The trail was perfect near the whole way. I will say, though, that coming back (south) is quite a bit harder due to the elevation gain. Frankly, we're just not used to it here in illinois. In any case, we had a wonderful trip.

We parked our car at Alpine lodge in Gaylord, and spent the first night there. It's a decent hotel, with a pool, hot tub and some games in an atrium area. Kind of a time warp, but I'm a sucker for those. We set up the bikes and started off the next morning. Within the first mile, we got caught in a downpour. I asked the girls if they wanted to go back and wait it out, but both shouted NO. In short, we were so psyched up to start, nothing was going to stop us (loved that attitude!).

~30 miles north, around 4pm, we found the Tobinbee Johnson Motel. It's kind of in the middle of no where, so we just ended up ordering dinner in. Probably the low-light of our 5 days.

The next day, we rode up to Mackinaw City. About halfway up, we stopped for lunch in Cheboygan (Anchor/Captain? something Restaurant- along the river - nice), and also got the obligatory vanilla malt at the Dairy Barn (do not miss it!). The last 16-18 miles from Cheboygan to Mack City are quite beautiful, but also monotonous. about 8 miles north of Cheboygan, there's a very nice lakeside park along Lake Huron that's easily worth a stop.

From there, we went up to near the tip of Mack City to stay at the Riviera Hotel. I loved this place from the start. Family run, great friendly service and advice, off the beaten and busy path, great views of the bridge and Lake at the point where lakes Huron and Michigan converge. And, right near the original fort and it's park-like atmosphere. Reasonably priced as well. Did I mention the pool?

On our 'off day' in Mack City, we took the tandem over to Mackinaw Island for the day. The girls were pretty tired of biking, so I promised them I would do all the peddling, the 15 year old on the back seat, and the 12 year old in rented trailer. Fortunately, the path that goes around the island is not only paved, but also mostly flat. What a beautiful day we had. Clear skies, slight wind, perfect. We swam some, built a rock castle in the shallow water, and had lunch along the docks. Then, ferried back to the mainland.

We spent two nights at the Riviera, said our good-bye's and peddled south to Indian River. Along the way, we stopped at Mullet lake for a quick swim and cool off. The beach is right along the trail, and there's a gas station right there also (I seem to recall a Chaco Taco!).

At indian River, we met up with our Warm Showers host (great folks!) [side note: if you plan on bike touring, learn about warmshowers.org. you can stay with like-minded, biking enthusiasts virtually anywhere] ... Anyway, we were shown around town by two of the most darling and long time residents. After dinner (along the river - very fun), our hosts took us up river (maybe .3 miles?) to a unique spot that had recently been developed for kids to swim in the river. Basically, it's about 100' long deck at the rivers edge, with no rail. Down river along the deck, is a ladder up from the water. So, you jump in up river, float down, and get out. Very cool. The girls had a blast.

After, our very kind hosts fed us breakfast, we rode off to Wolverine for lunch. There aren't many close-to-trail lunch options in Wolverine, so we ended up stopping at the same place we stopped at on our way north. It's a very local place with only a few tables with very basic fare. Still, we liked it a lot. One of the great parts of a bike tour is that you do get to be in and among the locals of the area, and learn much more than you can imagine doing so. You also meet some really kind people along the way. After lunch, we stopped at the park across the street and sat by the river for an hour or so. The peaceful nature was beautiful. The last stretch almost did us in. My hunch is that most of the elevation gain comes between Wolverine and Gaylord, as we were sure feeling it. We had to stop again about half way at a small pizza place in Vanderbilt. Ice cream, french fries, and Gatorade and then we hit the road again, finally making it back to the car. My 15 year old daughter was SO excited she actually did it! And, admitted to me that she didn't really think she could do it before we started. Still, there it was. Done. I figured we rode about 150 miles in those 5 days.

The MTB tandem had 2" knobbies, the mixte had 1.25" slicks. Both worked fine on the trail.

Bugs didn't seem too bad, but I do seem to recall my daughter using the off a couple of times.

I would definitely recommend this trip, but as with all bike tours, don't created a tight agenda -- but be flexible. I always find it easiest to go with the 'flow'. Particularly true with two daughters!

I rode this from Gaylord to Mackinaw City on Aug 7, 2011. The surface is hard packed with a thin layer of gravel. I had an old Schwinn road-style bike with 27 x 1 1/4 tires which was fine. Wider tires would have been OK, but I was fine. I would not take my 23mm tire road bike on it. The scenery is beautiful and the towns are evenly spaced with good services. I left Gaylord at 6:30 am and was a little nervous about being in semi-darkness, but as the sun came up all was well. I got to Vanderbilt an hour later. Not much there, and all was still closed anyway. Wolverine had a great market with excellent coffee. That plus 2 bananas was only a dollar, and the customer ahead of me paid! A nice surprise and we had a nice visit. Indian River has a bike shop. Topinabee has a roadside park with clean bathrooms and a small store. The trail goes around Cheboygan, so no data about that. From there it's 16 miles to Mackinaw City which is a long slog, but I was tired. Now I'm resting on Mackinac Island which I would say is bicycle heaven because there are no cars, but with some of the inexperienced cyclists here I'm not so sure!

This is a great Michigan adventure. Drive north, stay at the Hampton in Gaylord and ride the rest of the way in !!

June 7th, rode the first 10 miles from Gaylord & back....very nice trail with wonderful farm country vistas & stretches of cool woods & large maples, portions of the trail bordered by bog, tamarack & spruce. The crushed stone is noisier than asphalt, but still a very nice bike ride. Slight downhill grade leaving Gaylord makes for a very fast trip and the return is noticeably more effort returning. At about the 8 mile mark, past the tubing plant & logging yard, there was frequent bear "sign" on the trail. Also ran into an aggressive Ruffed Grouse, which kept attacking the bicycle and ran after us down the trail.
This should be a great fall ride.

This was a 5 day vacation trip for two couples, all on some form of mountain bike, the week of August 23rd 2010. The trail is in good shape, but the fine gravel surface can be loose in spots and would be difficult on a road bike.

We arrived in Gaylord on the Sunday night and stayed the night at the Holiday Inn Express. Perfect accommodations, as expected from a mid-range chain operation. They gave us permission to leave our van in their parking lot for the week - much appreciated. Dinner on Sunday night was at the Mexican restaurant right next to the hotel. We all enjoyed the food, but the super-sized margaritas were only super-sized from a lime juice perspective. The tequila serving would have been suited to a “small”.

We had arranged luggage transport with Big Bear Adventures (http://www.bigbearadventures.com/) . They don’t mention this service on their website, but we talked to co-owner Patti Anderson, and she arranged for her father-in-law, Andy, to take care of it for us. The price was very reasonable at $150 to have luggage for four adults moved four times over the course of the trip. The Anderson’s are friends of the folks that run Mancino’s pizza & subs in Gaylord, and they arranged to drop our luggage off at Mancino’s for us to gather at the end of our trip. A great spot to fill that hunger gap at the end of the last long uphill day!

Andy Anderson met us in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn at 9 Monday morning, we handed over our luggage, and we were off.

Finding the trail-head was our first challenge. A close look at a map before we left the hotel would have easily solved this problem, but since we all consider ourselves to be capable navigators, we preferred to do it the hard way. After wasting 30 minutes, we were finally on our way.

The trail runs slightly downhill for a good 10 miles, so it was an easy start to our day. Before long we had reached Wolverine, where a local resident recommended Meadows Bar & Grill for lunch. Meadows is jut north of Wolverine, and right on the trail. The food is good quality pub fare, and the place was very clean. Oh, and the beer was cold.

Wolverine to Indian River was fairly secluded and natural, but anytime we stopped for a breather, we could hear the howling truck tires on I-75 a couple of miles away. The trail was not spectacularly scenic - we know this because we took almost no pictures along the trail on the first day. It does pass through lots of mixed forest, and there is no doubt that the ideal time to ride the trail would be in October when the leaves are turning.

Arriving in Indian River, we dropped in to Big Bear Adventures to meet Patti, who capably provided restaurant recommendations, along with a short list of sights to see in the area. One of those sights was “Cross in the Woods”, a short ride up the road. We took several pictures there – a great stop for anyone with a religious bent. From there, we rode into Burt Lake State Park, and got a view of the beach at Burt Lake. If it had been a hot day, it would have been the perfect opportunity for a swim.

Our accommodations in Indian River were at the Northwoods Inn. It’s only a minute or two off the trail at the north end of town, and we had arranged to stay there on both our northbound and southbound nights. We had struggled to find suitable accommodations in Indian River – there were no recommendations on any of the usual websites, and we were somewhat nervous. I finally checked with the Chamber of Commerce in Indian River, who told me that Northwoods was definitely a nice place. And I have to agree. The rooms were clean and comfortable for four adults. The beds were firm (and I mean firm) but didn’t interfere with a good night’s sleep. Breakfast in the morning included Belgian waffles, which left our tummies in good shape for the day’s ride.

The second day of riding broke down into two segments. The first was north along the shore of Mullet Lake. I use the term “shore” loosely, because for much of this leg, there is a road and cottages between the trail and the lake. Lots of nice cottages, mind you, but not the scenery we were hoping for.

Upon reaching Cheboygan, we left the trail and toured downtown, looking for a good lunch spot. It’s apparent that Cheboygan has felt the impact of the recession, with the majority of stores in the downtown area closed. We found the State Street Coffee Company, at the corner of State and Main, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of salads and sandwiches, along with coffee that the coffee-drinkers in the crew loved. We made a note to stop in on our way back.

Heading out of Cheboygan, we had expected to ride in view of Lake Huron for the afternoon, but as it turns out, there is a highway and cottages between the trail and the lake, so we had to settle for glimpses. There is a park area around the half-way point that is right on the lake, and provides a good rest spot, but you have to watch carefully for the sign on the trail that identifies it. The rest spot provides the first view of the islands of the Straits of Mackinaw.

We arrived in Mackinaw City by mid-afternoon, where we checked in at Brigadoon Bed & Breakfast. From an accommodation perspective, this was the highlight of our trip. We enjoyed complementary fresh-baked cookies and lemonade in the afternoon, an amazing dessert in the evening (more calories than any of us had burned on the trail that day) and breakfast each morning fit for a king. The bedroom décor was probably more suited to my mother (lots of flowers and pink), but the beautiful four-poster beds made for a very restful night.

On our third day, we took our bicycles on the ferry to Mackinac Island. This island allows no motor vehicles, just horses and bicycles. The paved road around the edge of the island is an 8 mile ride, and the view is breath-taking. Our cameras are filled from our day on the island, and if you’re into fudge and t-shirts, you’ll enjoy the shopping as well.
There are trails that criss-cross the island’s high land, which provide a great way to get away from the huge crowds in town in the afternoon. Without a doubt, the island was the highlight of our trip, and I would highly recommend a visit.

After our second delightful night at the Brigadoon, we packed up and headed back toward Indian River for another night at the Northwoods Inn. The ride was an easy one, some downhill, and we were finished early in the afternoon. One of our riders realized he’d dropped his wallet 7 or 8 miles back on the trail, so while he did the extra 15 miles to collect his wallet, the rest of us had time to enjoy some cold beer and quiet reading under the trees in front of the inn. One of the nice features at Northwood was the big fire pit, where the manager built a nice fire to enjoy each night, and we did exactly that.

On day 5, the temperature was pushing into the 80’s by the time we hit the trail southbound to Gaylord. Once south of Wolverine, it was clear we were traveling uphill, and into a fairly strong headwind. That last 15 miles in the heat was quite a challenge, and we were very happy to reach the trailhead in Gaylord by 3 in the afternoon.

Overall, a great cycling vacation that I would happily recommend, especially that beautiful day on Mackinac Island. For the trail specifically, it certainly wasn't as scenic as we had hoped, and hence the overall rating, but the opportunity to ride it when the leaves have turned would be a completely different experience.

Aug. 23, 2010 Rode from Vanderbilt to Gaylord and back, was glad I read the reviews as it was nice to go downhill mostly on the way back. Averaged 8 to 10 on the way there and 15 to 18 on the way back, fun! 2 days later rode from Indian River to Mullet Village and back. Can't wait to go back and do the other sections. It take a little extra effort to ride on the gravel compared to asphalt but our hybrids handled it easily.

Kayak and bike: Drop off your kayak gear in Wolverine at the park on the east side of the trail, near Henley's canoe rental (the former railroad depot). The West Branch of the Sturgeon River joins the Main Branch at the South end of this park The park has a pit toilet, kid's play area and a pavilion. I lock my kayak gear to the pillars of the pavilion and drive to my take-out point, the DNR Rondo site. This site is on the bike trail, and off Old 27 about 4.3 miles North of Wolverine. It is just North of Rondo Road. At the DNR Rondo site, the trail crosses the Sturgeon River on an old railroad bridge with very thick rusty steel beams. The take-out point for kayaks at the Rondo site is just past this bridge on the left. There is a wood platform on the river bank to assist in loading/unloading. I leave my car here and ride my bike on the trail back to Wolverine, locking it to the pavilion. Then I kayak to the Rondo site using the old railroad bridge as my visual aid to the take-out point. ( This stretch of the Sturgeon River is one of fastest in the Lower Peninsula, so some kayaking skills are very helpful). I load the kayak on the car, drive back to Wolverine and get my bike. GREAT TRIP. The kayaking, biking and loading/ unloading gear takes about 3 hours total. This can easily grow to 4 hours with beginner level kayakers.

Bike: There are many nice starting points along the towns on Old 27. Gaylord, at the South end of the trail, is the highest altitude so heading North is the easy direction all the way to Indian River. From Indian River to Cheboygan the trail is very slightly down hill as you head North. The trail starts in Gaylord one mile North of M-32 (Main St.). There is parking at the Soccer fields on Fairview Rd. half way between Ohio St. and Old 27 (Center St.). The trailhead is not marked well in Gaylord, However, the railroad tracks still cross Main St. and Fairview Rd. The tracks are pulled up just North of Fairview Rd. Between Vanderbilt and Wolverine, there is a stretch of 5 miles (North of Alexander Rd.) with no road crossings, no driveways, no buildings, just the sound of I-75 traffic in the distance. In Indian River you can sit and eat at the "Inn Between" while watching the boats on the Indian River. They have great Fish-n-Chips. Further North, Topinabee has a very nice park on the trail with a beach on Mullet Lake. The trail also has nice clean year-around restrooms at this park.

Snowmobile: This trail looks so much different in the Winter, but it's still beautiful. Just North of Vanderbilt, the walls of evergreens on each side of the trail collect snow for a great visual show. The swamps and creeks (with a large Beaver dam) South of Wolverine are very nice. Several bridges cross the winding Sturgeon River in this area and deer are common on the trail. Riding to Mackinaw City is really a great trip. The towers of the "Mighty Mac" bridge are visible for several miles and the entire Straits area is very unique in the Winter.

We started at Vanderbilt (48 degrees, sunny, 10 a.m.) and rode to Gaylord so we could have choice of where we would lunch. Jets pizza was close but not that easy to find....stop and ask at gas station. It was UP Grade all the way to Gaylord and wind in our face (the wind in our face we try to plan so coming back in easier.) It is quite a grade...of course you don't see it but we were biking 4.8-6 mph going to Gaylord with lots of effort and averaged 11 coming back with no effort....so keep that in mind especially if taking children or retirees like us. It is all out in the country and that is nice. Next summer we will camp at Wolverine and try some more. Gaylord has lots of neat shops but one by the rail road tracks is called the Spud Warehouse...new and old deco. ..fun place to visit. You come into north side of Gaylord and Bike path ends...snowmobile trail continues along side of rail road....not bikable....yet, anyway. Enjoy.

Day 1: rode from Woverine to Vanderbilt and back; slightly uphill to Vanderbilt. Little shade on trail. Few services in Vanderbilt - we had to settle for an ice cream bar at a small grocery store.
Day 2: got shuttle to Cheboygan and rode bikes to Wolverine. This was a beautiful ride and easy to ride either direction. Had lunch in Topinabee.
Day 3: roundtrip from Mackinaw City to Cheboygan. Level ride; shaded by pine trees; some views of Lake Huron.
The bike trail is a nice trail to ride and has very little traffic. There was a spot on the to Wolverine from Cheboygan where you could jump into the river and cool off.

If you need a shuttle, you might inquire at Henleys Canoe in Wolverine. Ask for Denise.

The 62-mile rail trail between Gaylord and Mackinaw City Michigan in the north part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan was completed in September 2007. The surface is a compacted limestone that is suitable for virtually any bicycle tire. Its uses include not only bicycling but also walking, horseback riding, and in the winter snowmobiling. The trail begins and ends in either Gaylord, or Mackinaw City Michigan. It runs through not only those towns but also Vanderbilt, Wolverine, Indian River, Topinabee, and Cheboygan. The trail goes through marshes, along the Sturgeon River, Mullett Lake, and Lake Huron. Each of the towns it runs through has convenience stores, and restaurants; there is plenty of lodging near the trail as well. The trail is very near the ferry docks in Mackinaw City, which makes it easy access to Mackinac Island, made famous for its carless streets and fudge! For more information go to the web site of the Top of Michigan Trail Council, http://www.trailscouncil.org/ Additonal information on the entire trail network in Michigan can be found at http://www.michigantrails.org/

The Mackinaw City -Cheboygan Trail is actually part of a larger 62 mile rail trail from Mackinaw City to Gaylord Michigan that has just , fall 2007, been completley resurfaced with a compacted crushed limestone. The surface is compatable with virtually any type of bicycle and bicycle tire. The trail coming north from Gaylord runs through the towns and villages of Vanderbilt, Wolverine, Indian River, Topinabee, Mullett Lake Village, Cheboygan, and Mackinaw City. The trail running north, again from Gaylord, borders the Sturgeon River, crosses the Indian River, borders Mullett Lake, and after going through Cheboygan runs along the Straits of Mackinac. Once in Mackinaw City Mackinac Island is only a ferry ride away. For further information contact the Top of Michigan Trails Counci at 1-231-348-8280, , by email at info@trailscouncil.org or its website at http://www.trailscouncil.org/

"I have ridden all the improved sections of this RTC trail, usually in 8 to 10 mile segments one way. It is newly conditioned with crushed limestone which makes for a surface hard enough for riders to use their road bikes, as my wife and I have done on several occasions with absolutely no problems. Anyone wishing more definitive information can email me. Glad to help out. Terry"

"About two weeks ago, your trail description of the surface being grass, ballast, and dirt would have been correct. Howevr, The first 7.3 miles from Gaylord North to Vanderbilt has been graded and crushed limestone has been applied and rolled. My wife and I biked it yesterday, August 11. Great surface - smooth and firm. "

"Riding south out of Wolverine, on 7-18-03, past Trowbridge Road, under the interstate, up through the beaver meadow, I saw three elk on the trail. I also spotted a whitetail and a kit beaver.

The trail was mostly packed gravel with some loose. Parking is available at the town park across from Henley's canoe and kayak livery, just off exit 301 on I-75. I highly recommend this trail."