Michigan Meandering Exploring the UP's Best Singletrack

Venturing into the unknown is often a gamble, but when it pays off, it’s incredibly rewarding. Our plans to explore Michigan’s Upper Peninsula felt a bit like rolling the dice, as we’d heard whispers of surreal singletrack in the area, but without much of a plan or many contacts, we were operating off local advice—most often from people we met at bike shops or dive bars. It didn’t take us long to figure out that beta was better than anything we could find on the internet.

Joined by Eric Porter, we landed in UP country and started our tour de singletrack in Marquette before venturing east to Munising. Working our way back north, we continued to ride any network that was suggested, including Houghton, Hancock, Calumet and finally Copper Harbor. Our wager paid off, as we found exactly what we were looking for, but rather luck, it was all thanks to the locals.