Underexposed: Marquette, MI 2

Underexposed is a self-shot and produced series of mini-documentaries by Pivot Cycles athlete Brice Shirbach. The series is dedicated to showcasing mountain bike advocacy and stewardship while exploring trails across the globe. Join Brice as he explores the reciprocity between community and trails.

America is a big country. It’s big, it’s full of amazing places to ride your bike in the woods, and I’ve had the immense luck to be able to explore virtually every corner of the country aboard two wheels. In my experience, conversations around “bucket lists” and “where to next?” tend to lean toward regions such as the Pacific Northwest, or somewhere in the desert, or even autumn missions to Vermont and the Northeast. I’m a fan of all of those places and many more. I think the rad thing about mountain bikes is that we can turn pretty much any part of the world into a sweet place to ride, and with 5.8 million miles of area to explore, the USA is chock full of decidedly sweet places to ride.

Interestingly, one of the most stunning stretches throughout all of the United States goes largely unnoticed by most of the country. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is bordered by 3 of North America’s Great Lakes: Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior. Lake Superior is the furthest north of the Great Lakes and the largest. In fact, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake on the planet by surface area, making for a veritable inland sea that stretches 350 miles across, from as far west as Duluth, MN to as far east as Sault Ste. Marie in Canada. The lake itself as well as the landscape throughout the Upper Peninsula was etched by glaciers as far back as 60 million years ago, leaving behind a vast freshwater wilderness and modest-if not rugged-mountains and hills throughout the area.
 
Located almost squarely in the middle of Michigan’s Lake Superior shoreline is the Upper Peninsula’s largest town: Marquette. Home to Northern Michigan University, the town of 20,000 combines artsy college-town vibes with a functional industrial aesthetic. The third largest town on the shores of Superior has quite a lot going on despite its relative isolation-geographically speaking-and among the flurry of opportunities in town are hundreds of miles of multi-use trails.

Marquette and the surrounding area have so many trails that there are, in fact, three different trail associations tasked with their advocacy, care, and development. A few miles west of Marquette lands you in the neighboring communities of Ishpeming and Negaunee and the RAMBA Trail network which are managed by RAMBA. On the northern fringes of Marquette is Harlow Lake, a 75 acre lake adjacent to Lake Superior with close to 40 miles of multi-use trails available. Squarely in the center of town you’ll find a lift-served bike park at Marquette Mountain, as well as two separate public trail networks called Marquette North and Marquette South.

NTN Trails is the 501c3 non-profit responsible for both of the aforementioned trail networks, along with several others throughout the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 2001, NTN Trails works with over 45 landowners to secure access to 85+ miles of singletrack, 125km of nordic ski trails, 30 miles of groomed fat bike trails during the winter in addition to organizing and hosting a number of events that include festivals and races. NTN has a board of directors as well as 6 paid employees, which include Marquette born-and-raised Lori Hauswirth, NTN’s executive director. Lori is entering her sixth year as the executive director of the prolific trail association, and has a keen understanding of just how special her hometown really is.

“You know, having grown up here,” she says after a thoughtful pause while perched trailside above Marquette. “I don’t take it for granted. I don’t think a lot of people realize just how special this place is. We can step outside of our doors from practically anywhere in town and you’re within half a mile of feeling like you’re really immersed in the woods. We don’t have real mountains, but we’ve got the lake, and rivers, and some decent terrain that is pretty special here. The exposure to nature here is really unique in the midwest.”
 

The Marquette South trail network wraps around the southern portion of town, and is the anchor for the riding community here. With trails that are 25 years old and new ones being added yearly, it has everything from old school chunk and tech to buttery smooth flow, and more than a smattering of freeride hits as well. The stellar trails allow riders the rare opportunity to surf dirt amidst a deep blue vastness that stands in sharp contrast to the rocky coastline, industrial cityscape, and rolling hills and bluffs that rise sharply above the city. The Fresh Coast may be criminally underrated by most of the country, but those who call this place home aren’t interested in discussing how their home stacks up to the rest of the world. They have work to do and lots of it if they plan to keep this singletrack train rolling.

“There are days that can be frustrating,” Lori continues. “But at the end of the day, we all want trails to ride and we need an organization and people to be contributing. Whether it’s their time or their money, we just need people to be vested in the trails and the outdoors. I grew up in the woods just not far from here, and I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t on the trails. If it wasn’t for the trails here, I’m not sure what I’d be doing.”