Beginner Off-Road Trails Near West Branch, Michigan

Dow Road is a 2-ish vehicle-wide hard-packed road that will take you through older forest. This trail will take you to the West Branch area or the Clear Lake area for food and fuel. Plenty…
Learn more about Dow Road

Aginaw Loop to Knoch is part of multiple trail systems in the area of the checkerboard. This trail is made up of pines and hardwood and starts as double-lane dirt and then drops to single-lane…
Learn more about Aginaw Loop

St Helen Trail is a 3ish-wide vehicle sandy trail that will take you through new growth forest and older forest. This trail will take you to the St. Helen area or the West Branch area…
Learn more about St. Helen Trail

This Michigan DNR ORV Route is open to full-size, 50-inch, and motorcycles with ORV permits and trail permit stickers. This area connects with St. Helen ORV Route on the west side. The west side of…
Learn more about Ogemaw Hills ORV Route

This route runs through mature woods and recent clear-cut areas. The route runs from the Ambrose Lake area to the south along the YMCA camp. The route has everything from hard pack to mud holes…
Learn more about Piper Lake Rd

This trail runs from north to south. At the south end, it starts off Sage Lake Road and dead ends right before Rose City Road. While traveling the trail, the width alternates between one and…
Learn more about Lentz Trail

This 50" trail is a loop leaving from Ambrose Lake trailhead. You will find hard-packed and soft sand with some decent elevation changes, mature trees, and recent clear-cut areas. While running this trail you will…
Learn more about Ambrose Lake Trail East Loop

This 50" trail is a loop leaving from Ambrose Lake trailhead. You will find hard-packed and soft sand with some decent elevation changes, mature trees, and recent clear-cut areas. While running this trail you will…
Learn more about Ambrose Lake Trail West Loop

This trail runs east to west, at the west end of the trail is Ambrose Lake State Campground, along with the Ambrose Lake ORV trailhead. The east end of the trail runs dead-end into another…
Learn more about Hougton Creek Trail

Beaver Lake Trail is a 3 or so vehicle-wide sandy trail that will take you through new growth forest, older forest, and recently clear-cut areas. This trail will take you to the St. Helen area…
Learn more about Beaver Lake Trail

This trail runs north and south between the West Branch Big Creek and Ambrose Lake area with a nice open view from a recent tree harvest. The north end of this trail is 4 vehicles…
Learn more about Tower Trail

This trail is a point-to-point section of DNR Trail 6, which is part of extensive off-road vehicle trails that branch out from the ORV-friendly community of St. Helen, Michigan. This short but popular section of…
Learn more about Sacred Chimney Trail

Sand trails, mild hill climbs, and great views; what more could you ask for? This route will take you through an area that is a little overgrown and could use trimming, but if you don't…
Learn more about Rose City Lookout

The south end of the road is 3 cars wide, as you travel further north the road narrows down to 1.5 cars wide. Most of the road is sandy with occasional small mud holes. At…
Learn more about Perry Holt Rod

This trail maintains 2-4 car widths the entire way. The trail only has a few small elevation changes. For the most part, the ground is hard-packed sand and has some smaller shallow mud holes. You'll…
Learn more about Oyster Road/4476

This trail runs north and south between Heath and Tower Roads. The southern portion of the trail is roughly 4 vehicles wide and runs along an underground natural gas pipeline. This south section has washboarding…
Learn more about Cuttin Lake Road

The road starts as a very wide road that goes past a few houses at the beginning and narrows down a bit the further you go down the road. Various roads and trails intersect this…
Learn more about North Dow Road

This short trail will take you past several of the large oil rigs in the area along with some great spots to stop and take a break or lunch. The trail is mostly loose sand…
Learn more about Oil Well 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

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

Part of the route on the east side is shared with the ATV trails in the area. As you head towards the west, the trail does open up and goes from 1.5 vehicles wide to…
Learn more about East Oyster Road

Lame Duck Truck Trail is a seasonal road that borders the north edge of the Lame Duck wetland area. The terrain is sandy and flat. It is very easy in difficulty, but it is unmaintained…
Learn more about Lame Duck Truck Trail

Heading north from Oyster Road, you will encounter a large sandy hill. This can be challenging for new riders. Lots of elevation change and a significant amount of sand. Nice flowing corners make this section…
Learn more about Rose City West

Rose City East has a lot of sand and small rocks. It features long stretches of whoops and flowing corners. High-banked corners throughout make this a fun and easy-to-ride portion of the trail. This section…
Learn more about Rose City East

This connector trail runs north and south between Lame Duck Truck Trail and Sterling Truck Trail. It can drastically vary in difficulty depending on trail conditions. On a dry summer day after the groomer has…
Learn more about North Sterling Truck Trail

This trail runs between Stoney Ridge and Meridian Road east and west. It is sandy with some loose spots and shallow mud holes. The trail width ranges between 2 and 4 cars wide. Along this…
Learn more about Turney Ranch Trail

This route is mostly 1.5 vehicles wide the whole way. This will take you through mostly wooded areas with ample opportunity to see various creatures roaming the woods. This route intersects various other trails and…
Learn more about Odessa Road

This is a single-lane two-track trail made up of compact sand and dirt, often featuring whoops similar to other popular trails in the area. The south end of the trail winds through a patch of…
Learn more about Jack's Trail

Sterling Truck Trail is a seasonal road that is a great connector trail for many of the trails in the Gladwin area. The terrain is sandy and flat, and it is easily wide enough for…
Learn more about Sterling Truck Trail

Center Fireline Trail is a part of the Gladwin Scramble, a mixed-use riding area in the Gladwin Forest Management Unit. This trail is a two-lane dirt trail with mixed access and cross-traffic. You can expect…
Learn more about Center Fireline Trail