velonut

Has anyone here ridden the thumb area of Michigan? What about route 25 that follows the shoreline and the roads inland? The area looks good on a map but I have never gotten off of 23 to explore. Generally I am heading for the UP and in a hurry.

cyclezealot

I have never ridden on bike, but have driven this route, so I am probably not so helpful.. It is busy, during July/ August . Seems I recall M25 to be narrow and busy beach towns during tourist season.
US 23 north of Bay City is wider, but no bike lanes. The thumb area is not really like Michigan's true north. It is flat and inland very agricultural, see more farm tractors than tourist's autos. See lots of farms so the land has relatively few forests. Looks a lot like the country about Lima, Ohio.
If you are in a hurry to go north towards the U.P. , the beaches in the 'thumb' are nice; but it is not Michigan's north country. Sorry, never traveled the area as as a cylist.
Should you make it to the U.P., just a comment- Adventure Cycling Maps roughly recommends you use U.S. 2, as being best for cyclists' needs.

brent_dube

What is Michigan's thumb? I live on the Keeweenaw peninsula if that is what you are talking about. Not many good smooth roads (some of the highways are pretty bad...some backroads that have newer pavement are the best) but I truely enjoy the enviornment here.

cyclezealot

Brent as posted above, some Buckeye resident wants to know about traveling north towards the UP... WOndered if traveling through the thumb was a scenic way north..
I have been to the thumb once. Some nice beaches, but I always thought the north of Michigan started above the Muskegon- Bay City axis of the Lower Peninsula..
I was hoping traveling by bike from Houghton to Copper Harbor would be ok on US 41. No wide shoulder ?...Howabout biking up the Brockway Mountain Drive.. What a view that is.. Yes, the environment there is incredible...

brent_dube

I've driven on US41 to copper harbor quite a few times but not in maybe a year so I forget how good the conditions are. That is the last ride I haven't scouted in my area. The first 10-20 miles of US41 from Houghton aren't that good (M26 is better to get to Calumet, although you gotta climb a good couple miles to get from Lake Linden to Calumet if you don't wanna do that)...not wide shoulder and the road isn't in great shape in some parts. But I believe it gets better soon after the tiny villiage of Kersearge. I will give you my info on it as soon as I take a drive through it . And Brockway Mountain? Haven't been there yet, but I was thinking about it today. I was reading about this a couple days ago... Color Tour XXIX .

About the 200km tour... "200K: This challenging full day tour will take you along the scenic Keeweenaw Bay to the northern-most part in Michigan, at Copper Harbor. There, you can visit historic Fort Wilkins and appreciate the taste of a traditional Cornish miner's meal: the pasty. Then you have the option of the challenging 671 ft. climb to the summit of Brockway Mountain, with its spectacular views of the countryside, or the flatter route along the Lake Superior shoreline. The tour then winds back to Houghton, passing through many mining ghost towns, historic Calumet, and McLain State Park. Five food stops provide needed refreshment along this incredible journey."

Sounds like fun! I've just started riding late this summer, and the last couple weeks I've been off the bike cause of recovery from a procedure. Although I'm gonna get back on any day now, I dunno if I'll ride the 100 or 200k rides, maybe my body won't be ready for it. BTW I live in Lake Linden, not Houghton (I put houghton in my location cause I'm sure many more people have heard of it than Lake Linden)...and as you see on the page Lake Linden is the turnaround point for the 50k ride.

Anyways, I'll give some info when I check out the ride up to Copper Harbor.

Braumeister

I've never toured the thumb area of Michigan, but the SE side of the state has a reputation for being pretty flat and uninteresting.

Brent-dube, you must be a real Yooper if you don't know where the Thumb is--you obviously haven't ever held up your right hand to show someone where you live! (It's a Michigan thing...)

For beautiful scenery in the lower peninsula (LP), I would suggest the western side of the state along Lake Michigan. Here you will find beautiful sand beaches, quaint vacation towns, and in the NW LP, a national lakeshore with rugged hilly terrain (don't miss the famous "Tunnel of Trees" on M-119 north of Harbor Springs!). I just returned from a three-day tour of the Leelanau Peninsula and can tell you it's a great place to ride!

As for the upper peninsula (UP), the former posts about the Keewanau Peninsula are right-on, though getting there can be pretty bleak and remote on M-28 or US 2 (though US 2 has a fine stretch right on Lake Michigan--just watch out for the Winnebago Express!).

Best of luck--post a trip report when you return!

B.