TAKING YOU INTO THE NORTH WOODS AND LAKES
The North Lakes Bicycle Route can be ridden from late spring to mid-fall. Due to changing local conditions, it is difficult to predict any
major wind patterns. Summer temperatures can be cool.
If you are beginning in Minneapolis-St. Paul, you can conveniently start the route by biking right out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport onto bike paths along the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. The route uses city streets and connects with the Willard
Munger State Trail, a beautiful bike trail that leads you out of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. You'll cross the St. Croix River into
Osceola, Wisconsin. The route goes through dairy farmland and makes a gradual transition to the hardwood forests and lakes in the northern
part of the state.
After Wisconsin, you'll bike through the farmlands of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan and ride alongside Lake Michigan. At St. Ignace,
you'll board a ferry to cross the Mackinac Straits into Lower Michigan. But be sure to take some time for a visit at Mackinac Island, and
do the short eight-mile loop around the island. You'll share the road with only horses and buggies, pedestrians, and other bicyclists as
motorized vehicles are banned from the island. The area between Mackinaw City and Traverse City, at the northern tip of Lower Michigan, is
a favorite spot for vacationing tourists. The route traverses farmlands and woods as you head southward toward Indiana. As you enter
Indiana, LaGrange County is home to a large Amish community, where you'll share the road with the horses and buggies. Asphalt roads in this
area have grooves worn in them from horses' hooves, so you need to ride carefully. When you end your trip in Monroeville, you can stay at
the Shelter House in Monroeville Community Park. It's a "full service" shelter with kitchen facilities, showers, and lots of floor space
for your sleeping bag, set up specifically for cyclists. From here, you can rejoin the Northern Tier heading east or west.
Terrain
The route is generally rolling and one of Adventure Cycling's easier routes to ride. There are no dramatic climbs over mountain passes.
This is not to say that there are no steep climbs, but difficult climbing is not the general terrain of this route.
Logistics
Services are generally plentiful. There are some especially nice campgrounds and resorts in northern Wisconsin where people like to spend
their vacations "at the lake." Some cyclists may want to do this route during the colors of autumn. If you do, call ahead to verify
campgrounds because many close after Labor Day. If staying indoors, make advance reservations.
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