Rides in Michigan UP info request

Hi I'm researching the feasibility of doing a camping tour in the eastern section of the Hiawatha
National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The proposed route is from St Ignace up to
Paradise and then along the lake shore to Point Iroquois and then back to St Ignace.

questions:
1. What is the topography? (flat, hilly, rolling etc?)
2. What are the roads like? (both condition and traffic)
3. Weather issues (best time of year, rain frequency etc)
4. Wildlife issues (from bugs to bears)
5. Is this trip viable for a bike camping newbie?

Thanks for any info. Tom

Hig Hurtenflurst wrote:
> Hi I'm researching the feasibility of doing a camping tour in the eastern section of the Hiawatha
> National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The proposed route is from St Ignace up to
> Paradise and then along the lake shore to Point Iroquois and then back to St Ignace.
>
> questions:
> 1. What is the topography? (flat, hilly, rolling etc?)

Moderate hills. Nothing that could be called a mountian.

> 2. What are the roads like? (both condition and traffic)

Most of the major highways in the UP have been resurfaced fairly recently with nice wide shoulders.
Secondary and other roads are paved or not with very low traffic. Unpaved roads and snowmobile
trails, particually near the lakes, may have sandy bases which are difficult to ride on skinny
tires, but some are OK.

> 3. Weather issues (best time of year, rain frequency etc)

Summer would be best . Or in the early fall when the colors are out.

> 4. Wildlife issues (from bugs to bears)

Mosquitoes, some black flies, bears.... brown bears hanging around dumps mostly. None of which sould
be a problem while you are moving.

> 5. Is this trip viable for a bike camping newbie?

Sounds like fun.
>
> Thanks for any info. Tom
>

-CRM

Hig Hurtenflurst <spamsucks@attglobal.net> wrote in message news:<400e1692_3@news1.prserv.net>...
> Hi I'm researching the feasibility of doing a camping tour in the eastern section of the Hiawatha
> National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The proposed route is from St Ignace up to
> Paradise and then along the lake shore to Point Iroquois and then back to St Ignace.
>
> questions:
> 1. What is the topography? (flat, hilly, rolling etc?)

I know nothing specifically about that area but here are ways to research what's already published.

Get the USGS topographical maps covering your proposed route for the definitive topography. See:

http://www.topozone.com/ http://mapserver.maptech.com/homepag...ncedsearch=yes
http://www.usgs.gov http://www.delorme.com/

etc.

One way to learn to read topo maps is to get the maps for your local area and find all your usual
ride routes on them. You will easily learn to relate the map markings to your knowledge of hill size
and steepness, the sharpness of turns, etc.

DeLorme sells a computer program with "vector" maps that allow it to print elevation profile charts
of a given route, if you find those useful.

If you can practice climbing local hills that compare to the worst in terms of grade and height you
will face on your tour, that would be good. If none of your local hills are hard enough, you can
simulate harder climbs by riding laps on a smaller hill (climb it, coast back down, climb it again,
etc.---this becomes less dull if you can find a suitable loop route that lets you hit one or more
climbs in quick succession). Practice climbing while pulling your full touring load, too.

If you live in a totally flat area you may have to get creative to simulate climbing, such as by
riding a stationary bike set at high resistance. Nothing beats real hills, though.

Even if you don't have topo maps, you can guess the degree of vertical relief in an area by seeing
how straight the roads are on a highway map. If the roads are straight and laid out like a
checkerboard, the area is probably pancake flat (see: northwest Ohio). If the roads are squiggly,
the area is probably hilly (see: southeast Ohio). If your local area has variable relief, look at
your local road maps and you'll see the pattern.

Time spent studying maps is never wasted. If you're traveling alone you want to know where you are
at all times and what's coming next. If you are traveling with a guide it's still good to have your
own knowledge, in case something happens to the guide or you get separated.

You might follow Jobst Brandt's advice to find a friend back home who will act as a message relay
station, in case you get split up from your companions. Each of you can independently find phones
and call your friend, who will then tell you where your buddies are.

If you travel alone, you should leave your trip schedule with a friend and check in at designated
times to report your progress. That way if you are lying unconscious in a ditch somewhere, your
friend may alert the authorities if you are 24 hours late checking in.

Traveling alone, of course, puts you at more risk from accidents, breakdowns, needing some odd
piece of equipment you don't have, etc. If you travel with two companions, one can stay with a
disabled rider while the other one goes for help. A group of riders can carry more tools and
spare parts, etc. It's good to list every item you carry so your group can carry the maximum
variety of tools and spare parts without unnecessary duplication. For example, you don't all need
to carry chain tools since you should never need more than one for the whole group. It would also
be good to have everybody riding bikes with interchangeable parts, to the extent possible. Then
maybe in an emergency you could cobble one working bike out of the pieces of several so one rider
could go for help.

If you have a cell phone, check with your phone company about coverage in your tour area.

> 2. What are the roads like? (both condition and traffic)

Some municipalities publish traffic density information on the Web. However, you can probably
guesstimate traffic densities by noting where the population centers are. A major highway providing
the shortest route between two population centers will have heavy traffic, etc.

No matter what anybody tells you about the roads, you should select tire widths adequate to deal
with something worse.

Carrying your gear in a trailer reduces the stress on your bike, and gives you the option of
stashing the trailer for unloaded side trips. However, I wouldn't leave the trailer unattended in
any populated area, if you want to see your stuff again.

> 3. Weather issues (best time of year, rain frequency etc)

There's weather information all over the Web. For example, NOAA publishes historical averages and
records for many locations in the U.S. (major cities, airports, anywhere there's a weather station).
Here are the average temperatures for Cincinnati, Ohio where I live:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/iln/cvgnorm.html

With a little searching you will find what you need. Look for average temperatures and
precipitation, and the records, for the dates when you want to travel.

> 4. Wildlife issues (from bugs to bears)

This is all on the Web or in libraries. Check the Web pages for any Universities or colleges in the
area that have biology departments. Typically they describe what's left of the local wildlife. Check
the area's newspapers for reports of animal attacks, disease problems, etc. Look up the state's
department of wildlife site.

> 5. Is this trip viable for a bike camping newbie?

Only you can answer that question. You could try overnight trips in your area to test your skills
and equipment, and progressively work up to longer trips. Be sure to try camping in the rain, too.
Better to find out what doesn't work when you are still close enough to home to bail out.

> Thanks for any info. Tom

Also check the obvious references available on any search site:

http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=fp...ring+michigan+

and your local library, and Amazon.com for books on bicycle touring with regional coverage.

-- Daniel Mocsny

Thanks for all the info and the recources! Tom

Tom wrote:
> I'm researching the feasibility of doing a camping tour in the eastern section of the
> Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The proposed route is from St
> Ignace up to Paradise and then along the lake shore to Point Iroquois and then back to St
> Ignace.
>
> questions:
> 1. What is the topography? (flat, hilly, rolling etc?)
> 2. What are the roads like? (both condition and traffic)
> 3. Weather issues (best time of year, rain frequency etc)
> 4. Wildlife issues (from bugs to bears)
> 5. Is this trip viable for a bike camping newbie?

Hey, I did almost exactly this one year, starting on Labor Day (leaving the DALMAC ride to pack
their bikes onto trucks and themselves onto buses). It was glorious. Rain or damp can be a
factor. Traffic is negligible (we ain't talking Telegraph at 5 pm; Detroit reference). Wear
bright colors to help with the long sight distances and contrast with the pine trees. (Over
Thanksgiving I met a couple doing a year-long ramble, in black jackets. Don't do that.) In early
September there weren't many bugs. Someone mentioned that bears & such aren't a problem when
you're rolling. Ditto on the bugs. I winged it, with no reservations or real plans. IIRC a bike
tour leader who lives in Newberry took me in (sleeping bag space, hot shower). The U.P. is like
that. At that time of year the route along the northern shore of Lake Mich was especially nice,
with a tailwind, a long gentle downhill slope, and monarch butterflies floating alongside as they
prepared to migrate. (They might do a bridge crossing the week after all the pedestrians walk
it.) Supplies and civilization are spaced out (we ain't talking Iowa farmland). In recent years
more corporations have discovered the U.P., so the ramshackle four-corners gas station-post ofice-C-
store with home office hours has become a new, clean, well-stocked, open-most-of-the-time
establishment with a shower, a deli, sometimes a laundry. So, when do we leave??? --Karen M.
downstate, who oncefunded a U.P. tour by collected abandoned ten-centers

This is Great! Everything is pointing in the right direction. I also have to thank this group for
all the helpful info. I posted this question in a camping and a national parks newsgroup with no
results. Tom

This is Great! Everything is pointing in the right direction. I also have to thank this group for
all the helpful info. I posted this question in a camping and a national parks newsgroup with no
results. Tom

"Hig Hurtenflurst" <spamsucks@attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:400e1692_3@news1.prserv.net...
> Hi I'm researching the feasibility of doing a camping tour in the eastern section of the Hiawatha
> National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The proposed route is from St Ignace up to
> Paradise and then along the lake shore to Point Iroquois and then back to St Ignace.
>
> questions:

Agree w/ previous posts - should be a fun trip -

Other items:

Presuming Paradise is a stopping point, I'd consider making reservations (rather than just showing
up) at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, if that's your planned destination. Summer weekends these state
parks fill quickly, & the rangers aren't always willing to let bikers bushwhack like private owners
often do. Or, there's a couple of state forest campgrounds in the area, which are more rustic (no
power) & I find lots more relaxing. See http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/parklist.asp

Biting flies can be evil in the U.P. in August, depending on wind conditions, etc. Bring lots of
DEET stuff. Consider sacrificing a virgin to the bug god.

There's nothing resembling a mountain in the eastern U.P. If you ride much - even being a rookie at
touring - should be no significant problem from the hill standpoint.

Biggest issue I ever had w/ touring in the U.P. is the logging trucks. Shouldn't be many on M-123
(St. Ignace -> Paradise) although motor homes may be irritating on weekends.

I like the UniversalMap series - the eastern U.P. map covers Luce, Chippewa, & Mackinac counties. I
find them easire to read & more detailed in Michigan than the DeLorme atlas, although I hear that's
not consistent in other states. http://www.universalmap.com or at any of the gas convenience stores
in N. Mich.

Email me if you need other info -

J.W.Grand Rapids, MI

P.S. Where's Point Iroquois?

Thanks John, This is just the kind of info I was looking for. I live in Dayton OH and have never
been to the UP, I just took a wild guess that it would be nice place to ride. Point Iroquois is on
the Lake Superior shore about 15 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie (as the crow flies). Tom

Tom wrote:
> This is just the kind of info I was looking for. I live in Dayton OH and have never been to
> the UP, I just took a wild guess that it would be nice place to ride. Point Iroquois is on
> the Lake Superior shore about 15 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie (as the crow flies).

I left my car at the state police post in St Ignace. They were surprised that I bothered to ask,
and happy to let it use one of their spaces for a few days. Point Iroquois might be on an unpaved
road, but I doubt you were planning to use your inch-wide tires on this trip. (Googling it
uncovers lots of interesting souvenirs to order for direct shipping, if you like lighthouses.) I
realy liked the road going due north from Blaney Park and Germfask to Grand Marais; you can see
this big blue line that gradually gets closer. Some of the best lakeshore rocks I've ever found
came from the Superior beach there. Also, the sky is perfectly clear, and the air is incredibly
clean (dais the Wayne County resident). Helpful maps:

http://michigan.gov/documents/MDOT-M...n7_61638_7.pdf http://michigan.gov/documents/MDOT-Map-
Michigan6_61636_7.pdf

--Karen M.

Thanks for the maps Karen. I like the parking idea. I'm not sure if I'm driving up or flying (a
friend with access to a plane suggested we fly up to Mackinac Island to start the trip). I haven't
decided which bike to take. I have a mt. bike and a hybrid on which I'm running 700c x 32 tires.
Thanks for all the encouraging info. Tom

The UP is "God's Country". That's all you need to know.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
"Hig Hurtenflurst" <spamsucks@attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:4010b741_2@news1.prserv.net...
> Thanks John, This is just the kind of info I was looking for. I live in Dayton OH and have never
> been to the UP, I just took a wild guess that it would be nice place to ride. Point Iroquois is on
> the Lake Superior shore about 15 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie (as the crow flies). Tom