Michigan Road laws
 

So Im from Michigan and some of the places I go, quads go up and down the dirt roads and we do too now. Im almost positive this is legal but i know most parts of Michigan its not legal, only in certain spots like this by trails. Does anyone know whats the determining factor of whats legal and whats not?

Thanks

It is my understanding that it is up to each county as to allowing atv/utv on local roads.

okay thanks

"ORVs may be operated on a roadway in accordance with a locally enacted ordinance. ORV riders are encouraged to contact the appropriate local political subdivision to obtain ordinance specifics."

"Subject to ordinances and signing or posting. ORV access routes may be established by local ordinance."

It's up to the counties and the cities, etc. in each county. You're supposed to ride on the shoulder of the road no faster than 20 MPH in the county where I ride the most. I don't know if other counties let you do anything else.

Yeah theres not a lot of places that let us ride on the road so its nice when I find one that does. Thanks for the info

You're welcome. We ride from my friend's cabin north of Mio over to Muskrat Lake all the time. And we take the roads until we get to The Meadows trail and ride it. That's the only places we go most of the time. Last year when 3 of us took tents and slept overnight two different places was an exception. The other guys have done overnighters before but none of us has ever done a "double-overnighter". Parmalee Bridge State Forest Campground at Luzerne is on the Au Sable River at County Rd 489 if you want to camp over there. Parmalee Trading Post is a mile north on 489 and has gas and cold drinks if you're ever north of downtown Luzerne. They'll rent you canoes, drop you off on the river and pick you up downriver too. I've never been on that part of the river but have tubed downriver starting at M-72 in Mio because it's closer for us. Another part of The Meadows trail comes out closer to Parmalee Bridge but you can ride straight down the shoulder of 489 from Luzerne to get there. If you stay at the campground you can follow 489 south 4.2 miles to town where they have a big gas station, convenience store, private campground, showers for truckers, and Ma Deeter's restaurant about 250 feet east of that. The Meadows trailhead is 1/2 mile south of Ma Deeter's. You can ride from The Meadows to Bull Gap trail by crossing M-33 where it shows on the trail maps. You can keep going east almost to Oscoda or west to Leota if you can carry enough gas but you need maps for all the trails and roads in between.

Wow that sounds like a cool area and a lot of fun. What area is all of this in? Sorry im still learning where trails and other things are.

All of that is around Luzerne 8.5 miles west of Mio on M-72. If you look at Google Maps for Ma Deeters it shows Ma Deeters, Deeter Road, Luzerne, MI right at the intersection of M-72 and county road 489. If you go up M-33, a few miles before you get to Mio you can go west 3-4 miles on 489 (Zimowske Road), then north on 487 (Mapes Road) for about a mile, then west again on 489 for about 1.5 miles and you're at Ma Deeters. The Meadows trailhead is 2 miles south. It takes 15 minutes to get there from the intersection of M-33 and 489. If you want to get there from I-75 you have to drive east on M-72 for 25 minutes from Grayling. I wouldn't go that way unless I was already in that area or west of it. On M-33, 5 minutes before you even get to 489 is the Bull Gap trailhead, so you may as well go there instead if you've never been there. It's about 2 miles past The Pink Store and 10 minutes before you get to Mio. You'll know the store when you see it because the whole building is painted Pepto-Bismol pink. If you turn right at The Pink Store instead there's a smaller parking lot 3/4 of a mile down Hughes Road. It's the Mack Lake Trailhead. A lot of the trails in that area have been changed or renamed, but that's where the easiest parking lots to find to are. M-33 is at exit 202 on I-75 and goes straight north while I-75 goes northwest. From exit 202 at Alger it takes 30 minutes to get to the Bull Gap parking lot and another 10 minutes to get to Mio. Bull Gap Hill is the biggest hill I know of in Michigan that you can legally climb. It used to be a lot steeper but all the sand is running downhill and piling up. There's one way to get to the gas station in Mio from Bull Gap trail and you can't ride anywhere else in town.