Northern Michigan is absolutely gorgeous in the summertime! Join us for a stunning tour, as we bike excellent trails through majestic scenery. This is a trip with water views every single day – streams, bays, rivers, ponds, and of course, the Great Lakes Michigan and Huron. We will meet in Traverse City and explore several trails in the area: the Leelanau Trail and the Heritage Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. Then we head north and bike the North Central Trail from Indian River to Mackinaw City, where we'll spend 2 nights, with views of Lake Huron. One of the tour's highlights is our day on Mackinac Island, where you'll be free to bike the 8-mile loop around the island, look for the best fudge or take in the historical sites on the island. To finish it all off, we'll ride the Little Traverse Wheelway, all the way from Harbor Springs to Charlevoix, yet another amazing cycling experience. All trails are paved except the North Central State Trail, which is crushed limestone.
Included
- 5 nights lodging
- 5 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners,
- Area-knowledgeable and cycling expert tour guides
- Gratuities for included meals and accommodations
- In-ride drinks and snacks
- Van support (mechanical assistance and van ride, if needed)
- Turn by turn directions via free use of Ride With GPS
- Ferry tickets to and from Mackinac Island
- Daily post-ride informal gathering with light snacks (fruit, cheese, crackers, chips, nuts etc.) and non-alcoholic beverages
Not Included
- Airfare/transportation to and from Traverse City
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry
- Gratuities for Tour Leaders
- Trip Insurance (Please purchase!)
- Pre-& post-trip hotel (Saturday / Friday nights NOT included)
- Bike rental
Itinerary
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Day 1 - Sunday
Meet riders at our starting hotel - the Bayshore Resort right on the lake - in Traverse City for our introductory meeting and dinner.
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Day 2 - Monday
16.5 or 33 miles – Today we will bike right from our hotel on the Traverse Area Recreation Trail (TART) and connect with the Leelanau Trail, biking north to Suttons Bay, where you'll find plenty of lunch options. Either bike back or hop in the van for a lift back to the hotel.
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Day 3 - Tuesday
25 miles – We van to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to spend the day. Bike the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail and/or take a van sightseeing tour of the dunes on stunning Lake Michigan. Lunch in Glen Arbor on your own, then we'll regroup and take the short van ride back to our hotel.
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Day 4 - Wednesday
35 miles – Today we'll take a van ride up to Indian River and bike the North Central Trail. You'll have gorgeous views as the trail winds along the banks of Mullet Lake and then turns north at Cheboygan. We’ll have a picnic lunch at the Cheboygan trailhead. The ride north from there to Mackinaw City is through pine woods with occasional brief glimpses of Lake Huron. We bike to our night’s lodging which is on the waterfront of Lake Huron.
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Day 5 - Thursday
Optional mileage – We bike and take the ferry for the scenic ride to Mackinac Island. It’s 8.5 miles on the road that circles the island, plus there are other routes that go inland, up and over the island's hilly center. The traffic here is horse drawn, foot traffic, and cyclists. Bicycle Heaven. NO CARS!
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Day 6 - Friday
27 miles – We'll get an early start to van over to Harbor Springs and ride the Little Traverse Wheelway along the Lake Michigan shore down to Petoskey, which has a variety of eateries and at least one chocolate shop. We'll stop here for an early lunch and then continue down the trail to Charlevoix. We will load bikes at the trailhead, then we hop in the van for the 1 hour ride back to our opening hotel in Traverse City where we will say our goodbyes. It's been a fun tour!
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
This tour’s trails are all paved except for the North Central Trail, which is crushed stone. It is quite smooth and suitable for all bicycles. Larger tires will help to provide more stability, however.
Suggested bicycle: Touring bikes, road bikes, hybrids
Suggested tire size for this tour: 28mm – 37mm (or larger)
Pricing
$2,800 per person (based on double occupancy)
$800 – Single Supplement (extra price to have your own room)
$150 – Bike Rental (helmet, bike bag and lock included)
Your Travel Plans
For this tour we meet people at 5:00 pm at the Bayshore Resort, Traverse City.
On the day the tour ends we plan to be back at the Traverse City hotel around 3:00 pm. These times can be affected by traffic issues and so are not guaranteed.
If you are flying, you fly in and out of the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City.
If you are driving, meet us at the hotel. You can leave your car parked here during our tour. There is a $15 per day fee for parking. Please see hotel staff for details.
Your Lodging Plans
Your 5 nights of lodging during the tour is included. A night’s lodging on the day the trip ends is not included. If you desire to stay that night, it is at your expense and reservations for that night are your responsibility.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding Registration and Credit Card fees: Senior Cycling is adopting WeTravel as our payment platform in order to enable us and our customers to avoid the cost of credit card processing fees, which can amount to $100 or more on just the single rider cost of a trip. When you get to "Payment Method", if you choose "U.S. Checking Account", you'll avoid the 3% credit card processing fee.
