Fumee Lake

I rate the climb that I did as advanced, but I'll admit I'm not in the best shape right now. I was winded no doubt. This was the first "unmaintained" trail that I have ever ridden as well, which added to the complexity. Riding in summer, there were sections with thick "grass", but it never got to the point where I lost the path. Looking back, I shouldn't have taken the route that I did, but none the less, the nature was amazing and I enjoyed it while I walked a couple sections. Thank goodness I had loaded up on bug spray before venturing off as my slower pace would have resulted in being eaten alive. By the time I got to the top, I elected the double track for the downhill and was able to fly on it back to the parking lot for recovery. Many more trail options/routes to explore another time.

I live close to this trail system/lake. It's a nice spot to ride. 5 mile double track is flat and around Fumee Lake and Little Fumee Lake. A couple nice single tracks that branch off and decent climbs then downhills. Nothing really hard but it is a beautiful place and does have regular traffic of riders, horse backing, walking, running, and fat tire for winter and summer riding. Camping is close by at Lake Antoine.

First off, we found this on the way home from being rained out at Marquette on a Sunday morning. That being said this trail was a little gem! Here is my take, if you are an intermediate or slightly better rider you will love this trail. Not very technical but I did dab a few times in a couple switchbacks. A few great climb sections too. No machine built stuff here, just a pretty green carpeted forest with nice flow and hills. A few sections of doubletrack to connect but don't let the map fool you because you can breeze right through. If you reach the south ridge I would not do a loop and instead would do a climb to the top and them turn around and come back down. the trails to do a loop there are not good. The big lake down the road you pass to get to the trail has a great park, beach to swim and ice cream stand! Oh, and if you are looking for the parking spot for the trail just keep going down the road, don't stop by the first sign that says Fumee lake rec area, there is a big gravel lot at the real park spot and the singltrack starts about 20 yards past the big map stand. Another bonus, this trail laughs off rain well. The parking lot had huge puddles from a rain sometime earlier in the day and the trails were still primo. The 3 of us guys had a great time there and that was after riding 31 miles on the Marquette trails the day before so that should tell you something.

Nice ride for a cold drizzly day. Took my 9 yr old son on the South Ridge single track and he did well on it. I thought it was a nice ride after the double track climb to get there. You might see a bear if you are lucky!!

There are 2 good sections of singletrack tucked in this area. Both require riding doubletrack for a bit to access which is flat and not too exciting most of the time. There was one large climb that would be great for repeats in a workout. I don't regret stopping here on my way up to Copper Harbor, but it's not a place I'd tell others is a "must-ride" or worth a day of riding if they were limited on days. If looking for a change of pace or scenery, it was a nice place to ride.

Definitely a hidden gem that doesn't get a whole lot of riding. Twisty turny tight single track just laid out in a natural fashion. Couple of lung busting climbs if you go all the way to the top on the double track and plenty of challenging sections to keep you entertained.

Double track connectors. Big uphill on the south ridge, downhill is OK, lots of potential there. North ridge is great, twisty technical single track. Check it out if you're in the area.