NORTHOLOGY ADVENTURES AUGUST 2020 ISSUE 3
PADDLING THE PESHEKEE TRAIL RUNNING TECH CHASING COMETS MICROADVENTURES STARVING FOR ADVENTURE MICHIGAN ROUTE RULES
Custom built TC Teardrop Camping Trailers. Haul your boats, bikes and camping gear all in one eye-catching affordable package! www.tcteardrops.com
SPECIALS
FEATURES
EXCLUSIVES
04 The Gear Bunker
16 Chasing Comets
26 Starving for Adventure
06 Meandering Run
22 Microadventures
31 Clear as Mud
10 Paddling the Peshekee
contents
Northology Adventures Magazine has made all efforts to make sure that content is accurate on the date of publication. The views expressed reflect the author(s) opinions and are not necessarily the views of the publisher or editor. All content is published in a good faith. Northology Adventures does not guarantee or accept liability for any loss or damage of any kind caused by this magazine or errors in the accuracy of claims made by the advertisers.All rights reserved and nothing can be partially or in whole be reprinted or reproduced without a written consent. By using links in this magazine, you acknowledge that and agree that Northology cannot be held responsible and shall not be liable for content of other websites and advertisements.
CINDY POPE Publisher
Wow can you believe this is the third issue of Northology Adventures? It is so satisfying to watch the readership grow from the first to the second issue, thank you everyone! From advertisers to contributors to readers, I am so grateful for the support and interest in reading about exploring the outdoors in the various ways that us overlanders and adventure enthusiasts do. Please take a second as you are reading to click on the links that breifly highlight as you turn the page. There are overland events, places to stay on your adventures, outdoor gear retailers, vehicle mod & fabricators, content creators and more with fun and exiting things to offer you. This
publication would not exist without their support an faith in this lil adventure rag so please check them out. I really think you will love this issue a much as the past ones. Summer is in full swing and highlights include trip reports, trail running technology, killer astrophotography, and kayaking. Let me know what you think! Thanks again to the contributors, advertisers and this community for reading, posting, sharing and embracing this crazy recipe of bringing the off road, overland flavor and mixing it with all the outdoors adventure activities we love. Remember, if you have a story to tell, pictures to share, or have a related business and want to connect with this community, email info.northologyadventures@gmail.com. Don't forget to share this with your friends and family! -Cindy
Sunset Chair
As we move between several remote locations, the chairs get packed and unpacked repeatedly. Always ending the day surrounding a campfire with family in the comfort of these comfy chairs. The set-up is a snap‌literally. The self-aligning shock-corded DAC poles snap into place and insert into the high strength nylon sockets. Additionally, the nylon/mesh fabric seat easily stretches over the sturdy frame providing pressure point free seating. Taking no more than a minute to either set-up or break down a single chair.
READ THE FULL STORY ON THE GEAR BUNKER WEBSITE
ADVENTURE RIG FEATURE We would love to see your setup
People ask every day... "How do you carry kayaks when you also have a rooftop tent? What spare tire bike rack should I look at? The best source for knowledge is the communty, the people doing it, testing it, trying it. Share your knowledge with the tribe! Let us know about you and your adventure gear setup Your name and hometown Your vehicle model and make (you can include your mods) Outdoor activities you enjoy while camping and overlanding Brief description of how you carry your bikes, kayaks, fishing gear, motorcycles, etc. and still have room for your camping gear, tools, food, passengers etc... Please submit 3-5 photos of rig and setup
Email your info and pics to info.northologyadventures@gmail.com and if your rig is selected for a feature, we will send you a nifty Northology decal. Please submit by the 15th of the month for consideration of inclusion in the following month's issue.
MEANDERING RUN ELWOOD TOAST
@CoffeeToastRunner
I BEGAN RUNNING WELL BEFORE TECHNOLOGY STARTED TAKING OVER OUR LIVES.
Before I discovered trail running most of my runs followed the local roads and bike paths. I simply slipped on my running kit, walked out the front door and followed the road. Running before social media was much more of a solitary experience. If you were lucky enough to run on Saturday or Sunday morning with a few friends you scheduled the meet up by phone, text or email.
Of course keeping track of mileage was a goal (runners tend to be goal oriented.) I'd drive the car to the run start, set the odometer to zero and drive the course as closely as possible. Once completed I would write the total for that day in a small booklet so I could tally my weekly, monthly and annual mileage. As the number of courses and their mileage began to increase I remember knowing that if I ran from home to the Mobil station to the mall and back home that was eight miles, etc. LOL, a lot of work but it was effective.
The problem once I started running trails was there was no way to know the accurate distance of all the winding trails. I relied on someone in the group to call out, "we'll do the ten mile loop today". So, I began with that and, as when I started running the roads, I began estimating how many trail miles each of my runs totaled. Accurate? Probably not. I do remember the first time we had a group member bring a GPS device along our ten mile course oddly was really fourteen miles. Early GPS was notoriously inaccurate back then so maybe it really was ten or, maybe group leader Larry knew more than he was letting on...no wonder I was so tired every Saturday. Now of course we have an App for that. There are literally hundreds of GPS apps for your Android or Apple phone. I've tried a couple of dozen and settled on four in particular which I'd like to share. This is not a review nor a comparison as each one specializes in a certain feature set. They are easy to download and to use and if you don't like them, delete away. These are all free to download and to use with additional features available for a fee. All can be used for walking or riding a bike in addition to running and all but one require your data plan to use as a GPS device.
PART OF ME STILL WANTS TO GO FOR THAT WALK OR RUN WITH NO CONNECTION TO ANYBODY.
The app I've used the longest is Run Tracker. After a few years they mysteriously went dark but I still used the app as a way to keep track of my weekly and monthly total mileage. A few months ago the app updated and is usable again. It offers a simple way to track your mileage and has a map that shows where you have run. Once you've downloaded Run Tracker and set it up with your email address and selected your own settings it is easy to use. I do like how it will speak out your mileage and pace midrun if you'd like. This app is best used on roads or bike paths and is not so accurate on trails. Once Run Tracker stopped working I started with Diverge and it is another easy to use app. Set up your profile and off you go. Select the green button on the Tracker page which also gives you elevation change, time and distance. Of real value is their History so you can keep track of not only each run distance but also it gives you a simple map of your run. Also on the History page are the elevation gain and loss, max and minimum elevation, ascent and descent time. In addition you get your total moving time, stopped time moving speed and overall moving pace. Diverge is also best used on roads and well marked forest roads and trails. Still there are times that I want to step out of my door and just do a meandering run. I don't always want to carry a phone with me. Part of me still wants to go for that walk or run with no connection to anybody. No tweets, dings, rings or phone calls. For those runs that I wish to map I use Footpath. Footpath is a non GPS tracker. I use it on my iPad and once opened it shows my current location as well as a map of the roads around me. With my finger I can draw the roads I've used simply by touching my location and dragging the course that I've just run. Once my finger is lifted it gives me a visual map as well as totaling the mileage of that run. Take it on vacation if you want. Remember the course you ran and it does all of the calculating for you. Pretty sweet. Can be used with an iPad that is wifi only. My favorite for running trails is AllTrails. Tons of information is available but the cool thing is you can review your run or hike once you are finished with descriptive 5star ratings. Take to any trail in the USA and map your run. Your course is then put into AllTrails database and can be used as a reference for other users. While the other three apps above are best used on roads, AllTrails is designed for trails only. A must have app if you are so wired. Good running! Elwood Toast
CUSTOM ADVENTURE ITINERARIES OUTDOOR EVENTS & TRIPS CONTENT CREATIONÂ SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT ADVENTURE MAGAZINE THE ROAD NORTH STARTS HERE
A RIVER OF HISTORY
PADDLING THE PESHEKEE By UP Jeeping
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE U.P. BESIDES ALL THE SCENERY IT HAS TO OFFER IS THE RICH HISTORY JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK It might not be that obvious at first but even something as insignificant as an old railroad grade, a mound of rocks, or an odd cement foundation in the woods has a story to tell. A story that mostly takes place around the turn of the twentieth century when mining was king in the UP. And if you are willing to do some research you'll probably find something interesting. Now what does all that have to do with paddling up the Peshekee river? NOMADIC
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The Peshekee river flows south out of the Huron mountains and empties into Lake Michigamme, which is one of Michigan's largest inland lakes at about 4200 acres. Michigamme is also rich in mining history as it lies on the far west end of the Marquette Iron Range which stretches East towards the towns of Ishpeming and Negaunee, and has been actively mined since around 1847. Although most of the mining played out in this area by 1900 due to richer deposits to the east, in Ishpeming and Negaunee that left many mining ruins to explore! One of the more interesting stories from
this area (which is a whole other story in itself) is about the railroad that never ran. The Iron Range and Huron Bay Railroad was built to transport iron ore 42 miles from this area to an ore dock located in Huron Bay to the north which was completed in 1892. Several things led to the failure of the railroad, which I encourage you to look up, there is even a paperback book published with tons of information, maps, and gps coords so that you can try to follow along and do your best Indiana Jones impersonation. "That belongs in a museum!" I spent a whole summer exploring this RR and found many interesting things along the way.
Back to paddling the Peshekee though, the IR & HB RR closely followed this river north into the Huron mountains before splitting off, in many areas you can see raised RR beds, and wood pilings if you look closely through 120 years of being grown over. We started our paddle at Van Riper State Park and followed the shoreline west towards the outlet of the river. From there we paddled under 3 different bridges, the oldest being the US41/M-28 Trunk Line Bridge No. 1, which was the first of many bridges designed by the MI State highway Dept. built in 1914 in response to the 1913 state trunk line act. This bridge is listed on the national register of historic places due to its engineering and architectural significance. Once under the bridges and away from the busy highway the Peshekee widens and slows down allowing an easy paddle upstream.
There are several sloughs to explore along the way with each one full of wildlife, flowers, trees, and oh yeah, bugs! We paddled upstream for only about an hour and a half before we needed to return to the lake to catch the sunset at 10pm. You have to love most of the UP being in the Eastern time zone! The big lesson I hope you take away from this would be to look around, explore, ask questions, do research, learn something new, have a fun adventure and go down a road you've never been on.
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We do it for the gram. Right?
If we don’t take totally awesome pictures of our adventures, are we really overlanding? I’m totally joking. I had to get help understanding my Instagram from some other people, one of whom was much younger than me. It’s 2020 and Instagram is my parent’s VCR clock. 12:00 blink 12:00 blink 12:00... But seriously, I do like to capture at least one camp photo or landscape shot from my trips, just as a keepsake. And with overlanding to hopefully remote places with low light pollution, the opportunity for cool astrophotography shots go up.
This July we’ve been really lucky as not only is it peak Milky Way season, but a once in a lifetime chance to see the NEOWISE comet. There are still some chances to see it in August, but it’s fading fast. Disclaimer, I am not a professional, just a guy with a camera and some stuff. I enjoy the technical challenge of composing a shot and have also been filled with disappointment too when I got back to my laptop to see the results. This month I took some trips into the UP, one you can read about in
last month’s issue, “A Weekend Between the Lakes," and this past weekend I met up with Cindy and a few others to do a pre-run for September’s KOAR event. I headed up to the UP on Thursday night, but did an overnight at Mackinaw Mills campground in Mackinaw City. I chose this spot, not for seclusion, but because I wanted to capture the comet above the Mackinac Bridge. I wanted to use my fast prime lens, a 35mm with f1.8 aperture. I used an app listed in my tips section to help find a spot where
CHASING COMETS and other dark sky stuff
the comet between the 2 towers of the bridge, but that wouldn’t happen until close to sunrise, and by then it would be too light out to get a shot. I took a lot of ASA LEE MEADOWS different shots and played CONTRIBUTING WRITER around with my aperture, ISO and shutter times. I think the best one was done with f2.8, 10 second exposure and ISO 800. With the bridge lights so bright, I could set up and be able to but needing a long exposure to get the comet and stars, f2.8 have the bridge fully in the had the sharpest image while frame of my shot. I set up my camera at the lake shore around picking up the other details sunset and took some test shots. I waited until 1 am for the The next day I packed up my tent comet to finally move into frame. and headed to the UP. I met with I really wanted to get the other folks for the KOAR
Scout trip, Cindy, Adam and Mark and we headed to Trails End Campground. I wasn’t expecting clear skies Friday night, but to my surprise a lot of the stars came out. This was after having a couple drams of Oban 14, so the option of heading to Brockway Mountain was out. I was able to get the comet again, along with the Big Dipper, and then turned south and got the Milky Way along with Jupiter and Saturn. I turned back NW again to try for the comet when Mark commented that he thought he saw some northern lights color in the edge of the
frame. I thought this was just a campfire glow from the campground, but lo and behold my next shot had ribbons of the Aurora. This was my first time capturing that. Downstate I’ve gotten some Aurora “glow” but I’ve never seen them this defined. I was quite happy! The next night of the trip was rainy, but I’m not complaining because I was able to see some amazing shots on this trip. Both of the shots here I used the widest aperture on the lens to let the most light in, since it was very dark out. The milky way shot had I used my 18-55mm kit lens at 18mm, ISO 5000 and 30 second exposure. The Aurora was shot with my 35mm prime at f1.8 and ISO 1000. I’m hoping that in September for the KOAR event, which will be during a new moon, we’ll have some good chances for the Milky Way and Northern Lights. Keep looking up. Asa Lee Meadows
"I thought this was just a campfire glow from the campground, but lo and behold my next shot had ribbons of the Aurora."
FOCUS
8 THINGS YOU NEED TO GET SOME COOL SHOTS AND RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN THEM.
Camera with manual mode. It can be mirrorless (the new hotness) or DSLR. Full frame or crop sensor. You don’t have to spend thousands on gear. I shoot with a Nikon 5300 crop sensor. I have 3 kit lenses: 18-55mm, 55-300mm, and a 35mm prime. Also, if you are going to shoot at night, get your lens focused to infinity during the day when you can use autofocus to help, and tape it so it won’t be out of focus later that night. If need be, use your camera’s live view to zoom in on a star or planet and manually focus.
But no matter what, shoot in RAW mode. JPGs don’t have enough information to bring out photos in post processing. I did a castle night shot in Ireland only to find out later that I was still in JPG mode. I couldn’t bring out the colors of the milky way. I learned that lesson the hard way. Tripod. If you are doing a night shot, you’ll be doing a long exposure. You need something steady. I once forgot mine, but was still able to get a decent shot, using a piece of firewood and my camera bag to angle the camera up to the sky. Zooming in on the moon, will require a fast shutter speed (around 1/100 or 1/160 of a second) but if you shoot handheld, you’ll still introduce shake and get a fuzzy shot.
Extra batteries. Long shots eat up power. Especially if you are doing a timelapse.
Remote trigger or time delay. Pushing the button on the camera introduces camera shake. The mirror moving up so the light can hit the sensor introduces shake. I have a cheap intervalometer but wifi remote can work too, as well as the 2 second delay on my camera. On the expensive side, I have a tool called Arsenal that I use to remote trigger, and see pics right on my phone, but it can also lock up my mirror further reducing shake. Clear dark skies. You can wait out the moon and sun to set, but it’s hard to get through clouds. I use Clear Sky Charts in Michigan (Map) to check the 2 day forecast. So far it’s been 100% accurate. You want to aim for clear to 0-10% cloud cover. This site also has a light pollution overlay slider to see if where you’ll be has dark skies, or check the marked spots that are close to your campsite. Also be mindful if you have a campfire, that can put off too much light and ruin a shot. Using a flash light to briefly light up the foreground is a cool way to add interest.
Know where to aim, so you can compose your shot in the daytime. Say you want to get the milky way behind your campsite. Well, you need to know where the milky way will be during the night when the moon (preferably close to new moon phase) is not out. It’s in the southern sky, but I use PhotoPills to plan how to set up my shot, using which lens and a free app Sky Map to also find where constellations and other heavenly bodies will be at what time (stellarium mobile is another free app as well.) I also use https://www.timeanddate.com/ to get a monthly view of moon and sun time information.
How to do astrophotography. Google is your friend. Youtube can teach you how to use these tools, post process an image, pretty much everything is available online to find how to do something; so get out and shoot By Asa Lee Meadows Infographic by Cindy Pope
EMBRACING THE MICROADVENTURE HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE TO FIND ADVENTURE?
We all dream about that epic weeks-long road trip but the reality is that most of us are strapped. Strapped for time, money, or by family obligations. Don't let that stop the fun. Carving out a few hours on a weeknight or a long weekend with friends can satisfy the wanderlust between the long trips.Â
WEEKEND WARRIORS "That's too far to travel for just a weekend trip." I disagree wholeheartedly. Amazing things can happen 4-8 hours from home. Hit the road after work on a Friday and drive off into the sunset. Okay, you may arrive at the campsite after dark, but this is prime time for stargazing, catching a meteor shower or even the northern lights. Have a nightcap by the fire and fall asleep to the sounds of wind in the pines, the loons, the waves or heaven forbid, whip-poor-wills. I usually keep the Jeep in adventure-ready mode. Aw, hell, it's usually a mess and I spend Thursday night in a mad rush to make sure what I took out gets put back in. I am thinking I need to print out the checklist from Jeremy at New Holland Overland Company and use it every time (link at end of article.) It's a bummer when you forget the french press or your underwear or are out of fuel for your stove (yes, voice of experience.) The Saturday of the weekend microadventure starts with coffee at sunrise and a day of possibilities. Should we take that two-track up that mountain? Should we ride bikes on the beach? Should we try to find that waterfall? Should we go for a swim or a hike or a paddle? Should I just take a nap in the hammock? There are no wrong answers here. Pack in as much or as little as you feel like doing. Be flexible. A rainy day may dictate exploring off-road trails or chasing waterfalls instead of the kayaking you had planned but having the means to improvise and the ability to not get frustrated by unmet expectations can make a huge difference in your enjoyment level. Saturday afternoon is when that feeling starts creeping in that the end of the weekend is closer than the beginning. Time to reflect and cherish the moment. End the day at the campfire and toast to the new memories made. Sunday may be bittersweet as you head home, heart full and travel weary, dirty, bruised, sunburnt but satisfied.
DAYTRIPPER How far is it to the put-in? My dad took my aunt on a day trip to the Wolf River for whitewater kayaking. She is from Maryland and was visiting our home in northern Illinois but really wanted to paddle our favorite northern Wisconsin river. They left his house at 5am, arrived at the river at 9, had a fantastic day on the rapids, ate a nice dinner at a local joint before returning home exhausted and smiling at 10pm. Admittedly, you don't need to prepare for a day trip like you would a weekend trip but some forethought is helpful. A great location or activity is nice to have in mind but you can also just throw a dart at the map and go explore. Bring snacks, a map, a change of clothes for the unexpected oops like getting wet or dirty, and a first aid kit.
HOURS TO SPARE "I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." Everyone has probably seen that quote by Henry David Thoreau and it still rings true today. I believe he was talking about how being in nature can be calming, inspiring and empowering. Of course, we can just call it a walk in the woods but in essence, it is the very definition of microadventure, a small measure of time doing something you enjoy in the outdoors . Squeeze in a paddleboard session in the early morning. Go for a bike ride with your kid. Take the dirt road to the next town. You might see some wildlife, get some exercise, or strengthen a connection with your friends or loved ones.
WHAT TO BRING Microadventure ready Whether you always keep your vehicle ready for adventure or not, having a list is handy to make sure nothing you need is left behind. Click on the packing checklist image to the right and you can download the master list, print it and check the boxes as you pack. Of course, for a microadventure you may not need everything but you can use the list how you need to. Click on the image on the right to download it, thanks Jeremy of New Holland for letting me share!
S T A R V I N G F O R A D V E N T U R E
BY CHRIS GRIGGERS
especially since the 6-foot pink Sasquatch in front of one of the stores caught my eye.
As per our norm, this was another last minute decision for a trip. Britt decided on where to go for this one, Starved Rock State Park, somewhere close just for an overnighter. We slept in and took our time getting ready thinking that it was just a short hour to camp. After getting to the gas station to fuel up and plugging in the address in the GPS, we soon realized we should have probably moved a bit quicker getting ready that morning as our hour was actually a little over two-hour trip!
We rolled in to the park around 2:30p.m and it was so overcast and cold that it felt like it was so much later in the day. We decided to check out the visitor’s center before heading to camp so that we could get a map and make sure that we didn’t have to reserve a campsite there. We hadn’t done our research too much on the state park ahead of time; however, we had several folks recommend that we should go. After a short climb up the stairway, we were pleasantly surprised by the visitor’s center, which sits right off the Illinois River, as it has a charming little museum, several classrooms, a little café, and a quaint gift shop.
Just before we got to the park there was a cool little historic town of Utica. We definitely need to go back and check it out
After chatting with some of the staff, we found out that they offer quite a few activities such as trolley tours, an assortment of classes, and guided hikes depending on the season. One of the tours that interested us was an old school river paddle wheel boat tour of the Illinois River. The state park also has a large 72-room lodge with restaurant, and 22 cabins for rent. After getting information from the friendly park rangers, we headed to the campground, which was only 5 minutes or so up the road.
No one was at the station when we got there, so we just cruised around the campground loops to see if there were any open sites. It was quite full; however, I think the ominous weather that day may have kept folks from keeping reservations. We got lucky to land site #70 which offered some privacy. There are 133 campsites. All sites have electricity, picnic table, and fire ring, and there are flush/pit toilets and a very small shower house. There are two different camping loops and all the sites were more like an open field setting; however, the loop that we were in had some sites that were in the tree line and provided a bit of privacy. Some of the sites that we would recommend are 29, 52, and 99. If you are with another group, then sites 77 and 78 are perfect since they are side-by-side with sort of a joint community space. After finding our spot, we whipped out the Skottle for a quick street taco lunch (another meal that is quickly becoming a staple for our camping because it is quick, easy and delicious) and took a gander at the map to decide on a short hike that we could complete before sunset. We settled on part of the southern end of the park trail system and did two quick hikes. The first of which was to Hennepin Canyon Overlook and the second was to Owl Canyon and Hidden Canyon Overlook. Although it was a rather short hike, it was very scenic and we were able to capture many of the fall colors and take in the sites of a few “canyons” along the Illinois River. As it became later and grew darker, we rolled back into camp to set up and quickly started a fire for warmth (cheating this time by using the compressed fireplace logs in our little Webber grill.)
As we warmed up by the fire, Britt read through the magazines on the local area to scout out future adventures, while I took advantage of the good cell reception to respond to emails and work on our social media. Shortly after, Britt started cooking “deconstructed eggrolls” for dinner and I started (by accident, because I didn’t even know it was possible) a really fun 5-way Facebook video call with our good friends from Dirt Road Trip. We rehashed old memories, caught up on current news, and planned out future trips with the gang as everyone watched Britt fix up dinner. After eating and our conversation had ended due to my phone dying, we headed back out to enjoy the last of our fire and burn off the remaining wood that we brought before heading to bed. The next morning, the sun was shining and we knew it was going to be a beautiful day although it was still a tad chilly! Britt made up some oatmeal and delicious hot homemade apple cider before we packed up and went back to the trail head at the visitor center to do some more hiking before hitting the road home. We checked out all the major hot spots including Starved Rock, Lover’s Leap Overlook, Eagle Cliff Overlook, Beehive Overlook,
Sandstone Point Overlook; as well as, Wildcat Canyon, Lonetree Canyon, La Salle Canyon, Tonty Canyon, and the French Canyon. All together it was about 7 miles of hiking (about half of what they offer.) The trail system is laid out very well and most all intersections are labeled. You would be hard-pressed to get lost in the miles of trail network. After we exited the trail and found a bathroom, we headed back to the parking lot for quick break and snacked on some tangerines, chips, and a few pieces of candy to hold us over for the ride home. This was such a neat park and we will be back some time in the future for another visit!
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CLEAR AS MUD?
MICHIGAN DNR OHV RULES EXPLAINED Signage on the DNRÂ route or trail makes it easy to know if you are on the right path.
Nothing gets a Facebook group discussion heated up like a post about the MI DNR ORV/OHV license and pass sticker program. Confusion and misinformation abounds and this leads to arguments and personal stories about being harassed by local law enforcement. Taking all that into consideration, the DNR website is a great tool to clear up the confusion. The site states in black and white what the requirements are for your vehicle, and this article will directly address the secretary of state licensed vehicles we off-road, overland and camp with and in.
Please note that this article addresses only the MI DNR routes and trails. There are many County, State and National forest roads to enjoy that do not require MI DNR ORV permits, licenses or passes.
Photo by UP Jeeping
Looking at the table above, an SOS licensed vehicle only needs a permit and pass when on "designated ORV routes not passable by a conventional two-wheel drive passenger vehicle and scramble areas." This is possibly where the confusion starts. Scramble areas are easy to identify like Silver Lake, Drummond Island or St. Helens. Scramble areas also can require MI recreation passes and there are signs that clearly indicate that they are in fact, scramble areas requiring permit and pass. No argument there. But what is this "not passable by a conventional twowheel drive passenger vehicle" B.S.?
ORV ROUTE OR TRAILÂ
GOING TO THE SOURCE
To clear up the confusion, let us take a look at a DNR ORV route and check the map provided for clues. The top right photo is a screenshot of the MI DNR ARCGIS interactive map. Zoom in to see the route in question, here we chose Tin Cup, and click on the route line. A cickable pop-up appears (second screenshot) and will bring you to a page with map links. When you open the map, you will see the full trail (notice the Jeep on the thicker line in the third screenshot? A clue!) At the bottom is a legend which clearly states the permit and pass requirements for the route (in the fourth photo.) On every ORV route map I have ever opened up, the legend clearly states "ORV Route- ORVs of all sizes... ORV license and trail permit required unless licensed by the Secretary of State." Keep in mind that DNR officers get training but how much time goes towards fish and wildlife management and how much goes towards motorized vehicle recreation rules? If you are in a situation where you are asked for trail permits use the license requirements listed on the map as point of discussion. The cool thing is these maps are geo-enabled pdfs, available on Avenza so you can track yourself, see where you are in real time without cell signal and if in the teeny tiny chance an officer doubts the legality of your location, you can show him the info straight from the DNR's own source. So there you have it. The DNR website states there are only three types of trails, and the one for SOS vehicles is an ORV Route, very easy to identify. Every DNR ORV map has a legend which CLEARLY states if it is a Route and what is permissible. There is signage on the trails and routes. So what is with the confusion? Word of mouth, misunderstanding and hearsay are the main culprits. These screenshots were taken from the MI DNR site and confirmed by a DNR officer in the Marquette office (sorry to burst your bubble but he said that all the ORV Routes by design are passable by a 2wd passenger vehicle.) I also had a lengthy convo with an officer on the Bill Nicholls Trail. We were passing from opposite directions and stopped to chat aboutÂ
repairs from the Father's Day floods in 2018. He never asked to see my stickers despite the convoy behind me. If we were breaking the law, he would have written six tickets that day. So why aren't permits and passes required for SOS licensed vehicles? Maybe because there are private property and residences on some of the routes, you could hardly require people pay to go to their own home or camp. Maybe because hunters and loggers use them? To those who are still convinced they need to buy the license and pass for ORV Routes because it's "insurance" or they feel like they want to contribute, or it looks cool, go right ahead. But at that point, plan a trip and go to a scramble area to get what you actually paid for. I hear Drummond Island is nice!