A Tale of Two Trails—Snowmobiling in Gaylord, Michigan
Cruising through the woods on a twisty trail, sledding along the shore of a Great Lake or an inland body of snow-covered ice, or rocketing along a wide and smooth rail-trail – those are just a few of the many joys of riding in Michigan.
This is the aptly named Great Lakes State, bordered by the lengthy shorelines of Lake Superior up north, Lake Michigan on the west and Lake Huron on the east. In winter, they’re prodigious snow makers, with over-water winds bringing “lake effect” snowfalls to vast areas of both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Gaylord – well situated in the north central part of the Lower Peninsula – is blessed by its proximity to the snow-making Lake Michigan, some 50 miles to the northwest, plus it’s got the super-scenic Lake Heron not that much farther to the east, making day trips to see both an easy and enjoyable task.
In winter, the snow comes early and often in the greater Gaylord area, and last winter was a record-breaker, with 205 inches officially recorded. That makes the Alpine Village-inspired city a magnet for snowmobilers. The city’s location along Interstate 75 also means it’s easily accessible and several hours closer to home than the Upper Peninsula for anyone trailering from downstate Michigan, Indiana or Ohio.
Gaylord’s reputation as a mecca for golfers and off-road enthusiasts provides visitors with plenty of lodging options year-round, but we’re snow chasers and last year did not disappoint!
My friend Jeff Hein and I made a visit in early February to explore the region and we enjoyed three days of great riding. Our base of operations was the Beaver Creek Resort, a beautiful property with dozens of deluxe cabins offering first-class accommodations on the edge of town. From the resort, it was a quick 10-minute hop to the main trail and onto the vast network.
Setting The Stage
Day one of our adventure began with the delivery of two current model Ski Doos, brought to us by Mike Skowronski, the owner of Snowbelt Motorsports, one of the area’s premier rental operations. His year-round business offers visitors an assortment of recreational machines, including side-by-side ATVs, personal watercraft, pontoon boats, motorcycles, campers and RVs. For people who love to have fun in the outdoors, it’s a one-stop shop!
Also meeting us at Beaver Creek Resort were two local riders, Steve Lamb and Kevin Henley. A look at the snowmobile map showed a nice network with two notable north-south routes, both emanating from Mackinaw City, the town at the tip of Lower Michigan that lies in the shadow of the famous Mackinac Bridge.
The most prominent route was the 62-mile North Central State Trail, a multi-use recreational trail that runs through the towns of Cheboygan, Indian River and Wolverine on the way to its southern terminus at Gaylord. It is a former line of the New Your Central Railroad and its once-thriving subsidiary, the Michigan Central, which for decades carried automotive executives, lumber barons and countless tourists to their favorite northwoods retreats.
The other primary route is snowmobile Trail 7, a seasonal corridor encompassing a variety of terrain as it goes south, including forested areas, roadside routes and long stretches of former rail lines. These rail-trails include the aforementioned North Central from Indian River to Gaylord as well as segments through Pellston, Alanson, Indian River, Gaylord, Grayling and Higgins Lake.
This dual north-south backbone stretches more than 100 miles across several counties. Numerous trails branch off to other networks east and west, making for plenty of riding options and scenic loops.
Starting Out Right
After seeing this “big picture,” we set off behind Steve and Kevin for our orientation ride. The first leg took us from the resort to the main trail. After a short run down the roadside and along a power line, we were in Gaylord and turning onto Trail 7 for a quick trip north into downtown. In several minutes, we were at the trailside office of the Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau, the official hosts for our visit.
The primary attraction there was a unique automotive rarity – a beautifully restored Gaylord automobile, the only surviving example of this short-lived marque that built cars for just two years (1911 and 1912). Remarkably, this priceless antique still runs and takes to the street once a year during Gaylord’s annual Alpenfest parade each July.
Snow was falling as we left the office on our February visit. We headed south on Trail 7, stopping briefly to view the building that housed the Gaylord automobile factory, now serving – quite fittingly – as an auto parts warehouse. Our journey carried us down the eastern shore of Otsego Lake, a five-mile-long body of water that is home to cozy lakeside residences and its eponymous State Park.
Just beyond the lake, we reached the small unincorporated town of Waters, home of The Keg Bar, a favorite pit stop. As we enjoyed our lunch and listened to classic rock tunes in the spacious main room, we swapped snowmobile tales with our hosts and learned about the Gaylord region and its history.
After lunch, we returned to Beaver Creek Resort, where Jeff and I bid our hosts good-bye and soon struck out on our own, traveling north through Gaylord and beyond on the first miles of the North Central State Trail. Cruising this rail-trail was a delight and took us through the town of Vanderbilt (population 498) en route to Wolverine (population 244) in neighboring Cheboygan County and back.
Our journey was interrupted when we encountered a solo rider who was stranded by a mechanical breakdown. We gave him a ride to the nearest road, where he arranged for to be picked up by a family member. After returning to our cabin, we ended the day with a brief but fun 66 miles on the odometer.
The Mackinaw City Loop
We started day two with a run north to Mackinaw City, where we planned to enjoy lunch. Trail 7 was our route all the way, taking us beyond Wolverine and then – after turning off the railbed – around the southwest side of Indian River. As we continued north, the route zigged and zagged alongside roads, across fields and through forested areas. After traversing a road section with minimal snow, one of our sleds was overheating as we entered Alanson across the border in Emmet County. So we stopped to let it cool and set off on foot to explore and pass some time.
Much to our delight, we happened upon Spanky’s Motorsports, a business specializing in parts and accessories for all kinds of recreational vehicles, where I was pleased to find and purchase a wristband mirror. In chatting with the manager, we inquired about lunch suggestions in Mackinaw City and he kindly called Audie’s Restaurant there to ensure they were open. With our business concluded, we traipsed back to our sleds and got underway again. The winding route through town took us right back to Spanky’s, where the trail literally passed just 10 feet from the front door. How cool is that?
North of Alanson, Trail 7 returned to the former railbed and took us swiftly past Pellston and its airport, then Carp Lake and into Mackinaw City.
This historic town at the south end of the legendary Mackinac Bridge (and thus the northern tip of Lower Michigan) bustles with summer visitors, but was remarkably quiet on a weekday afternoon in February. After locating our lunch stop, we refueled and rode a couple of blocks off the trail to Audie’s, where we enjoyed our mid-day repast – a tasty Reuben and a delicious whitefish sandwich.
Our morning ride had covered 70 miles from Gaylord to Mackinaw City. To avoid backtracking, we set off southeastward on the first miles of the North Central State Trail, designated as Trail 9.
This smooth and mostly straight corridor paralleled the shoreline of Lake Huron, which was visible to our left from time-to-time as we covered the 15 miles to Cheboygan. Lined with endless pine trees, the scent of conifers was in the air, adding another element to our enjoyment of the ride.
At the lakeside city of Cheboygan, the former New York Central line turned inland and southwest as Trail 720, passing along the western shore of Mullett Lake. This segment is famous because of the protracted legal battle that was waged to permit recreational access over the objections of select lakeside landowners. In 2006, after 10 years of wrangling, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the snowmobile community prevailed, though winter usage comes with speed and time-of-day restrictions.
Knowing its history, it’s always a pleasure to ride this path and recognize the perseverance of all those who fought so long for access – and won!
Once back at Indian River, our route linked up with Trail 7 and we revisited the morning’s path back to Gaylord, bringing the day’s total distance to 132 miles. That evening we enjoyed dinner at the Alpine Tavern & Eatery in downtown Gaylord, where we had an unexpected surprise – a random encounter with a gentleman wearing a Navy sweatshirt.
Though they didn’t know each other, it turned out that both he and my traveling buddy Jeff were 1985 graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy, a remarkable coincidence. We invited him to dine with us and I was treated to stories of their Annapolis days and careers at sea.
Back At It
For our final day of riding, we embarked from the rental headquarters of Snowbelt Motorsports, with our goal of exploring to the south. Owner Mike Skowronski recommended a route that would include a lunch stop along the way. With map in hand, we were on our way, heading east out of town and then south.
Trail 4 took us nicely across the countryside, with some sections along electrical and pipeline rights of way before heading into the forest. The trail was wide and nicely groomed, wending its way through stands of mixed hardwoods and tall pines as well as some recently logged areas.
During this delightful trip through the woods, we turned onto Trail 47 and headed southwest to our lunch destination, Lovell’s Riverside Tavern, a country roadhouse on the banks of the Au Sable River’s North Branch. This is a popular pit stop for sledders, which was obvious from the number of machines parked outside and the lively lunch crowd inside.
We chose cheeseburgers for lunch and enjoyed them fully while gazing out the window at the placidly flowing river.
After the meal, we completed our circuit by connecting with Trail 7 and heading north to the rental office, with a tally of 75 miles for the day and a total of 273 for our visit.
Our tour of northern Lower Michigan was a success, with wonderful lodging and nicely groomed trails. For a top shelf riding experience, I recommend the Gaylord area and the bountiful snow to be found at the “top of the mitt” – the mitt being the quaint way Michiganders describe the shape of the state’s Lower Peninsula (looking at the palm, fingers and thumb of your right hand).
