Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Houghton Lake, Michigan

This is a scenic ORV route near the St. Helen Motorsport Area. The trail features sandy terrain with occasional deep ruts (from ATVs and razors) but nothing a Jeep couldn't manage. When going around the…
Learn more about Denton Creek Trail

This is a combination of ORV route and Forest Service roads. The trail can have numerous chatter bumps if it hasn't been groomed recently. There are some great views of the Muskegon River at 3…
Learn more about Leota South River Route

This loop covers a very nice area, incorporating a couple of State Forest roads and ORV routes. It's a state gaming area, so keep that in mind while traveling through. You'll find a spot for…
Learn more about Backus Creek SGA Loop

Heavily wooded trail in the middle of the Gladwin State Forest. The trail runs north and south and is dirt and sand. On the north section, trees hang over the trail, making for difficult passing.…
Learn more about Markey Road

This is a direct line to the Leota High Banks on the north side of the Muskegon River. This will take you through a mix of recently forested and older-growth forest. Along the way, you…
Learn more about Leota High Banks

The trail is nicely wooded with soft-packed sand, with a few sandier sections at intersections and in the corners. In August, mudholes are still possible. Little Leota has many intersections to hop back onto the…
Learn more about Little Leota Trail

Michigan DNR ORV Route is open to full-size vehicles, 50 inch, and 24 inch with ORV and trail permits. The route is mostly soft sand. This section of the route is a connector between St.…
Learn more about St. Helen ORV Route - West

Washburn Trail is a fairly straight trail but it's fun. It is also a sandy and hilly trail. The trail width varies from tight for a full-size vehicle to being two vehicles wide. There are…
Learn more about Washburn Trail

This loop can be found off of Old Michigan Highway 76 and consists of Geels Trail on the north and Geels Road on the south. The north trail has large whoops on it and will…
Learn more about Geels Loop

Geels South Loop is a fast paced 50" trail, roughly 25 miles long. It contains mostly shallow sand with some soft dirt, in the wooded sections. The trail is well maintained with intersections clearly marked.…
Learn more about Geels South Loop

West Higgins Trail is a 50-inch trail designed to be ridden by 50-inch ATVs, dirt bikes, and quads. The general makeup of this trail is loose sand. There is deeper sand in fresh timber-cut areas…
Learn more about West Higgins Trail - North Cutoff, 14488, 18136, 14483, and 14484

This section of Beaver Creek serves as a portion of the original Michigan Cross Country Cycle Trail (MCCCT). The trail is well-loved and ridden by a lot of dirt bikes. Made up of primarily well-established…
Learn more about Beaver Creek MCCCT-Trail 14808

West Higgins Trail is a 50-inch trail designed to be ridden by 50-inch ATVs, dirt bikes, and quads. The general makeup of this trail is loose sand. There is deeper sand in fresh timber-cut areas…
Learn more about West Higgins Trail - North Border, 14485, and 14487

This trail is mostly over a groomed snowmobile trail through the woods. For the most part, the trail is wide enough for two vehicles, except for the tighter wooded section that is wide enough for…
Learn more about West Higgins Route

This trail runs from the edge of the town, Roscommon, where you can find many small shops and fuel. This trail is also part of the snowmobile trail system and is closed to other traffic…
Learn more about Roscommon Route

This a a straight, sandy trail with a few hill climbs, a few deep sandy areas, and an area on a hill that is a small washout. The trail is wide enough for one vehicle…
Learn more about Oak Road

The north side of the trail starts tight but continues to get wider until eventually it's wide enough for approximately 3 feet of clearance on each side of a full-size rig. The terrain is sandy…
Learn more about Spike Horn

This is a beautiful and fun trail that runs through the Floodwood Swamp Reservoir in the Gladwin Forest Management Area, offering some obstacles and amazing wildlife spotting opportunities. It's a full-width trail with mixed traffic.…
Learn more about Floodwood Swamp Reservoir

This trail weaves through the forest and pops through a couple of open field areas. It is sandy with mild elevation changes and banked turns. It is one long sweeping hill climb/descent that could be…
Learn more about Annis Pit

This section of Beaver Creek serves as a portion of the original Michigan Cross Country Cycle Trail (MCCCT). That being said, the trail is well loved and ridden by a lot of dirt bikes. This…
Learn more about Beaver Creek MCCCT - W Seven Mile Rd - Stephan Rd

This trail is flat and sandy and weaves through both field and forest. This path starts in the same area as a marked snowmobile trail but they split almost immediately. The interesting history of this…
Learn more about Cemetery Trail (Pere Cheney Ghost Town)

This dirt road is a hilly adventure, The trail follows powerlines as it snakes across the forestry landscape. Many whoops can be shallow puddles. Traveling from east to west is more challenging as the elevation…
Learn more about Portage Lake Fire Tower Trail

This trail is a double-wide dirt road that is well-maintained and can be accessed by any vehicle. It's unique in the sense that it encircles the Camp Grayling Artillery Range and the objects used for…
Learn more about Artillery Range Loop

This loop is a great way to enjoy the beautiful trails of Michigan in any AWD vehicle, and it's not too far from Houghton Lake. The terrain is hard-packed sand and doesn't have any low-lying…
Learn more about Geels North Loop

This trail runs east and west. The west side of this trail is wide and represents a dirt road. This area is a mixed-traffic trail, so expect to see side-by-sides, quads, motorcycles, and snowmobiles in…
Learn more about Pine Drive

This is a standard Michigan seasonal road that passes through the Gladwin Forest Management Area. If you travel too far south, you'll eventually leave the system of trails. This seasonal road will reconnect you to…
Learn more about Sumac Trail

This trail is typical of Michigan dirt and sandy roads and is suitable for most vehicles. The trail runs along the Manistee River and crosses the CCC Bridge. The last mile on the south end…
Learn more about Sunset Trail

This area is a wide open sand lake bed right in the middle of the woods of Michigan. The area is several acres of loose sand with several large loose sand hills to climb. The…
Learn more about The Desert

Take a quick shortcut to Temple, Michigan, through this scenic trail that begins near Marion, Michigan. This trail passes through the Gladwin Forest Management Unit and also many Consumer Energy paths that are interconnected throughout…
Learn more about Lake Station

Hilly adventure awaits on this unmapped trail in the Roscommon Forest. This trail is South off of Sandy Trail, and is just West of the St. Helen's South ORV Route. There is a loop off…
Learn more about Hilly Trail