The first year it opened we got to Krupps around 9pm and hit it with almost a foot of fresh pow. The plan was to run the grade back, LOL it was so sweet we never stopped on the way to Pats. At Pats we stopped and smiled so hard, then turned back to run it again. Never saw another sled all night. Hats off to Pat and crew that built it and maintains it. Gassed up back at the trailer at Krupps, then rode the powerline north of there, all untouched pow. Watched the sun come up that day, Nap and huge breakfast rode 5 more days. The off trail north off the bridge is endless if you run with peaple who grew up there, hire KSE to really have fun, costs less than its worth and you will never have a better ride in your life. It seems like every place we rode was a relation to one of DA group. Lots of early JD stories to be had also. Ok, I really miss the place, time to move back. My wife will miss me.
Favorite place to ride in the UP? Deep untouched snow where nobody else has been, climbing hills in mature hardwood forests where there is actually room to get between the trees. Public land of course, or actually the best being private land that you are allowed to be on. I'd point a few of those places out on the map but really what fun would that be?
Draw a line on a map from Iron River to Newberry and stay north of it and you should be in fine shape pretty much anywhere (well probably not so great this weekend, but typically).
It's all good. We started riding Ironwood in 1977-78 the year of the big snow,and kept moving farther east to avoid the crowds. Based out Bergland for years, then Ontinogan, then Krupps, then Northgate in Calumet. We liked Calumet so much we bought a home and moved there. You can run any of the UP's best trails from there. Even trailer and drop to ride the eastern side. If I had to pick a "BEST" trail? I reread Lennys post, it must be 13. It would be from behind Pats Yamaha to Krupps forgot the #. But its 26 miles or so of the sweetest riding offered in the UP. The first year it opened we got to Krupps around 9pm and hit it with almost a foot of fresh pow. The plan was to run the grade back, LOL it was so sweet we never stopped on the way to Pats. At Pats we stopped and smiled so hard, then turned back to run it again. Never saw another sled all night. Hats off to Pat and crew that built it and maintains it. Gassed up back at the trailer at Krupps, then rode the powerline north of there, all untouched pow. Watched the sun come up that day, Nap and huge breakfast rode 5 more days. The off trail north off the bridge is endless if you run with peaple who grew up there, hire KSE to really have fun, costs less than its worth and you will never have a better ride in your life. It seems like every place we rode was a relation to one of DA group. Lots of early JD stories to be had also. Ok, I really miss the place, time to move back. My wife will miss me.
your right, it is 13 and it is 36 miles of fun. Now that trail has seen a few re-routs since it's inception but none the less still a great trail. There has been lots of logging back in there so for the last few years so we share a trail with the logging road, just under 1 mile only, not bad at all.
I agree! and I will be posting maps to all of the best off trail riding in the area very soon.
Keep checking back!
-John
Yeah, Right!!
If there's no snow south, can we all bunk up in your garage and use your "off trail" maps to get some quality riding in the next couple of weeks? We'll be good. I promise!
just park in ironwood load your back pack and head north then after you can go no further north head south east hit the highest point in da up and when you went east and are a day way from your truck head home .and just wing it you can always find a place to crash then you can see it all and decide what you like best.