Michigan Trails

"Chuck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:x7RKe.6659$Sc.1150@trnddc05...

Quoted message said:

Anybody ride the Cheboygan-Gaylord or the White Pine trails

in Michigan?

Quoted message said:

I'd like to know if these are smooth enough for a hybrid and

tire size

Quoted message said:

advice if possible. I also read that part of the Gaylord

trail is hiking

Quoted message said:

only, but it doesn't mention the size. Thanks in advance.

I've ridden White Pines on a trip I logged at
CrazyGuyOnABike.com
That page is here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/page/?o=as&page_id=9559&v=0

Here's an edited version of that day (without pictures, of
course). I was riding on road tires (27 inch X 1.25 inches
wide).

After the paving ends on the White Pines trail north of
Rockford, it was very slow going, about 8 or 9 mph on the
trail. The surface was not nearly as fast as the Kal-Haven
trail or the Katy trail. The parallel road was old 131, but
there was no shoulder at that point and the traffic was heavy.
Finally, near MI-46, I gave up on the trail after 24 miles and
went on old 131. Just north of MI-46 a shoulder appeared on
old 131 and the traffic thinned. Great!

Old 131 was also more interesting. The trail is boxed in with
scrub trees and there isn't much to see.

After lunch at Subway in Big Rapids, I left busy BR-131 and
took side streets to the MI-20 bridge and over to the White
Pines Trail again, which was paved the many miles to Reed
City. After Reed City, I continued north on old 131 (Mackinaw)
until it was closed near Tustin. [road construction now
undoubtedly over]

At this point, I picked up the White Pines trail again, slow
as it was, and continued to Cadillac. The trail didn't get any
faster or more interesting, but it was a straight route into
Cadillac with no vehicle stress. I don't really mean to be
critical of the trail; it would be fine for low-level mountain
bike use or cross-country skiing. On a road bike, it was slow
and the view was uninteresting.

I got my picture taken for the Cadillac newspaper at a trail
staging area.

--
Mike Kruger
The fact that our neighbors are worse off does not make us
richer, and the fact that they are better off does not make us
poorer. -Ben Stein 7/31/2005

On my way from Ludington to Morley, I found that M37 south of Baldwin
was quite nice. Later, on the way to Lansing, I found M91 between M46
and Greenville to be almost as good. Both roads had nice shoulders,
reasonable grades, medium traffic, adequate services and pleasant
stuff, e.g. farms and forests to look at. I liked both highways better
than the parts of the ACA route I sampled.

Mike Kruger said:

"Chuck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:x7RKe.6659$Sc.1150@trnddc05...

Quoted message said:

Anybody ride the Cheboygan-Gaylord or the White Pine trails

in Michigan?

Quoted message said:

I'd like to know if these are smooth enough for a hybrid and

tire size

Quoted message said:

advice if possible. I also read that part of the Gaylord

trail is hiking

Quoted message said:

only, but it doesn't mention the size. Thanks in advance.

I've ridden White Pines on a trip I logged at
CrazyGuyOnABike.com
That page is here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/page/?o=as&page_id=9559&v=0

Here's an edited version of that day (without pictures, of
course). I was riding on road tires (27 inch X 1.25 inches
wide).

After the paving ends on the White Pines trail north of
Rockford, it was very slow going, about 8 or 9 mph on the
trail. The surface was not nearly as fast as the Kal-Haven
trail or the Katy trail. The parallel road was old 131, but
there was no shoulder at that point and the traffic was heavy.
Finally, near MI-46, I gave up on the trail after 24 miles and
went on old 131. Just north of MI-46 a shoulder appeared on
old 131 and the traffic thinned. Great!

Old 131 was also more interesting. The trail is boxed in with
scrub trees and there isn't much to see.

After lunch at Subway in Big Rapids, I left busy BR-131 and
took side streets to the MI-20 bridge and over to the White
Pines Trail again, which was paved the many miles to Reed
City. After Reed City, I continued north on old 131 (Mackinaw)
until it was closed near Tustin. [road construction now
undoubtedly over]

At this point, I picked up the White Pines trail again, slow
as it was, and continued to Cadillac. The trail didn't get any
faster or more interesting, but it was a straight route into
Cadillac with no vehicle stress. I don't really mean to be
critical of the trail; it would be fine for low-level mountain
bike use or cross-country skiing. On a road bike, it was slow
and the view was uninteresting.

I got my picture taken for the Cadillac newspaper at a trail
staging area.