State to groom 47-mile trail off Murphy Dome Road
Moderator: john
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That is one of the problems in Michigan and why trails are changing almost every other year. The local property owners decide they don't want the trails to go through or by their property so they have to make new trails ever couple of years.
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- john
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This one makes ya wonder, they brought up the idea because
So now there canceling the project for the same reason Now if they applied for a grant to groom a specific trail or trails then shouldn't they groom "those" or the funds go back.Property owners in the area approached state parks about grooming the trail and the agency put in for a state grant to get money to do it, Ludwig said. The Northern district of the state parks system was awarded $30,000 from the Snowmobile Trail Grant and Grooming Pool, which is generated by snowmachine registration funds..
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The problem here runs deeper than can be easily explored in this forum. There are only a handfull of yearlong residents in that valley. They have divided themselves into two camps, one centered around trapping and the other centered around tourism. As you might imagine, the trappers don't want alot of people running the trails and around the valley. Most of the other landowners (including me) have recreational cabins and they like the groomed trails but are wary of too much access because of past problems with vandalism and thefts. The tourism operator wanted to groom the trails and the trapper opposed.
The other problem is that these trails are still relatively crude and frankly a little dangerous for the unwary or ill-prepared. The trail on top of the dome drifts and is not marked except as private individuals may do. The trails are narrow and you will sometimes run into someone coming down with a load of lumber who can't stop. The river is prone to overflow north of the dome.
This is a complex issue. The maps of the trails can be found here: http://www.1stalaskaoutdoorschool.com/MAP_2.htm and http://www.1stalaskaoutdoorschool.com/MAP_3.htm
If you are looking for a nice loop trip into that area, you can park at Murphy Dome, head north down 7-mile trail to the river, head downstream (West) down the river to the lower landing, and then take the road back to the dome. Round trip is 30 miles, bring enough gear to handle overflow and breakdowns.
The other problem is that these trails are still relatively crude and frankly a little dangerous for the unwary or ill-prepared. The trail on top of the dome drifts and is not marked except as private individuals may do. The trails are narrow and you will sometimes run into someone coming down with a load of lumber who can't stop. The river is prone to overflow north of the dome.
This is a complex issue. The maps of the trails can be found here: http://www.1stalaskaoutdoorschool.com/MAP_2.htm and http://www.1stalaskaoutdoorschool.com/MAP_3.htm
If you are looking for a nice loop trip into that area, you can park at Murphy Dome, head north down 7-mile trail to the river, head downstream (West) down the river to the lower landing, and then take the road back to the dome. Round trip is 30 miles, bring enough gear to handle overflow and breakdowns.
- john
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I can understand the issues with the trapper's/tourism/and miners and their conflicts, we've run into this one before. A common ground for sharing the trails is usually workable, at least for those that care to work it out, some folks just don't.
The quality and condition of the trails really isn't a problem, one of the reasons we rate the rides from Family to Advanced. A lot of our members/riders actually prefer the more adventurous runs, myself included :D
Narrow trails, rough, 2-way traffic issues, sounds like a normal trip to me We aren't what you'd call Groomed Trail Only Riders. Have ridden around the Murphy Dome area and enjoyed it, even when I got lost on the trails, GPS sure comes in handy at those moments.
Thanks for the input and consideration, I can think of a couple of us that might just make the loop run to check it out.
The quality and condition of the trails really isn't a problem, one of the reasons we rate the rides from Family to Advanced. A lot of our members/riders actually prefer the more adventurous runs, myself included :D
Narrow trails, rough, 2-way traffic issues, sounds like a normal trip to me We aren't what you'd call Groomed Trail Only Riders. Have ridden around the Murphy Dome area and enjoyed it, even when I got lost on the trails, GPS sure comes in handy at those moments.
Thanks for the input and consideration, I can think of a couple of us that might just make the loop run to check it out.
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You bet - i'd be happy to assist. I think on another site i provided links to maps of the area trails. I realized my initial mileage was off by 7 miles. The loop i described included the 7 mile trail which is (surprise) 7 miles long. The total loop is 37 miles. The river is usually runnable (at least on shelf ice) by the first weekend in November.
As for the land use conflict, and conflict in general, nobody lives that far out of town because they are blessed with social and conflict resolution skills.
As for the land use conflict, and conflict in general, nobody lives that far out of town because they are blessed with social and conflict resolution skills.
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