by Phil Bencomo

Biking may fall under the“silent sports” umbrellaalongside cross-country skiing,

running and paddling, but cyclistson our shores are anything but quietabout their love for regional riding.

And it’s not just locals. Our trailsincreasingly draw riders from afar –far afar – for biking vacations.

“We’re starting to see that …starting to attract people herenationwide,” says Sam Raymond,vice president of the Copper HarborTrails Club.

“The Lake Superior region willbecome a mountain biking meccamuch like California or BritishColumbia,” predicts Stacia Lynn,who rides in Marquette County,Michigan. “It’s the most beautifulLake in the world, and we’re really

fortunate to get to have the terrainthat we do.”

Regionally, volunteer groups,tourism organizations and localcommunities are investing in betterbike trails with noteworthy results.

Following here is a sampler oftrail options by state and province.So fill up those tires and grab yourhelmet: We’re going for a ride …

MICHIGANCopper Harbor, the small

community of 108 people at the tip ofthe Keweenaw Peninsula and nestledat the base of 726-foot BrockwayMountain, has birthed a destination-class system of mountain bike trails.

Built by professional trail crews,the trails “rival any place I’ve everbeen, all over the country,” says anenthusiastic Sam, who owns

Keweenaw Adventure Company andis a board member of the local trailsclub.

The Colorado-basedInternational Mountain BicyclingAssociation (IMBA) awardedCopper Harbor a Ride Centerdesignation – first a bronze in 2011and now a silver designation since2012. That puts its trail systemamong the top 11 in the world,alongside vaunted destinations fromBritish Columbia to New Zealand.Copper Harbor was chosen notmerely for its variety and quality oftrails – from rolling cross-countryjaunts to white-knuckle downhillruns – but also for “a mountain bikefriendly community,” Sam says.“You can access the trails from manyof the hotels and motels right herein Copper Harbor.”

MATT SLAGER

Our region boasts three Ride Centers, designations awarded by the International Mountain Bicycling Association to top trail systems. Above, Kati and MikePritchett ride the Overflow trail minutes after getting married atop Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor, Michigan, which earned Ride Center status in 2011.

Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015 RG3

Big Lake Bike HeavenBetter, BadderTrails AttractWorld-Class Riders

The area’s exposed rock and hard-packed soil form the foundation ofthe sustainable, well-draining trails.

“Arguably our most populartrail is called The Flow,” says Sam.It’s an exhilarating 3-mile descent onswooping singletrack from thetrailhead near the top of BrockwayMountain. For spectacular views, tryOn The Edge. Daring riders willlove the leaps on Flying Squirrel.

Seven years after Sam helped toco-found the trails club, he says theword on Copper Harbor is mostdefinitely out. “We’ve seen significantand consistent growth, as far asvisitors coming up to see our trails.”

Just south, in Lac La Belle,Mount Bohemia has built 12 milesof bike trails and lends bikes tosummer guests.

Other parts of the UpperPeninsula have also earned areputation for bold biking.

Just 150 miles from CopperHarbor, you’ll find Michigan’s otherIMBA Ride Center: Marquette. TheU.P.’s largest city received a bronze-level designation in 2014.

“The cool, cool thing aboutMarquette is just the variety of trailsyou have all within miles of eachother,” says Stacia, who volunteerswith the Range Area Mountain BikeAssociation, an IMBA chapter thatmaintains trails in westernMarquette County.

In all, Marquette County boastsmore than 50 miles of singletracktrails for mountain bikers, splitacross three clusters.

On the southern trails, Staciarecommends the Blue Loop aroundMount Marquette, especially theDoctors section, for its technical,rocky riding. A short spur connectsto a delightful overlook. Gorge-ousis one of the newest additions to the

system – and one of thefinest. The tightsingletrack trail followsthe Carp River Gorge,offering expansiveviews, technicalchallenges and thatright-on-the-edgefeeling that many thrill-seekers crave.

Readers ofSingleTracks.com rankMarquette’s south trailsthe second-best systemin all of Michigan –bested only by CopperHarbor.

The Epic loop onthe Range Area trailswest of Marquette is atechnical ride on a rocky,hand-built trail. It hastight, twisty turns,outstanding views and adose of history. The trailsnakes throughNegaunee’s Old Town,also known as the cavinggrounds. More than 50years ago, nearly aquarter of Negaunee wasabandoned and fencedoff after mining activitycaused several cave-ins.Mostly reclaimed by

wilderness, the remains of thatneighborhood are open to the public.Look for foundations, sidewalks andeven a lonely playground as you zipthrough the hardwood forest.

If you’re bringing kids along for aride, check out the Tourist Park trailsnorth of Marquette. East of the park,try the scenic Collinsville Cut Trail. Itfollows the Dead River past waterfallsand the historic Collinsville ruins.

Other trails include the pavedMarquette Bicycle Path, whichconnects to Presque Isle Park, and theIron Ore Heritage Trail, a multiusepath through Marquette County.

“There’s just an endless amountof biking year-round,” Stacia says.“You can bike trails for days withoutrepeating.”

See for yourself June 12-14,when the IMBA Great MidwestSummit comes to town. It’s aweekend of learning, mingling and,of course, riding.

Other picks: For moreKeweenaw riding, hop on theMichigan Tech mountain bike trailsin Houghton. Road riders must trythe stretch of U.S. Highway 41 outof Copper Harbor and M-26between Eagle Harbor and CopperHarbor. The bike route ofMichigan’s new Iron Belle trail, fromIronwood to Detroit, will take ridersin our region on a scenic tour of thesouthern Upper Peninsula.

WISCONSINTowering northern hardwoods

and pines. Remote, tranquil lakes.Roller-coaster hills left behind byancient glaciers. Welcome to thewoods of northern Wisconsin.

“For a person who likes toescape into the woods, we’re theplace to go,” says Ron Bergin,executive director of theChequamegon Area Mountain BikeAssociation (CAMBA).

Just 11⁄2 hours from Duluth,three hours from Minneapolis or lessthan five from Green Bay andMadison, the CAMBA trails windthrough Chequamegon NationalForest and the communities in thecorridor from Hayward to Delta.

The system is one of IMBA’s

RG4 Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015

CHRIS GUIBERT

The mile-long Flying Squirrel trail in Copper Harbor lives upto its name with expert-level jumps.

newest Ride Centers, a bronzedesignee since 2014.

“We’re quite excited about it,”says Ron, “People will go shoppingaround, looking for mountain bikevacations and look to IMBA to findout more about the CAMBA trailsand then come here and experiencethem. People might take a couple ofweeks and hit all of them in theUpper Midwest.”

Originally, the CAMBA systemwas overlaid on forest roads and skitrails. Over the last decade, CAMBAhas focused on developing the goatpath-style singletrack demanded byriders. The system now has morethan 300 miles of off-road trails formountain bikers.

Beyond sheer mileage, what elsedo the CAMBA trails offer?

“The connectivity of everythingand the ability to just do longuninterrupted rides,” says Ron.“You’re in heavily wooded areas withvery few road crossings, you’re outthere just in the deep, able toimmerse yourself in the trails.

“We have a lot of variety. Each ofour main loops was designed by adifferent person, so there’s differentviews on how to build a trail, whatsort of character you see on the trail.”

Ron recommends the SeeleyPass Trail for “a leisurely cruise that’sfast and fun. It connects to one ofour newer flow trails, Flow Mama.”The Patsy Lake Trail is an excellent15-mile loop among bogs, lakes andwooded hills.

Experienced riders looking for arugged, technical challenge will enjoythe unyielding Rock Lake Trail.

According to an impact studyby Scott Chapin of RJF Agencies,regional trail building has boostedland values and local economies asenthusiasts buy or build homes andcabins near trail systems.

Moreover, a University ofWisconsin-Madison/Extension studyof silent sports events in northernWisconsin – biking, cross-countryskiing and running – found thatraces are huge economic drivers forthe region, generating an estimatedannual impact of $16.7 million.

An original CAMBA boardmember, Gary Crandall has been

involved with the Chequamegon FatTire Festival since its beginnings as a27-person race in 1983. He tookover as festival director the secondyear and has helped the signatureevent, the Chequamegon 40 on theAmerican Birkebiener trails, grow toa sold-out field of 2,100 competitorsthat pairs with another 1,000 in the16-mile race.

In 1991, the year Tour deFrance winner Greg LeMondrepeated as Chequamegon champ,organizers had to cap weekendparticipation at 2,500 racers becauseinterest in the event had balloonedbeyond what the trails andvolunteers could handle.

After the race, many ridersremain the rest of the weekend toexplore the CAMBA trails.

“The impact of the festival isnot how many people come to townfor the event weekend,” says Gary,“it’s how many people come back toride in the area.”

This year’s race is September 19.

Other picks:The BayfieldPeninsula features some of the mostscenic back roads in the state.Highway 13, part of the LakeSuperior Circle Tour route, wasdesignated the Wisconsin LakeSuperior Scenic Byway in 2013. Alsoon the peninsula, Brinks Road is aspectacular paved ride through thenorthern tip of ChequamegonNational Forest. And from Red Cliff,take Old County Highway K to Little

Sand Bay Road and the lakefront. InSuperior, road options include theMillennium and Osaugie trails, whilemountain bikers can ride singletrackat Mont du Lac and on SuperiorMunicipal Forest’s Pokegama Trail.

MINNESOTAIn 2011, Duluth Mayor Don

Ness made a bold challenge to the

Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015 RG5

This guide is a part of Lake Superior Magazine’sApril/May 2015 issue

218-722-50021-888-BIG LAKE (888-244-5253)

Fax: 218-722-4096Email: RecGuide@lakesuperior.com

Visit our Website:www.LakeSuperior.com

Copyright: ©2015 Lake Superior PortCities Inc. All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part isprohibited without prior writtenpermission. We do not assume any liability

for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to publishcorrespondence to the magazine in an edited or shortenedform. Lake Superior Port Cities Inc. does not necessarilyendorse the attractions, products or services contained within.

Lake SuperiorRecreation Guide

Cover by Leslie Kehmeier, ChequamegonArea Mountain Bike Association

RG3 Biking: Big Lake Bike HeavenRG11 Shoreside: On the WaterfrontRG17 Hiking: Gondola to the TopRG20 Hiking: A New Coastal TrekRG22 Roundup: Fancy Fish & MoreRG28 Lake Superior Directory

Bike Lingo

MATT SLAGER

Flow trail: These roller-coasterliketrails feature banked turns,smooth surfaces and sometimesjumps. They typically requirelittle pedaling or braking as you“flow” through the ride.

Singletrack: A narrow trail justwide enough for a single rider.

Technical riding: Biking overrocks, roots, logs and otherobstacles, sometimes on a steepslope (as pictured here nearCopper Harbor). Technical trailsections can also include objectslike narrow bridges.

RG6 Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015

COURTESY CHEQUAMEGON FAT TIRE FESTIVAL

The bike trails (top and right) in and around northern Wisconsin’s Chequamegon National Forest total morethan 300 miles, with enough variety for riders of all ability levels. Maintained by the Chequamegon AreaMountain Bike Association, the trails have received international acclaim.

The Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival (center), founded in 1983, takes over downtown Hayward, Wisconsin,for the start of the Chequamegon 40 mountain bike race to Cable. More than 3,000 riders participate in thefestival’s off-road races each September.

COURTESY CHEQUAMEGON AREA MOUNTAIN BIKE ASSOCIATION

Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015 RG7

city: “We should be the premier trailcity in North America.”

Four years later, behind a strongcommitment to bike trails, that goalis well on its way to reality.

Duluth, which has already earnedan IMBA Model Trail award for SpiritMountain’s Candyland downhill runas well as Outside magazine’s BestOutdoor City title, is on the cusp ofbecoming the Lake’s fourth IMBARide Center, says Hansi Johnson. Heworked as IMBA’s Upper Midwestregional director for nearly six yearsbefore becoming director ofrecreational lands for Minnesota LandTrust. One of the final tasks is toconnect Duluth’s trails, creating a truecitywide network.

That’s where the Duluth TraverseTrail fits in. Led by the Cyclists ofGitchee Gumee Shores (COGGS) andthe city, fundraising and constructionhave been under way since 2011.When completed, the Traverse willlink existing trail hubs – Hartley Park,Lester Park, Mission Creek, Piedmont-Brewer Park and Spirit Mountain – tocreate a 100-mile-long network ofsingletrack trails. COGGS says it willbe the longest urban trail in the world.The city currently has about 46 milesof trails for mountain bikes.

Because hilly Duluth is so longand narrow, spanning 25 milesalong the Lake Superior shore, eventhe wildest portions of trail are neverfar from home, lodging or a place tograb a local microbrew. You mightcall it trails to pale ales.

“It’s very rare that you have theamount of open space in such anurban environment,” Hansi says. “Alot of times, trail systems that bigare very rural. We have a realopportunity to tie our recreationalinfrastructure to communities.”

Novices looking to sampleDuluth’s trails should start with theMission Creek and Lester River trails.“They’re low-angle, low-grade, wide,smooth trails for entry-level mountainbikes,” says Hansi. Advanced riderswill want to try Brewer Park and theaforementioned downhill trails atSpirit Mountain, serviced by ski lift.

The Minnesota Big Lake ridingonly starts in Duluth. Cook Countyclaims more than 2,000 miles of

rides on paved trails, on singletrack(as found at Pincushion Mountain)and on winding backcountry roads.Organizers of the Lutsen 99erMountain Bike Race in June expect1,500 competitors this year, up from80 in 2011’s inaugural race.

Lake County’s 122 miles of trailinclude a 15-mile portion of the

Gitchi-Gami State Trail, betweenGooseberry Falls State Park andBeaver Bay. It will eventually connectTwo Harbors to Grand Marais.

Other picks:Duluth’s multiuseLakewalk path extends more than 7miles from Canal Park northeast toBrighton Beach. From there, you can

continue along the lakeshore onScenic Highway 61 to Two Harbors.The Cross City Trail will eventuallylink the Lakewalk to the 70-mileWillard Munger State Trail thatbegins on Duluth’s western edge. Thefirst segment, west to the LincolnPark neighborhood, opened last year.On the Iron Range, the scenic, pavedMesabi Trail connects 28communities from Ely to GrandRapids. On Duluth streets, LondonRoad has bike lanes, and additionalbike lanes are being considered.

ONTARIOLast year, our readers chose Sault

Ste. Marie’s 25-kilometre-long JohnRowswell HubTrail as Ontario’s topIn-Town Hike in the annual Best ofthe Lake voting. But worry not,cyclists. This award-winning trail isopen to bipedal and “by-pedal” users.

The mostly level, paved trailloops from the downtownwaterfront to Fort CreekConservation Area, AlgomaUniversity, Bellevue Park and otheroft-visited spots in the community.

For a tougher road ride and somewilderness flavor, head north out ofSault Ste. Marie on the Trans-CanadaHighway to Highway 556, theSearchmont Highway. Offering scenicviews of the Goulais River, plenty ofhills and frequent twists and turns, it’s100 kilometres (62 miles) round-tripfrom Sault Ste. Marie to Searchmont.Southeast of the Sault, St. JosephIsland’s Highway 548 is a delightfuland rarely busy route.

On the western side of LakeSuperior, Thunder Bay is quicklydeveloping into a destination formountain bikers.

“We’re definitely going to becomea place to go ride,” says MarkMaranzan, past president of the BlackSheep Mountain Biking Club.Thunder Bay has all of the visitors’amenities you’d expect from LakeSuperior’s largest city, but “we still havea frontier town feel to us,” he adds.

“Our trails are very rugged, lots ofrocks, lots of streams and rivers you’reriding around – a very scenic ride.”

The Black Sheep club, founded in1998 to organize races, also workswith the city to build bike trails and

RG8 Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015

COURTESY SPIRIT MOUNTAIN

Spirit Mountain maintains more than 4 miles of lift-accessed downhill trails with some challengingterrain and spectacular views of Duluth and the St. Louis River.

A Big Fat DealOur region wouldn’t be much of a bike paradise if

you had to hang up the helmet for six or more monthseach year.

Enter the fat bike, a mountain bike variant withAlaskan origins that has in recent years made its way toour region.

The wide tires, 3.5 inches at minimum, keep bikesfrom sinking into snow – and from sitting dormant inthe garage.

From the snow bike playground that is Marquette’sLittle Presque Isle to the Fat Bike National Championshipon the American Birkebeiner trails, there’s winter ridingavailable all around the Big Lake. Nearly every trail systemmentioned in this story has opened at least a few groomedtrails to winter fat-tire riders. In Bayfield, you can evenride across the Madeline Island ice road during the NorthCoast Cycling Association’s weekly group outing.

“You’re seeing a lot of people crossing over andsaying, if it’s a bad snow season, I can hop on the bikeand ride on just some amazing singletrack in the city,”says Duluth-based Hansi Johnson, formerly an IMBAregional director and now director of recreational landsfor the Minnesota Land Trust.

“Two seasons ago, there were two guys in town

with them,” says Mark Maranzan, past president ofThunder Bay’s Black Sheep Mountain Biking Club.“Now, bike shops can’t keep them on the shelves. Wehave 50 to 60 riders now.”

Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015 RG9

COURTESY RANGE AREA MOUNTAIN BIKE ASSOCIATION

A fat-tire rider celebrates at the top of a trail along the system thatwinds through Marquette County in Michigan.

upgrade existing routes to IMBAstandards. Thunder Bay has nearly 30kilometres of trails, an assortment ofsingletrack and double-track.

The main areas for mountainbiking are Centennial Park andShuniah Mines, straddling theTrans-Canada Highway on thenorth side of town. The Centennialtrails were originally built for cross-country skiing, while Shuniah’srooty, rocky, hand-cut trails demandmuch more of the rider.

Loch Lomond, a local ski area,added to its mountain bike trails lastyear, and the new ownership islooking into additional downhill runs.

“The local scene is definitelygrowing,” says Mark. “You used togo out on those trails and not seeanybody. Now you definitely will.”

Club members plan to buildadditional beginner-level trails tobring still more people into the sport.Already, the Black Sheep MountainBiking Club and road-focusedThunder Bay Cycling Club togetheraccount for 10 percent of the OntarioCycling Association’s membership.

Other picks:Mountain biking inthe Sault is available at HiawathaHighlands and the expert-levelBellevue Valley trails. In Nipigon,Mike Elliott and his Epic Adventureshas led the development of thenorthern town into what IMBA calls“a budding trails destination.”

For additional links to bikinginformation around the Lake Superiorregion, go to www.LakeSuperior.com.

RG10 Lake Superior Magazine’s Recreation Guide 2015

Here are biking resources in specific regions.

MichiganCopper Harbor Trails Club, www.copperharbortrails.orgNoquemanon Trails, www.noquetrails.org Range Area Mountain Bike Association,www.facebook.com/rangemountainbikeclub

TrailGenius.com, by a Copper Harbor Trails Club staffer

MinnesotaCyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores, www.wp.coggs.comGitchi-Gami State Trail, www.ggta.org

Mesabi Trail, www.mesabitrail.comVisit Cook County, www.visitcookcounty.com

OntarioBlack Sheep Mountain Biking Club,www.blacksheepmtb.com

Sault Cycling Club, www.saultcyclingclub.caThunder Bay Cycling Club, www.tbaycc.ca

WisconsinChequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association,www.cambatrails.org

Bayfield Chamber & Visitor Bureau, www.bayfield.orgSuperior-Douglas County CVB, www.superiorchamber.org

Good to Know