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.