When Wayne Fish invited me to join him for a weekend of mountain biking in Copper Harbor, Michigan, he promised a mountain biking experience rarely seen this side of the Rockies. So I checked out www.copperharbor.org and, sure enough, found the following: “Over 21 miles of sweet singletrack. The riding in Copper Harbor is REAL mountain biking and really does not compare with anywhere else in the Midwest.”
Excited, but somewhat fearful, my wife, Betsy, and I headed up to the northernmost tip of the Upper Peninsula, where land meets Lake Superior in spectacular fashion. As we crested Brockway Mountain Drive before dropping into Copper Harbor, my first thought was that the view itself was worth the trip.
With Fish signed up to race in the Copper Harbor Fat Tire Festival on Sunday, we planned to pre-ride the course Saturday, which meant easy biking for Wayne and a nonthreatening way for me to get to know a new bike trail.
We started at Lake Fanny Hooe near the race start and leisurely headed up the first of three major climbs, this one mainly on forest roads. Well, it was leisurely for Wayne as he was still 40 beats below his average racing heart rate at the top. But I was right at my lactate threshold and gasping for air. It took us about nine minutes to gain 300 feet in elevation, according to the altimeter on my heart rate monitor.
I should point out that Fish, at 61 years old, is a perennial Wisconsin Off-Road Series age-group winner and can hold his own against bikers of any age. As it turned out, Wayne placed 15th out of 211 racers in the one-lap, 13-mile brute of a race.
After cresting the first long climb, we hit the singletrack. What a joy. I found much of it to be very rideable for the average biker. Still there were some sections so technical that they would satisfy the most ardent rider. Tight switchbacks, sharp climbs and many cedar bridges made for challenging but safe biking.
It didn’t hurt that much of this next section was downhill. I was enjoying the singletrack so much I hardly noticed when we started to climb again. I will admit we stopped occasionally to enjoy the view, which helped immensely.
Eventually we reached Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, the high point of this magnificent trail system. While we rode the trails from the bottom and circled clockwise to the top, another option is to start at the lodge and ride down into town.
The trail system at the top is comprised of several stacked loops. These trails are mostly intermediate in nature with considerable elevation gain and loss. This year a new 18-inch by 22-inch foldout map and trail markers will keep newcomers from getting lost.
But as thrilling and challenging as the trails had been so far, I had yet to find any downhills like I’d found in the Rockies. I didn’t have long to wait.
After leaving the lodge area, there are quite a few fast and very technical sections. And, quite frankly, I’m not sure where they all are, as my head was spinning just following Fish. When I looked at the altitude graph later, there were places where it looked like we rode off cliffs.
When we hit the Red Trail it was a lot like biking in the Rockies. The closest experience I’ve had to this was in Vail on a black diamond trail called The Matterhorn.
Incidentally, I ended up on the Matterhorn by accident. I was biking alone on an “easy” trail when I took a wrong turn. Turns out I was the only one on that trail without a full face helmet, body armor or a downhill bike. The bikers I encountered had taken the gondola up to ride down. Needless to say, after barely surviving the first long section, I walked and slid down the toughest parts.
Above Copper Harbor, we started down the Red Trail. Fish warned me about what was coming so I kept my speed in check. I did end up walking two short stretches and was darn proud they were the only ones. Many sections were much tougher than any we have in southeastern Wisconsin.
It was after the bottom of the wild downhill on the expert Red Trail that I found the most technical climbing areas highlighted by a couple of steep switchbacks back up and a huge boulder. I didn’t think it was possible to bike over the boulder before I watched Fish and others do it with style. Their secret was to approach at speed and loft the front tire. Fish even did it a second time to convince me it was “no big deal.” I remain only semiconvinced.
The last treacherous downhill section on the racecourse had the ominous name Paul’s Plunge. Well, I walked the toughest part of that section. The plunge itself came from flying off another boulder. Even the bypass to it was a challenge.
If you want a feel for this section, there is footage from last year’s race at www.keweenawadventure.com. Click on the Fat Tire button on the left to access this video plus a number of other short videos showing other parts of the trail system. There are 15 video clips, with footage taken at Paul’s Plunge included in the “Copper Harbor Fat Tire 2008” video. I recommend these video sequences, if only for the viewing pleasure. Keweenawadventure.com also has a link to a printable map of the trail system.
After the plunge, we finally safely arrived at the bottom, miraculously without any crashes. But that wasn’t the end of our day. Fish then took me to the Stairway to Heaven, the longest – 800 feet – wooden bridge I’ve ever seen on a mountain bike trail. The stairway is a two-way trail but its 30-inch width isn’t wide enough for side-by-side bikers. So the protocol is for the biker climbing the bridge to dismount and step off to the uphill side of the bridge as the downhill side sometimes has a drop approaching 3 feet.
Again, thanks to the Internet, you can experience the stairway for yourself – and with no danger of riding off the bridge into the bushes. Go to keweenawadventure.com, the Stairway video is featured on the home page but is also in the group mentioned earlier with Paul’s Plunge. Also go to the “Media Center” on the Silent Sports home page to see video shot by tandem mountain bikers Sandy and Arlyn Aronson as they rolled down the Stairway.
At the end of the day, I felt tired, exhilarated and humbled. I now knew there were sections of trail I’d always walk. But in the back of my mind I thought maybe next time at least I’d take the “easier” path down Paul’s Plunge.
Mountain biking isn’t the only attraction in Copper Harbor, either. There are plenty of places to hike, my wife and I walked through the scenic Estivant Pines Sanctuary, and the Keweenaw Adventure Company equips and instructs sea kayakers. They offer guided paddle trips to Isle Royale where you can camp overnight.
The small store also rents bikes, so you don’t have to bring your own. For those looking for a leisurely ride with less threat of bodily harm, there is a very flat trail along Lake Superior.
And if you enjoy golf, the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge has a nine-hole course with spectacular views. About 12 years ago, Betsy and I had one of our most exciting vacations staying at the lodge. Golf balls bounced off the window screens of the cabin we rented that was adjacent to a fairway.
The real excitement came on the primitive driving range. Using the range was free, but you had to provide your own golf balls. As I was hitting balls, I heard a growling in the bushes. As a true golf nut, which I was at the time, my concentration on my swing was so intense, I ignored the sound, thinking it was just some kids screwing around. But when I walked out to retrieve my golf balls, I suddenly found myself between a female bear and her cubs. Talk about excitement. It was heart-stopping for Betsy who witnessed the encounter at a distance. Luckily, I was able to retreat safely. It could have turned out differently, though. In comparison, Paul’s Plunge isn’t at all scary.
For more information about the area, go to copperharbor.org.
Next issue I’ll look at the future plans for the Copper Harbor mountain bike system, which include trail climbing to the top of Brockway Mountain, more intermediate-level singletrack, some black diamond free-ride trails and a 27-mile epic trail.
Lee Borowski is a past USSA Nordic Coach of the Year, Badger State Winter Games Athlete of the Year and the coach for several junior, senior and collegiate skiers of the year. He has also coached many master’s skiers who have won both national and world championships. Borowski is the author of several books, articles and producer of four videos on cross-country skiing technique. He runs the website http://thesimplesecrets.com/.
To order Borowski’s NEW Simple Secrets of Skating or The Simple Secrets of Striding, demonstrated through footage of Olympic and world champions and available on VHS and DVD, send $25 plus $1.75 shipping (Wisconsin residents add $1.27 tax) to Lee Borowski, 4500 Cherokee Dr., Brookfield, WI 53045.
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