No impact to non-ORV park visitors expected
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 13, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh has issued an order approving off-road vehicle use atBewabic State Park in Iron County, the fifth Michigan state park where ORV use has been approved since 2009. Creagh announced his decision at Thursday’s meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Lansing.
“Allowing ORV use at Bewabic State Park will give the growing number of off-road enthusiasts more ways to connect to Michigan’s world-class trails and parks in the western Upper Peninsula,” Creagh said. “The move will also attract more visitors to this beautiful and historic park, which is a boost for the local economy.”
ORV use at the park will be permitted for purposes of loading, unloading and riding from a designated parking area or campsite – activities necessary for park visitors to access nearby trail networks via the park’s roads.
Kasey Mahony, unit supervisor for the park, said the DNR has proposed building an ORV access trail to the west of the park entrance. The trail would be about 200 feet long and would connect to the park’s main road.
Mahony said the access trail would get ORV riders off U.S. 2 as quickly as possible, separate ORVs from other motor vehicles at the park entrance, give ORV riders better visibility of traffic and allow them to safely cross perpendicular to the highway.
“This change lets campers unload their ORV at their campsite and use the proposed connector route to ride directly to the Stateline trail,” Mahony said. “This will also give trail riders the opportunity to pull into the park, stretch their legs and check out the campground, boat ramp and other amenities the park has to offer.”
Kaski Road is proposed as the connector route. That county road runs for about a mile and then connects with the 56-mile Stateline Route loop, which provides ORV access to Crystal Falls, Iron River and other trails. One leg off the loop dips south across the Wisconsin border.
“The DNR has been making strides toward linking ORV trails together, forming a much larger trail network,” Mahony said. “This new access allows ORV riders the opportunity to visit many different areas without loading their machines back onto a trailer and moving to a different trailhead.”
See a map showing the Stateline ORV Route and the proposed connection to Bewabic State Park via Kaski Road, a crossing at U.S. 2 and an access trail into the park.
The DNR has heard comments from ORV trail users that they would like the ability to access state parks on their machines.
Similar ORV access was granted in May 2009 for Baraga State Park in Baraga County and Twin Lakes State Park in Houghton County. After a successful trial period, ORV access also was granted a few months later at Muskallonge Lake State Park in Luce County and Clear Lake State Park in Montmorency County.
“With Bewabic State Park added to the list, riders will be able to travel to three different state parks freely – with the idea that we might tap into a niche group of riders interested in using the trails to get from one park to another to camp,” Mahony said.
Donald Helsel, a member of the Michigan ORV Work Group, agreed.
“This will provide an opportunity to further encourage ORV camp-and-ride travel in the western U.P. between Bewabic, Baraga and Twin Lakes State Parks,” Helsel said. “With additional trails being developed to connect to Wisconsin on our southern border, the location of Bewabic will become a first stopping point for the camp-and-ride users.”
Riders also expect the new access to benefit the region’s economy.
“In our opinion, access to the park by ORV trail will bring more visitors to the park and their much-needed tourism dollars to the businesses throughout Iron and Dickinson counties,” said Joe Chavis, president of the Chippewa Sno-Kats Trail Club, Inc. in Crystal Falls.
The Sno-Kats club provides trail maintenance in the area and sponsored ORV connector grant funding through the DNR’s ORV Trail Improvement Fund and Recreation Trails Program to complete the roughly $6,000 proposed park access trail.
Rob Katona, U.P. recreation specialist for the DNR in Marquette, said no disturbance to non-ORV visitors at Bewabic is expected.
“Other state parks in the U.P. have been open to ORV use since 2009 which has been very successful with no conflict or ORV-related issues to date,” Katona said.
Katona said the DNR manages the ORV use in a controlled manner, only allowing entry and departure from designated areas in the parks that are best suited for ORV operation and away from areas where conflicts of use may arise.
“This ensures that other park visitors and campers are not disturbed by the ORV use,” Katona said.
Several governmental entities including the Iron County Road Commission and Crystal Falls Township support the project.
“The Michigan Department of Transportation is always pleased to collaborate with the DNR on these kinds of projects,” said Mike Premo, MDOT Crystal Falls Transportation Service Center manager.
Mahony hopes the trail access project – still awaiting final approvals — will be completed this year with roughly three weeks anticipated for construction, depending on weather.
For more information on ORV riding and trails, visit www.michigan.gov/orvtrails.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
Contact: Kasey Mahony, 906-875-3324 or John Pepin, 906-228-6561
