Fire danger is high in Upper Peninsula, northern Lower Peninsula; delay burning for now 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is urging people in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula to refrain from outdoor burning over the next few days.

“Both areas will be seeing very dry, warmer and, at times, windy conditions through the weekend and into next week,” said Paul Rogers, DNR fire prevention specialist.  

Permits for outdoor burning will not be issued in the Upper Peninsula for the time being. Campfires for warming and cooking purposes are allowed, but take precautions if you build one.

If you do have a cooking or warming fire:

• Make sure it is contained within a metal ring.
• Try not to start it until after 6 p.m., when winds die down and humidity rises.
• Clear nearby areas of any dry or dead vegetation.
• Keep a garden hose/pail of water nearby, along with a rake and shovel.
• Never leave a fire, even for a moment. When you’re done with a fire, make sure it is completely out. Douse the embers with water, stir the ashes and douse again.
• Always check for a permit at Michigan.gov/BurnPermit anytime you intend to light a debris fire.

Find more fire safety guidance at Michigan.gov/FireManagement. 

Hello Eveyone!!!

The closure on the Bill Nicholls (BN) Route at the Misery River Bridge in Twin Lakes has been removed as of May 4th, 2025!

This is thanks to the combined efforts of MI-TRALEs and the Superior Snowmobile Club’s volunteers.

The bridge received these temporary repairs today to put an end to the inconvenience of the closure. The route is now open for use. Final repairs will be completed in the future.

President Don Helsel of MI-TRALE stated, “I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the volunteers from both the Superior Snowmobile Club and MI-TRALE for making this repair happen! It’s great to see what can be accomplished when proactive groups work together. Please become a member of these clubs! And remember to always ride right and ride safe.”

To follow are some pictures of the temporary fix work in progress and the completed repair of the Misery River Bridge:

Beginning of Repair

Workin on the Repair

Finished- THANK-YOU for your PATIENCE

Good news to report here! Chris Kooyers is finished with the repair to the SB route. He has also put down a little more gravel.

The trail is open for use now!

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF PICTURES OF THE ALMOST COMPLETED REPAIR

We hate to bring you bad news about one of our trails, but…The BN (Bill Nicholls) Route is temporarily closed at the intersection of 26 in Mass City due to a culvert washout. Please do not go around the barricade, as part of the washout is underground. The DNR is hoping to have it fixed soon. As soon as we have further date information, we will keep you posted!

WORK AROUND

To get around the closure, MI-TRALE has the G trail that runs through Mass City. You can take the G Route south to Rousseau Rd East over to the OC and back North to the BN. You can find our club trails on our free map app: “Michigan UP Trails” at either Google Play or The App Store.

HERE’S A LOOK AT THE DAMAGE…

WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE. Thank-You

After a few years of working on improvements on the Courtney Lake Trails and campsites for horses, MI-TRALE is pleased to announce a chance for equestrians to gather and enjoy. It has been several years since MI-TRALE had such an event and we look forward to many more. Go to the link shown on this poster, to the Ottawa National Forest Website, for more information about recreation on the Ottawa. 

*Credit for creating this poster goes to the newly formed group, UPTHA “Upper Peninsula Trail Horse Association”, an energetic group helping to share the Upper Peninsula horse campgrounds and trails. UPTHA has ties to horse groups across the state and will share this poster afar. 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/ottawa

Dear Members,

Just to let you know that the results of our elections, held in January of this year, they are as follows: President Don Helsel and Secretary Linda Schulz were re-elected to those same positions on the Board. Also re-elected as Directors to the Board were Steve Slater and Cathy Wainio. Cathy is our Director for all Equine concerns. These 4 Volunteers will remain in their positions until 2027, when all these seats will again be open for election.

The other officers of Jon Fourez as Vice President and Dave Bishop as Treasurer are still in their positions, as are Directors Chris Palmer and Tim Peacy. These 4 Volunteers will remain in their positions until January of 2026. Then their seats will be up for election.

In case you are interested, we do still have one Director seat open on the Board and are looking for a willing member to take up that position. If you have questions and want to inquire about the position, please contact our President, Don Helsel, at:

He will be happy to fill you in.

Your Board of Directors is looking forward to an even better year of progress and trail-riding fun this year! Be sure to say “Hi!” when you see us out on the trails!

We thank all of you, our members, for your continued support of MI-TRALE. Without YOUR support, we could not accomplish the work that we do.

MI-TRALE Board of Directors

Taking place twice a year, Free ORV Weekend is a great time to see, experience and test out Michigan’s off-road vehicle trails. Residents and out-of-state visitors legally can ride Michigan’s 4,000 miles of off-road vehicle trails and routes and the state’s six scramble areas on two back-to-back days without an ORV license or trail permit.

The LAST free weekend will take place Aug. 17-18, 2024.

• All other ORV rules and laws still apply.
• You must supply your own ORV.
• Typically, there is an entrance fee at Holly Oaks ORV Park (although no Recreation Passport required), but the fee will is waived this year.

DNR urges ‘safety first’ approach to time on the water

As Summer activities are in full swing, with lots of activities taking place on the water, please go to our WATER TRAILS OF MICHIGAN tab and see some refresher safety tips from the DNR. It will make your time that much more enjoyable if all of your group is safe while having fun!

Over the past few years, MI-TRALE has been working with the Ottawa National Forest Service on specific plans for improvements at the Courtney Recreation Area in Mass City, Michigan. 
To effect the latest of these improvements-Campsites #2,3,4 & 6 will be closed from Saturday, August 3rd to Tuesday, August 6th.  

Check out the HORSE TRAILS tab, Updates option, here on the website, for full details on this improvement, as well as future updates.