Easy Rider

Three e-bike adventures for all skill levels

By Lynda Wheatley | May 21, 2022

Smooth, silent, and…well, kinda supercharged, electric bicycles just might be the best thing to happen to people who love to pedal but could use a boost up hills or to cover more miles faster. Class 1 e-bikes—the most common to rent or buy—have an electric motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling but quits when the rider coasts or the bike reaches 20 miles per hour. Since legislation went into effect in 2018, kids of any age are allowed to ride class 1 e-bikes on paved and crushed stone multi-use trails around Michigan (unless the community with jurisdiction over the trail opts out).

Ready to feel the wind in your helmet holes? We crafted three Up North e-bike adventures with plenty of delightful diversions (and directions!) that any level e-biker could do in a day. Let’s roll.

FOR E-BIKE NEWBIES
Little Traverse Wheelway: Petoskey to Harbor Springs
Although the Little Traverse Wheelway stretches 26 miles between Charlevoix and Harbor Springs, the 9-mile section linking downtown Petoskey to Harbor Springs is an excellent route for anyone trying out e-bikes for the first time. It’s easy to find and follow, has paved asphalt nearly the whole way, and is chock full of fun detour possibilities. While you can make the round trip in an afternoon, those looking to linger can easily fill a full day.

Start: Roast & Toast, Downtown Petoskey
First, caffeinate your own engine on Downtown Petoskey’s Lake Street with two Roast and Toast favorites: The Accidental Tourist (coffee, peanut butter syrup, Ghirardelli chocolate, and whipped cream) and Avocado Toast (Alden’s Mill House Miracle Blend, roasted grape tomatoes, and radishes that put this slice of heaven over the top). From here, the simplest way to access the Wheelway, which runs through Bayfront Park—home to the giant red clocktower—on the other side of US-131, is through downtown’s underground tunnel. You’ll find it northwest of Lake Street, right after Petoskey Street curves into Bay Street.

Stop: Bayfront Park
Ripe for riders of all ages, this waterfront gem is much more than 25 acres and 8,000 feet of shoreline. It’s home to a kids’ playground and fishing pond, a promenade and walkable pier, a waterfall, a marina, and more. Spring visitors, don’t miss the arboretum at the East Bowl; summer riders, head a wee bit southwest of the tunnel to explore the Little Traverse Historical Museum.

Housed inside the 1892-built Pere Marquette train station, the museum is a trove of treasures from Petoskey’s past, highlighting its original inhabitants, Native Americans; early immigrant pioneers; Victorian-era summer folk; the former station’s most famous ticket-holder, Ernest Hemingway; and area arts, culture, business, and industry through the centuries.

Stop: Bay View
Head north out of the park along the Wheelway, and it won’t be long before the asphalt turns to salmon-colored sidewalks, signaling your entry into Bay View, a summer cottage community that began in 1875 as a Methodist camp organized “for intellectual and scientific culture and the promotion of the cause of religion and morality.” Today, the Bay View Association—and its gingerbread cottages and public buildings—are a National Historic Landmark, performing arts hub, and well worth a detour from the Wheelway to explore. (Pre-ride prep note: Download a walking tour of Bay View campus and a guide to the trails, flora, and fauna of Bay View Woods, the association’s 168-acre nature preserve, at bayviewassociation.org.)

Stop: Petoskey State Park
After Bayview and a quick gape at the bay from the Fettis-McCue Overlook’s gazebo (about 2.5 miles from the Bayfront Park), you’ll roll past some private condos, then spy a wood-chip trail near a chain-link fence. Take the trail into Petoskey State Park—bikes enter free—to explore the low dunes, woods, and shoreline that make this state park one of the prettiest Up North, as well as a prime pickin’ place for Petoskey stones.

You can catch the trail again just outside the park’s main entrance on M-119, but be ready for some noise and cars. Before and after the Wheelway skims along the northeast edge of the Harbor Springs Airport, it’ll follow M-119 closely, sometimes just off the paved shoulder and sometimes off-road. You’ll also cross the highway once, at a traffic light at Pleasantview Road.

Trail’s End: Downtown Harbor Springs
After crossing M-119, you’re about 4 miles from downtown Harbor Springs. The path’s trailhead is near the ballfields at Lake and Hoyt, on the east side of town, and you can easily find your way through the surrounding (and gorgeous) neighborhoods into downtown. There, you can sit down for a meal, cocktail, or ice cream cone at more than a dozen casual-to-upscale eateries, roll to the marina or beach, or even take in a movie at the historic three-screen Lyric Theatre.

One tip: If you can make it back to Petoskey tonight, plan for a quick hike up Bayfront Park’s stair tower before dusk. It takes you to the aptly named Sunset Park, and in just a few minutes, you’ll know why it’s the most popular evening spot in town.

FOR ALL THE RIGHT ANGLERS
North Western State Trail: Petoskey to Mackinaw
A sublime route that follows the former Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad train line, today’s North Western State Trail is a true classic. It runs 32 miles from Petoskey to Mackinaw City, slipping through several yesteryear-style resort towns and routing riders along the shores of four inland lakes, just as it did in 1919, when Ernest Hemingway and two pals, Jack Pentecost and Al Walker, rode its rails to Mackinaw City en route to their final fishing trip of the season in the Upper Peninsula’s Seney.

Start: Spring Lake Park
In honor of Ernest, we recommend packing a couple of collapsible fishing poles and starting out early, when the fish are biting, from Petoskey’s Spring Lake Park. A hot fishing (and birding! and picnicking!) spot, the park has an enclosed dock jutting out over the water that’s easy to cast a line from. Find Spring Lake Park on M-119, on the right about a half-mile north of the US-31 intersection. (Note: That bike trail you see on the west side of M-119 is the Little Traverse Wheelway, a 26-miler you’re not taking today. Don’t let it confuse you.)

Stop: Fochtman Nature Preserve
After skirting along Mud Lake and Round Lake, the asphalt path rolls for a full mile through the Fochtman Nature Preserve, a sprawling mix of wetlands, uplands, and shoreline with—score!—an easy-to-access overlook on Round Lake known for its bluegill, bass, and walleye.

Stop: Oden State Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center
Just off the trail on the west side of Oden, the hatchery’s grounds offer nearly two miles of trails, three spring-fed viewing ponds, and a massive viewing chamber where you can watch the underwater adventures of fish and aquatic insects any time of year. The hatchery itself, which rears brown trout and rainbows, offers free guided tours, but see (or call) the visitor’s center for tour times first. (It’s open daily from May 15 to October 30.)

If you can, visit the vintage 1914–1935 Wolverine train car on site. From the cook’s cabin to gleaming, wood-framed sleeping berths to card games and grooming tools, the car takes guests back to the times the old Michigan Department of Conservation hauled milk cans full of fish in trains across Michigan to stock lakes and waterways in need. Search “Oden Fish Hatchery” at Michigan.gov.

Stops: Northwood Family Restaurant, Crooked Tree Lodge
While you refuel with breakfast (allowed until 4pm!), lunch, or dinner at Northwood, consider two options: You can press on the next 25 miles to Mackinaw City or break the trip in two. It’s only a couple more miles to an overnight stay at Stafford’s Crooked River Lodge in Alanson. Either way, know the asphalt runs out in Alanson, and the trail turns to crushed limestone for most of the way to Mackinaw City—not a problem for most adults on e-bikes but maybe a slog for kids who’ve had enough.

Those who stay the night can rest their legs and work their arms kayaking the Crooked River behind the resort. Those who press on can race the airplanes taking off from the log-cabin-style Pellston Airport, then descend into a quiet remainder of trail dotted with wetlands, several creek crossings, state forest lands, and only a couple more opportunities to eat, near Paradise Lake.

Trail’s End: Mackinaw City
The asphalt (and noise) returns as you approach Mackinaw City and roll under I-75 to the trail’s end at Mackinaw Crossings Drive, just east of Nicolet Street. Here, hotels, restaurants, and shops abound in an easily walkable and bikeable downtown. Stay the night here before heading back, or catch a ferry for the car-free Mackinac Island, where more biking awaits.

FOR HIGH-ENERGY EXPLORERS
Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail: Empire to Glen Arbor
Save for a 3-mile section of crushed aggregate through the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, the 22-mile Heritage Trail is mostly hard surface. Its northern end, from the Good Harbor Trailhead at County Road 669 to Glen Arbor, boasts some beautiful boardwalks over wetlands, a few short hills, and what feels like a slight downhill grade for most of the ride. Heading north from Empire, however, the trail introduces some big, long hills early on and creeps on a slight (but slightly rising) slope through some of the sweetest spots in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. In other words, the trail’s south-to-north route is ideal for e-bikers who want to exert more energy exploring than pedaling.

Start: Shipwreck Cafe
Any day of the week except Sundays, Empire’s Shipwreck Cafe opens at 9am. Stop in for a breakfast burrito to eat now and take a sandwich to go. (Tip: The Fitzgerald, with turkey, bacon, Havarti cheese, cucumber, lettuce, and herb mayo on a fresh-baked pretzel roll is the shop’s top seller.) Cruise your car one minute south to grab a map and pick up a pass to access some primo SBDNL sights (yes, you need one even if you’re biking). Pass in pocket, head north to park at the Bar Lake Road Trailhead, at the corner of Voice and Bar Lake roads. What greets you is indicative of the first two miles of your bike trip: a slow, fairly steep uphill climb—tough for some but not those on e-bikes.

Stop: Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
Any effort you do exert is paid back plenty with your first detour, a ride along the stunning and sublime Pierce Stocking Drive, a 7.2-mile car/bike loop with astounding views of both Glen Lakes, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Lake Michigan. The route is steep at times and sports several sharp curves, so look out for cars whose drivers are watching the sights more closely than the road. A few picnic areas, turnouts, and a Cotton Wood Trail hike offer up opportunities to take a break if needed.

Stop: Dune Climb
Two hills and 2.6 miles forested miles post-Pierce, you’ll find yourself at the foot of the famous Dune Climb, a nearly 500-foot-tall dune that many swear is easier to climb in the cold of early spring when the sand is slightly more solid than loose. If your quads have power in reserve, the dune top is an ideal spot for a picnic. Unwrap that Fitzgerald and feast.

Stop: Glen Haven
Those who love the beachside quiet will enjoy the trail’s easy 2 miles to Glen Haven, a historic shoreside village that was once a bustling port. Today preserves its 1920’s-era heyday with a restored general store, blacksmith shop, small museum, and more—none of which open until Memorial Day weekend.

Trail’s End: Glen Arbor
Those who want to cap off the ride with some beach action will do well to pedal 2 miles more to Glen Arbor, where they’ll find a lot more people and a host of refueling options. (Try Art’s Tavern for burgers and beer, Glen Arbor Wines for local wine by an outdoor fire, Cherry Republic for all of the above, with cherries.) Depending on the time and your energy, you can stop here, spend the night (advanced reservations recommended), or return to Bar Lake, which, if you stick to the trail and take no detours, is only 9 miles.

RENT AN E-BIKE
Don’t own an e-bike? Depending where you start and finish your ride, you might be able to arrange pickup and delivery of a rented e-bike or roll right out the rental shop’s door to the trail. Here are several that rent e-bikes for the trails mentioned:

PETOSKEY
Pedego Electric Bikes, 1150 Bay View Rd. (231) 622-3620
Latitude 45 Bicycle and Fitness, 476 W Mitchell St. (231) 348-5342

EMPIRE
Empire Outdoors, 11690 S. Lacore Rd. (M-22). (231) 326-5433.

GLEN ARBOR
The Cyclery at Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District, 6260 W. River Rd. (M-22). (231) 334-4420

SUTTONS BAY
Suttons Bay Bikes, 318 N Saint Joseph St (M-22). (231) 421-6815