Hey all , just wanted to say hi . After years of riding in our woods , we have upgraded our "stable" to good machines and are wanting to do some good trail riding. I have heard about Wayne Nat , and plan to visit it soon just wondering about any other places that are with in a 2-3 hour drive of Toledo Ohio Area. Also curious as to what its like on the trails ... i have been snowmobiling in Northern Michigan ...is it the same as that ? 98% of the people on the trails are nice,friendly, safe and courteous ...but ya have to watch out for the 2% that will ...well lets say they are none of the above . What are some of the "unwritten rules" that are out there . Yes i know im asking tons of vauge questions , but just trying to get as much info before we ride , we want to have a great time and dont want to ruin someones weekend being a newbie...
Looking forward to your responses.
Scott

 

For your location, Maumee State Forest would be a good trip for an afternoon. It isn't the greatest (only about five miles of trails), but it does have some good mudholes to play in, if that's your thing. Be sure your bikes have the registration sticker on them & wear a helmet when there; the rangers there can be *****! The parking lot is located on county road 2, just south of road D. Weekends can be busy in the mornings & early afternoons; I usually go after three or four o'clock or so. The place is usually deserted on weekdays.

Michigan has some of the best trails in the midwest. The only drawback I've seen is that the trails in the lower peninsula tend to be pretty whooped-out. It can get pretty monotonous after a while. On a utility quad that means a sore back & shoulders after a day of riding. The Bull-Gap trail system near Mio is a favorite of mine; you can ride into the towns of Mio and McKinley to get gas & food. The Pine-Ridge/Two-Heart trail system in the UP (Luce County) isn't too bad (although it has been a few years since I was up there); you can ride right from some of the State Forest campgrounds and along some of the county roads. You'll need to get a Michigan ORV permit for each bike to ride in Michigan; they're about $16 each and can be bought wherever you buy hunting & fishing licenses. Again, the usual safety gear is required.

Been to Wayne National Forest a few times; decent trails, lots of rocks & mud in the springtime. You'll need the Ohio sticker AND a trail permit to ride there.

My wife and I are actually going to Rumbleontheridge on April 3rd; it's usually a good time, but it is also pretty crowded; ever been in a traffic jam on a quad before? It'll be insanely muddy this time of year. They have a website with directions, rules, etc. It's about a four to five hour drive from Toledo, depending on how you go.
http://www.rumbleontheridge.homestead.com


Check out the Trails section of this website; they have links to pretty much all of the trails I have mentioned above. The Michigan DNR is the best as far as on-line information. There is a map with all of the trail locations listed and uou can download the trail maps in PDF format.

 

Closest riding areas that I've found within a 1/2 hr. to 1 hr. depending on your location. Maumee State Forest on CR 2. Radar's track (2 miles north of Liberty Center, 1/4 East of SR 109 on CR A(W). 3 to 3 1/2 hours - Wayne Nat'l Forest, usually stay at Williams Campground 1277 Dawley Rd. Logan, OH 43138 (ph. 740-753-3611) They sell trail permits for the forest trails. Still need your orv sticker from DMV. Some of our other favorite places to ride within 4 to 5 hours away are: The Badlands in Attica, IN (badlandsoffroad.com) No orv sticker needed. Big Rock in Maysville, KY (bigrockatvpark.com). No orv sticker needed. And a 7 to 8 hr. trip to West Virginia. Little Coal River in Danville. (trailsheaven.com) Hope this helps you.


** We are going this weekend to The Badlands **

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2004 Honda 450 R (HRC)
2003 Bombardier Traxter Max
2002 Bombardier Rally
2002 Honda TRX 250 EX
2003 Preditor 90

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