Non-plated MI trails

rooster125 said:

Everyone so far has been really helpful and I really appreciate it? To people here in Michigan I was wondering which trails/parks will be acceptable to ride non-plated. I saw a lot of posts on a search but it sounds like this info changes all the time. With a two stroke non plated bike:

-Which are the best beginner trails within couple hrs. of Grand rapids?
-Do any of them have camping?
-how far would my approx. gas range be? (2000 rm 125 & 1994 rm 250)

Hopefully I will learn tons more when I get out and meet some people this spring/summer!!

Click to expand...

There are lots of trails in the area that you can ride non-platted.

North of Muskegon is:
Cedar Creek (twin lake north of Muskegon)
Holton (you can ride the 20 mile northern loop.
Horseshoe lake (two loops that can be rode unplatted
M-20 White Cloud trail.

Baldwin has lots of trails to choose from:
Lincoln Hills
Little Manistee
Little O
Tin Cup.

Baldwin has lots of camping areas also. North Country campground is a pretty good spot. Its located right off 37 near the bottom of the Little Manistee trail.

As for range on those bikes depending on how hard you ride I would say that mininum maybe 35 miles. Max maybe 50.

cedar would be easy on a tank. Holton and horseshoe also easy. Tin cup, easy. Little Manistee has gas in Carrieville 1/2 way around. Lincoln Hills....would be tight. Little O on the 125...doubt it. White cloud...depending on how far north you go b4 turning around maybe.

Trade secret here,, make sure you dont tell anybody except for fellow bike riders..
State and Federal lands are just that - they belong to the people of the State and Federal auspices of which they recide.. In other words - the land is yours!!!!
Realising this fact, laws were passed a long time ago that give you and I access to all this wonderful country! We can camp FREE of charge at ANYTIME, ANYWHERE on undeveloped land!! Sooooo,, what you do is go down the roadway a little past the trailhead at Cedar Creek, toss a tent up, spend the night, get up and go riding the next morning.. TOTALLY legal anywhere in country - as long as your on State or Federal Land..
In Michigan, the Destroyers of our Natural Resources have tried to enhance thier piracy of our lands by putting a little glich in this law. They have a small form that you are suppose to pick up at a ranger station that simply states who you are and where your from - time and date you came and left.. Your suppose to leave a portion of this form tacked to a tree when you leave the site..
I have trapped/hunted/fished/biked/back packed/snowmobiled our lands all my life. Back in the good ol days when "we the people" shared a common goal with the DNR, I actually followed the laws pertaining to this permitting process. THen when the Destroyers of our Natural Resources came in up at Lincoln Hills and raped our land of all the trees - never bothering to replant after their raping - I stopped co-operating and have NEVER gotten another "Camp Permit" since. I have NEVER had an issue resulting from this either and know of no one that has.. Being a civil person you might want to pick up a handful of "permits" and carry them with you, follow the posting laws just in case you happen to run across a DNR guy who is hardcore..
By the way, it is STRONGLY suggested that you camp right off the ORV Trail - not at a Trail Head (this is considered developed). Just follow two-tracks where ever your gonna ride - find where the trail crosses - camp there so you dont have to ride your un-licensed bike on the two-track.. Some of these Greenies are very hardcore and WILL give you a ticket for riding your unlicensed bike off the ORV Trail even if all they have are tracks to prove it - also, the Mi Courts system will ALWAYS side with the Greenies unless you can PROVE your innocent.. Sorry - it works that way!! They NEED the money!!!
Sooo,, get this straight,, you can legally camp with tent, trailer, bare on the ground (cover your bottom though - nudity laws apply) anywhere on State or Federal Land. THerefore - the camping options are limitless!!!
Trust me.....
Woodsy

Camping on Mi state and federal lands

Make sure you camp at least a mile from a designated camp ground. My friend had to move they said he was camped less than a mile from Ambrose Lake campground.

rooster125 said:

YZMAN400 and WOODSY you guys are the S**T. This is by far the best forum I have found and it looks like we have a strong Michigan group, thanks to guys and gals like you!!!:

Click to expand...

Guys = Woodsy, Gals = Y,,, someone else not Woodsy!!!
Just wanted to make sure we had that straight.. :laugh:

Another something here,, who ever played that little Ambrose Lake routine is the opitumie (sp) of the reasoning behind my lack of respect for our DNR..
If the land surrounding that area is State/Federal Land he was just being nasty. We camped EVERY YEAR across the street from Nichols Lake Camp Ground near Bitely Mi. Within 200 feet of the entrance.. Those woods up there were and still are always full of campers.. NEVER a problem!
The reason they would do that is they want your MONEY They do want you to camp within the camp grounds. Problem is, they do not allow you to operate your ORV within the camp grounds. So, you have to haul your bike out of the Camp Ground and unload at a trail head.. The Destroyers of our Natural Resources are behind this.. Can you see why?? Think about it for a second.. Ok, times up..
Heres why.
The DNR hunts the trailheads.. Laugh but it aint funny.. They pull into the trail heads and check ORV Stickers and pipes and the like.. What do you think of that?? Is that OK?? In my book its TOTALLY UNCONCIENABLE (sp).. How many times do you see the State Police driving around public parking lots - looking under cars at exhaust pipes and checking car plates - NEVER!! The ONLY reason they do this is for MONEY and the ONLY reason the super greenie who did that was to be looking for another opportunity to make some...
Woodsy

rooster125 said:

Hey Woodsy that sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is the big deal with our Mi trail's, does dnr suck that bad?

Click to expand...

No, there are the over zealous but for the most part they are ok.
If you want to do something for the trail system go to the time to act is now post! read it and act!
The DNR like everyone else in this state are hard up for cash and there in lies the problem.

woodsy said:

I have trapped/hunted/fished/biked/back packed/snowmobiled our lands all my life. Back in the good ol days when "we the people" shared a common goal with the DNR, I actually followed the laws pertaining to this permitting process. THen when the Destroyers of our Natural Resources came in up at Lincoln Hills and raped our land of all the trees - never bothering to replant after their raping - I stopped co-operating and have NEVER gotten another "Camp Permit" since.

Click to expand...

You dont want to go out to Little Manistee then. THe f'n loggers have tore the hell out of it. I swear does the DNR target state land that specificaly has orv trails on it? Every year it gets worse and worse.

The DNR hunts the trailheads.. Laugh but it aint funny.. They pull into the trail heads and check ORV Stickers and pipes and the like.. What do you think of that?? Is that OK?? In my book its TOTALLY UNCONCIENABLE

Click to expand...

Except when they do it at Cedar Creek. I love it when they show up out there. That place breeds idiots. I absolutely cannot believe how many stupid people show up out there every spring and forget to bring there brain with them. Last year the DNR was out there handing out tickets as fast as he could write them. I almost walked over and thanked him. The fella parked next to me got one for ridding his MX bike without a spark arrestor. He was all bitching about it. He really didn't apreceate it when I told him that he could of bought a spark arrestor for the cost of that ticket. Some people just dont get it. He went on to tell me how he always just runs from when on the bike in the woods. Dont they understand that if you just put an orv sticker, 94db spark arrested silencer on and stay on that trail that there is no reason to run. If you just follow those 3 simple rules the DNR are actually pretty friendly. Ill never understand the mentality of some of the riders in this state. :bang: