Riding in and around Glen Arbor MI

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Permalink Reply by Ash L. on August 22, 2012 at 1:46pm

HILLS! Make sure to practice pumping your brakes if you only have rim brakes. The roads (basically M-22 and Dunes Hwy will be what you use) are very winding in addition to the hills and vehicle speeds are 55mph so you don't want to bomb down any hills you can't fully see the bottom of. 

The part of M-22 between Glen Arbor and Leland is nice and a little quieter than what's near Glen Arbor proper and Traverse City. Leland is also a great little town to stop for lunch. Many touring cyclists hit the Cheese Shanty in Fishtown for a beer and a sandwich. They have a ton of craft beer bottle selections and only charge you for adding a "drink" to your meal so a bottle of water cost the same $2 as a 750ml bottle of La Fin du Monde. Ah, simpler living north of the parallel. 

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Permalink Reply by Ash L. on August 22, 2012 at 1:48pm

You should definitely do the scenic drive as well in Sleeping Bear which is just a 7 mile loop. There are a ton of climbs in that short span but it's all shaded and cars are limited to 20mph. 

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Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on August 22, 2012 at 3:33pm

I was up there earlier this year, all my rides are on mapmyride @apielet.

The new sleeping bear trail is nice, but the roads are AMAZING!! Not even a pebble I swear!!

Must do:

Pierce Stocking Trail- short, with 3 climbs, one a bit tough, but the whole trail is under 8 miles. We went early enogh that we saw no cars.

Glen Lakes- First we did big glen, then the next day we did both, then we added the Pierce Stocking on the next day

I didnt think I'd ride that much, but I ended up waking up 20 min before sunrise everyday to get out there. Inspiration Point at sunrise (or a lil past, so you see the sun) is....inspirational.

Im not sure where you are staying, but the Old Settlers picnic grounds is a great stop for lunch, just past it (going clockwise around the lake) is a little shop where you can pick up sammies and a beer.

We were on the far east side of Big glen lake so it was perfect for traveling on roads off of the glen lake circle route. If we saw a road sign that said Scenic Winding Road we took it!

DH Day barn and Glen haven are a must stop, all easy and only a few moments from DT Glen Arbor.

Here are a few pics from my ride:

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• Duneoverlook.JPG, 1.4 MB
• DHDaySBBay.JPG, 1000 KB

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Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on August 22, 2012 at 3:40pm

You can message me if you want details, I went to school for 2 years in Glen Arbor at Leelanau, and lived in TC for a few years during my 20's.

Pic 1- Spiderwebs at sunrise by DH Day, you must take this road!

Pic 2 - The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

 

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• DHWEBS.JPG, 507 KB
• SBHT.JPG, 770 KB

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