The scenery and remote-ness surpassed my expectations! Had some intimate moments with sandhill cranes, a kingfisher, and red-shouldered hawk. My entire trip was from Alpena to Onaway and then up the road to Onaway SP (54 miles total one way) and it took about 6 or 7 hours with some leisurely stops, could be done faster. Over the 47 miles with a loaded bike I averaged 11-12mph in the NW direction, and slightly faster on the way back south (I'm in mid to decent riding shape and used to steeper terrain).

Heading NW I was faced with a decent headwind, esp by mid afternoon. Definitely sunny for most of the trail, a cool or cloudy day would be preferable if you're going a distance. Very glad with my bike choice, mountain bike would have been overkill and would have been slower. I thought it was about as smooth as could be without being paved, aside from just a few patches of slightly thicker gravel.

Very comfortable on a Long Haul Trucker with 700x32mm tires. I was pleased with the condition of this trail, sounds like it's improved since a few years ago.

This was a lovely 26 mile day trip next to the lake and through the woods-a flat, easy, unpopulated rail trail through wonderful Northern Michigan! About 50% of the time we were riding in well-shaded areas. While there are many road and driveway crossings, we probably had to actually stop for cars only 2 or 3 times. Rode back to Topinabee and then spent an hour swimming at the beautiful small beach there on Mullet Lake-really charming! All day (on a Monday) we saw probably a total of 14 people on the trail, walking or biking. We passed the Cheboygan trailhead (where there are also good restrooms and a shelter) and stopped in downtown Cheboygan for lunch at Mulligan's, a local pub, where we could eat outside. Rode the smooth, well-maintained, crushed limestone trail along the lake to Cheboygan-about 13 miles, much of which we could see the sparkling lake to our right. There's a gas station/store right across the street. We started in Topinabee, parked at the trailhead there which has great restrooms, parking, and a small beach (look over the edge of the sidewalk area to find the beach!).

Mio map