Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Grand Marais, Minnesota

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Pine Mountain Forest Road

A maintained gravel road with many spurs off of it. While the spurs can be narrow and heavily wooded, the main road is standard gravel with regular potholes and bumps, and wide enough to accommodate…
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Total Miles
7.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Su

Temperance River Backroad Scenic Drive

This forest road is a pretty drive through many birch trees and other really colorful trees in the fall. Overall the road is quite wide but is one car wide as the elevation gain increases.…
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Total Miles
1.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

17

Trail 17 from Hurley to Mercer is an easy, railroad-grade trail that's well maintained. The trail follows most of the snowmobile trail 17, with some exceptions where it follows dirt or paved road for short…
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Total Miles
25.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

GG to Highbridge

This is a gravel forest road starting on State Highway GG, right outside of Mellen, and ending on County Highway C in Highbridge. These forest roads have some nice scenic views as you make your…
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Total Miles
10.8
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Caledonia Road

This is an overall mellow trail with a fair amount of elevation change for the area. Mostly a gravel base there is some mud, a stream crossing, and one long steep climb/descent depending on which…
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Total Miles
4.7
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

Bill Nicholls Trail (UP3)

This is one of Michigan's ORV Routes that is open to all licensed vehicles and ORVs. It runs from Houghton to Greenland at roughly 40 miles in length, utilizing the old Copper Range Railroad grade.…
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Total Miles
39.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Seven Hour Plane Crash Trail

You can expect rutted roads, lots of forest roads, some washboard sections and a potential water crossing. This trail can be run from Crandon, WI or leave from Copper harbor, MI. Keep in mind the…
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Total Miles
233.3
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa

Freda Crosscut

A gentle winding trail through the Michigan Woods. This trail used to be very narrow, unmaintained, rutted, and muddy. Recently the logging companies have been using it and made significant improvements by grading, widening, and…
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Total Miles
7.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Lake Eva Loop

The loop will take you around Lake Eva in Houghton County. Looping from M-26 to Misery Bay Road on a network of old logging roads and improved county roads the loop takes you through the…
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Total Miles
3.9
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Mill Mine Trail

This trail runs along an old railroad grade off the Bill Nicholls trail back to the Bill Nicholls trail. It is an alternative to running through the towns of Painesdale, Trimountain, and South Range. The…
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Total Miles
6.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa / Wi

Globe Mine Trail

Short and easy is how this trail is described. It does get narrow and has a few water holes to navigate but they have a hard bottom. This makes for an easy escape or entrance…
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Total Miles
0.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa