Florence County Trail and Route Information
So when you say the trails are closed, what does that mean?
That is a very good question.
TRAILS are dirt or gravel and are groomed by the Club. These TRAILS close in the spring for cleanup.
The grade trail (C2) along US 2 is a TRAIL.
If you look at a Blue Ox Trail Map you will see the following are designated TRAILS:
C2, C6, C7A, C7, F15, F14, F2, etc.
Then we have three types of TRAILS, Snowmobile only, ATV/UTV only and then Dual Use Trails (snowmobile & ATV/UTV). On the Blue Ox Map, Snowmobile Trails only are is red, ATV/UTV Trails only are in green and Dual Use Trails is in Purple.
ROUTES are usually paved town roads, city streets and roads or County Highways. ROUTES do not close in the spring.
Examples of a ROUTE would be Old Highway 69 from Spreadeagle to Florence.
The issue with our ROUTE system is they are not very well connected. For example, I want to ride from Iron Mountain to Florence in the spring when the TRAILS are closed but the ROUTES are open. I cant get from the Menominee bridge to Old Highway 69 unless I take the TRAIL to the ROUTE. Old Highway 69 is good for the ride to Florence but I cannot get there.
Another example would be from Florence to Keyes Lake. The streets in Florence are open all year long so I can connect to Blue-Helgren Road to the F2 TRAIL and then back to Keyes Lake road. But, ATV/UTV's are not permitted on Highway 101 and the F2 TRAIL is closed. Cant make the connection.
Somewhat frustrating.
Then we have Forestry Roads. Examples would be Sand Lake Road or Spur Lake Road. These are gravel roads that are maintained by the Forestry Department. The status of these roads in the spring is not real clear. Some have washouts and need repair, some have deep truck tire ruts and need to be groomed.
So this why the whole system is either opened or closed.
It represents the entire network.
That is a very good question.
TRAILS are dirt or gravel and are groomed by the Club. These TRAILS close in the spring for cleanup.
The grade trail (C2) along US 2 is a TRAIL.
If you look at a Blue Ox Trail Map you will see the following are designated TRAILS:
C2, C6, C7A, C7, F15, F14, F2, etc.
Then we have three types of TRAILS, Snowmobile only, ATV/UTV only and then Dual Use Trails (snowmobile & ATV/UTV). On the Blue Ox Map, Snowmobile Trails only are is red, ATV/UTV Trails only are in green and Dual Use Trails is in Purple.
ROUTES are usually paved town roads, city streets and roads or County Highways. ROUTES do not close in the spring.
Examples of a ROUTE would be Old Highway 69 from Spreadeagle to Florence.
The issue with our ROUTE system is they are not very well connected. For example, I want to ride from Iron Mountain to Florence in the spring when the TRAILS are closed but the ROUTES are open. I cant get from the Menominee bridge to Old Highway 69 unless I take the TRAIL to the ROUTE. Old Highway 69 is good for the ride to Florence but I cannot get there.
Another example would be from Florence to Keyes Lake. The streets in Florence are open all year long so I can connect to Blue-Helgren Road to the F2 TRAIL and then back to Keyes Lake road. But, ATV/UTV's are not permitted on Highway 101 and the F2 TRAIL is closed. Cant make the connection.
Somewhat frustrating.
Then we have Forestry Roads. Examples would be Sand Lake Road or Spur Lake Road. These are gravel roads that are maintained by the Forestry Department. The status of these roads in the spring is not real clear. Some have washouts and need repair, some have deep truck tire ruts and need to be groomed.
So this why the whole system is either opened or closed.
It represents the entire network.