Global Fat Bike Day is coming up on Saturday, Dec 2. Around the world, it's a day to kick off the winter fat biking season with fun events, group rides, and exploring the outdoors on fat bikes. To submit your Global Fat Bike Day event, send a link to your event to info@thenxrth.com . We'll be listing every Global Fat Bike Day event in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the U.P. and would love to include your event, whether it's a big formal celebration or a small intimate group ride that you'd like other people to be able to join. Email info@thenxrth.com to share your event and get it listed on our Global Fat Bike Day event calendar (coming soon!).

Dwayne and Michelle Allgire from PedalPower Adventures recently spent some time bikepacking the Wisconsin Waterfalls Routes in northern Wisconsin. They put together a lovely video that tells a deep story of their adventure. Enjoy. From PedalPower Adventures: We had a blast riding this loop that was created by Dave Schlabowske and highlighted on bikepacking.com's extensive network of routes. The route can be found HERE. We actually got to meet up with "Seeley" Dave after we finished and he invited us on his Life Above 8 podcast, see link if you all are interested: Northwoods Ramble Show 7. Dave is an awesome guy and so glad we got to meet him. Thank you Dave! Happy Trails!

Today's Reader's Route comes from Mark Kransz and is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Mark put together a Marquette route that has it all from gravel and mud to abandoned bridges and double track. Submission from Mark Kransz Experience the logging roads and rolling fields of Western Alger County and Eastern Marquette County. This route has it all from rolling fast gravel to one-lane forest service roads, followed by chunky two-track. Recommended at minimum 38c tires for this route as there are sections that can be sandy when it's been dry. Leaving Marquette you will follow the old SOO railroad line east of town on a paved and eventual hardpack bike path. Eventually, you will turn onto a gravel road and head towards Onota a once-booming logging town. This begins the first test as the fast gravel of Onota Hill Ln transitions into a USFS road past a gate, Mud holes Rocks, and a fast downhill are what will greet you on this road as you push on toward Chattam. You will continue on USFS roads from here however these transition back to fast-rolling gravel. You will eventually find your way towards the Michigan State University South Farm (You may have to hop a wire gate, Beware of cattle) This is an area where they let local start-up farmers use the land to begin there business, these roads are a treat before the food stop in Chattam. After Chatham you are in the Eben Junction countryside you will cross one abandoned bridge (recommend you walk the plank) and then begin your ride on the beautiful country line-covered road as you pass old farms. County Line Rd eventually transitions after a long straight into Haavisto Rd which almost looks as if it ends however if you push on you will be greeted with a slice of double track that cuts between two farms (this can be muddy at times). From here it's a straight line to the longest section of pavement until you reach the Experimental forest near Selma. From here it's back to fast-rolling gravel as you pass through both young and old-growth forests. The next test and final test before your back on the roads you rode a few hours before is Camp 4 Rd This is the final cherry on top, fast gravel gives way to chunky rocky two tracks as it takes you back to Mangum Rd. Beware of Beavor and water crossing as they tend to build dams that cover the road at times. From here you are back on roads you know and only a little ways outside of Marquette once again. Expect to be on this route for 5+ hours bring food and water as the only stop is the Chattam Coop (slightly off route mile 40), and Kassel's Store in Rumley (mile 49). This route can be shortened if you park at the Michigan Welcome Center or if you wish to park at the Park and ride on the 94-67 junction in Chattam. Submit Your Reader's Route All Reader's Routes So Far

The final story from the recent 2023 Gray Duck Grit, Lucas Kuhlmann shares about his race day. Breaking down each of the stages and the mental games, he gives a recap of the day and what was his beacon of light to make it to the finish line. To learn more, visit the Gray Duck Grit website. Pre-Race Registration is simple and like pretty much every other race via BikeReg. There are numerous categories to sign up for across the 69M, 111M, 222M, and 333M distance. It straight up come with whatever bike you want - no separate categories for fat, single speed, etc. Communication leading up to the race was similar to last year, very thorough! You pretty much get all your questions answered as the race day approaches. GPX drop is a week ahead of time and aid station locations are announced. They've got a packet pickup in the Minneapolis suburbs on Friday or day of. Race Day The 111M starts at 8:00AM on Saturday. Picked my packet up at 6:30AM and went back to the hotel to grab the free breakfast. There's a rider's meeting that's probably good for newbies but I skipped that to load up on continental breakfast sausages and waffles. Rode up from my hotel and got in line about 7:53AM and away we went. The Race After two years of this race, I pretty much break it down into three stages. Stage 1 (Mile 0-30) : The Calm Before the Storm. Coming out of Northfield and pretty much a 15 mile radius around the town is pretty much flat. It's a very pleasant ride crisp, morning ride honestly. The gravel always seems well worn and you're just kind of gliding along enjoying the weather and the comradery of those still bunched around you as you find who you're likely going to be riding with that day. Honestly, the first 30 miles are just a nice day out with long views across SE MN farmland. You'll pull into the first aid station with a smile on your face. Stage 2 (Mile 30-90) :The Battle of Gravel Attrition. This section will decide if you're going to make it to the finish or not. After leaving the aid station, forget about the flat roads. At this point it's a combination of endless rollers and steep descents (and the inevitable ascents) down into the valleys of the driftless region. The wind that was pushing me turned on me at the next aid station (mile 62) just like it did last year, making the seemingly never ending wide open / no tree straight push west pretty miserable - but I knew I'd get a reprieve once I got back closer to Cannon Falls. It's actually quite beautiful, especially at this time of year with the leaves turning, but it's tough. This definitely is the make or break section of the race. My NOT Pro Tip: the aid stations were great, had everything you need for a growing racing kid. However, if you're racing against the 11 hour cut off vs. the field, stop at the Hay Creek Campground Saloon at mile 62 and get yourself a bison burger, fries, and a couple beers. It was key to my finish and will be the beacon of light that gets you there and the calories in your belly to get you to the last stage of the race. Stage 3 (Mile 90-111) : Just Buck Up and Finish. The last section is the payoff for making it through the last stage. Returning back to the relatively flat lands around Northfield, the final 20-ish miles is a welcome reprieve. At this point, the sun was heading towards sunsets and it makes for some nice shots as you take pictures as an excuse to not pedal so hard. After a roundabout way back to Northfield, I crossed the finish line where I started in a time of 9:55, meeting my goal of getting sub 10hrs and beating last year's time. Met up with Mark and the crew to grab drink and some food before snapping a few photos an heading to the hotel for a much needed shower. The Verdict Overall, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite late fall rides. You can race it or ride it (you know what I do!) and make it what you want of it. I find it to be a pretty beautiful yet challenging ride that's worth the effort to get up there from Iowa and take a break from all the gravel down here. The course was more challenging this year than last and I heard a birdie tell me it's going to get even more interesting last year. So yeah, like I said last year - sign up for this ride. It's a great time for a great cause.

The Red Granite Grinder recently took place through corn mazes, private land, and historic passageways around Wausau, Wisconsin with 12, 50, 85, OR 144 mile options. Here Chris Schotz outlines the beauty of the unexpected adventure during a time of year where the gamble of the weather is part of the excitement. To learn, more, visit the Red Granite Grinder website. Words by Chris Schotz Photos by Dave Schlabowske October can be a shock to the system, but this ride keeps it interesting. Start beneath the Grand Theater marquee at the chilly crack of dawn and follow the red flashes of your law enforcement escort past the Landmark building. Roll out of Wausau across the wide Wisconsin and take the tunnel beneath the Interstate to the foot of Rib Mountain. Here the 50-milers head to their corn maze while the grind gets real for those confronting the 85-mile endeavor or the all-day 144-mile beast of a ride. We’re not ascending 700 vertical feet with temperatures in the 40s because it’s going to be easy. We’re not out in October expecting sunshine and tank tops. We sign up for the Ironbull Red Granite Grinder for the test. Can we regulate our temperature on this brisk morning climb? Can we get a gravel bike through the trails of Rib Mountain State Park with damp bridges and stubborn stone? Can we adapt to the unexpected that lurks beyond the rock and waterbars of that ripping descent that can only be ridden for one day a year? Shane Hitz didn’t fashion these adventures for placid pelotons with nothing in view but the tail of the dog in front. The Grinder hits the calendar after the predictable races have gone into hibernation. 2023 was a year like every other when the mid-October forecast keeps everyone guessing until 7AM on Saturday, and still we were ready to adapt in case that dark sky to the north opened up far from the comfy confines of 21st Century civilization. Get ready to escape the big city for a land that has slipped back in time from a 19th Century heyday. The rocks of Rib Mountain lead to asphalt and the iconic red granite gravel to school forest singletrack and the graveled lanes of Nine Mile that will spark the deja vu of many a 24-hour mountain biker. From there you find a buddy to tackle the winds of the wide rolling boulevards through the farm country that beget a century of cream to an icy dairy state. Before long you’ll find refuge on the remote rail line that rolls through tree-lined shelter to a spot on Scotch Creek that looked like a nice townsite to a railman named Edgar in 1881. Past the BP station and a quiet neighborhood is a steep surprise. A stair-step drop leads to the narrow bridges and old school singletrack of Scotch Creek Preserve that will quickly snap a rider to attention. This year’s route placed the 50-mile aid station at the adorable Minnow Ponds Park where the Ironbull volunteers had spread out drop bags and anything you’d ever need before bucking the overpass into the wind across Highway 29. After Rib Falls it’s Pomeranian farmland through Hamburg land and the fox farms beyond the Lincoln County line. North of 64 your exploit ebbs back to the 1800’s as you roll through the grassy rail lines of Rib Lake Lumber Company past three lumber campsites dating from the days of crosscut saws and mighty draft horses. Hitz has negotiated access through this remote private land for this day only so enjoy the moment past the pristine pond and don’t come back until next year. State owned land of the Newwood Conservation Area merges with vast county forests that pass the haunts of enigmatic Boom Decker Becker and the Ranger Island wolf pack. Imagine a log church and railroad station as you pass the Newwood Cemetery at the corner of Whiskey Bill Road. Soon you’ll find the 100-mile aid station at Averill Creek Firelane where riders saw wolf prints over bike tracks in the mud and the indispensable volunteers crossed paths with the primordial hunter. The brushy lane pulls you back to a time when a shingle mill rattled across the pond. Poachers in Model-A Fords outran Trapper Morrison and moonshiners distilled their product way off the grid. Rustic Tesch Road plunges to the Newwood River just upstream from the 1847 trading post where Bill Cross loaded furs and composed a native dictionary with his Ojibwe wife. The ride is in the home stretch once wilderness gives way to the hilly farm country and the penultimate tests of the Billy Goat Hills. Brokaw was still an incorporated town when the Red Granite Grinder was founded. Brokaw Hill still stands as the final challenge before the roll into the city streets and bike paths of Wausau on the way to the 400 Block party. Don’t sign up for the Red Granite Grinder if you seek the predictable. A day off the mark on the October calendar would have been a soaker. There have been years of rain and slush so you’ll just have to make your own luck. Get your mind and your bike ready for anything because everything is what you’re going to get.

The Red Granite Grinider recently took place with a full weekend of gravel events in Wausau, Wisconsin. Beautiful fall colors, private property segments, and gravel community all came together for a great weekend. Here Seeley Dave shares the Northwoods Ramble Podcast Ep. 9 with interviews recorded right from the Red Granite Grinder alongside a few other northwoods updates. Words, photos, & podcast by Dave Schablwske from Life Above Eight. And just like that the midwest gravel race season is over and let the fat bike races begin! My gravel season began early in May with the Hungry Bear in Cable, and it ended in October with my first Ironbull Red Granite Grinder in Wausau. See some of my photos from the 144 mile race and check out the post-race interviews I recorded for the Northwoods Ramble Episode 9 below. I really enjoyed seeing the Red Granite Grinder and might sign up for the 89-mile route next year. The race has 12, 50, 85 and 144 mile options. The longer courses include a nice mix of pavement, gravel, two-track, and even a little single track. The race starts in downtown Wausau with a police lead out where the 144 and 85-mile racers then grind 800 feet up Rib Mountain and white knuckle (or hike-a-bike) a technical downhill. That monster climb really separates the wheat from the chaff. The 50-mile course is more pavement than gravel, but does include a section that goes through a corn maze! The courses seem to change a bit each year, and this time the long routes went through some private land that you can only ride during this race and on narrow land bridges between some beautiful minnow ponds. In keeping with the typical gravel race ethos, riders are responsible for any mechanicals, but the race does include some aid stations, and even a drop bag locations on the two longer courses. The aid stations were manned by local volunteers who brought a little something special to each rest stop. There were even grilled cheese sandwiches at one aid station! Wausau’s famed Redeye Brewing taps a special One Lap Pony keg of their yummy craft beer for the event. There was live music at the finish and something I have never seen at a race before: an automated bicycle chain wash and was machine, The Vonbuckinator! There is a video of the machine in action in the podcast below at around 25 minutes 30 seconds. Something else that made the Red Granite Grinder unique was the option to sign up for two free women’s clinics the Friday before the race. The clinics were run by ultra specialist Laura Weismann-Hrubes, who races for Broken Spoke but and also works for Embark Maple Energy, made in Viroqua where she lives. It rained most of the day Friday, which resulted in a number of women who signed up as no-shows, but those who were there seemed to get a lot out of the clinics. The 2024 gravel event calendar on The Nxrth is already filling in, and the fat bike calendar is full of fun winter races. Josh also added a couple cool new pages to The Nxrth with the global Winter Fat Bike Ultra page and the Fat Bike Trails map page that shows locations for all the groomed fat bike trailheads in the midwest. Although is is another rainy fall day as I write this post here in Seeley, I am enjoying the fact our precipitation remains in liquid form as we move look forward to Halloween. I’m pretty happy to still have fall colors in the trees and wet, butlau unfrozen gravel forest roads to ride. Winter can wait a bit yet this year! Also in this episode, I catch up with Ben Welnak at his cool Seeley Oaks A-frame Airbnb about this year’s Acorn Mast, deer hunting, and fishing Slab Crappies on Moose Lake with Drew from the Sawmill and recants a tall tale or two about wolves. The intro and hyperborean update on Life Above 8 is recorded in his ‘Merica garage for a change of pace.

Home Base trailside lodging in Cable just opened this fall at Telemark Village in Cable. With 10 brand new rooms tucked around a community plaza and a unique slate of bike-specific amenities, it's an incredible location for bike-out-your-front-door adventures with friends and family. To learn more or book a stay, visit Home Base at Telemark Village and follow them on Instagram and Facebook. Photos by Josh Rizzo and Dave Schlabowske. This story is part of a paid partnership with Home Base. Home Base recently opened in Cable right at the epicenter of a whole bunch of bike energy and community at Telemark Village in Cable. I recently spent a weekend at Home Base with my son to see the Mt. Telemark Village development first hand and experience Home Base's trailside lodging experience and community. While we were there, we checked out the trails surrounding Home Base and enjoyed the weekend around Cable. Home Base: At the Epicenter of Trail Development & Community Home Base is located right at Telemark Village and the confluence of a ton of trails. It's as close as you can get to the trails which makes it an awesome place to ride out your front door to ride singletrack or take part in one of the dozens of races taking place throughout the year. Bike/Ski Out Your Door to CAMBA, Birkie, Trek Trails, Cable, & More The Telemark Village area is the host to a very long list of great bike events, is a launchpad for gravel and singletrack, and is in the middle of an accelerating project that's transforming the Telemark and Cable area with new trails, plazas, a nordic/bike community center, and a bunch more. Trek Trails are literally in Home Base's backyard and are an AMAZING new network of professionally designed flow trails and downhill runs. The Birkie also developed a beautiful paved trail system for roller skis, biking, and walking for all ability levels. And ALL of this connected to the massive CAMBA Trails and Birkie Trail. Amenities Designed For Bikers When I talked with Dave Tworek (founder/owner of Home Base with his wife Ronda) at Home Base, he was pretty passionate about the entire vision being about getting people excited about what's outside of your room at Home Base rather than what's inside. "There are already plenty of hotel rooms. What we want is for trailside lodging to bring people together outside". Here's how they designed their trailside lodging to build outdoor connections. 1. Penman Plaza All 10 rooms face the central plaza to gather after races or meet other traveling weekend cyclists around the campfire. Families, friends, and teammates, have a central place to spend more time together outside. 2. Three On Demand Campfire Rings I love how thoughtfully designed this concept is.The main gas fire pit is right in the center of the Penman Plaza and is a great family friendly environment. Then there are two more gas fire pits outside of the plaza where friends can stay up a little later at night or have a little more space away from the central plaza if they want. 3. Two Park Tool Bike Stands Under the Pavilion If you're spending the weekend exploring trails and beating up your bike, you'll love the Park Tool work stations that are built right into the pavilion in the Penman Plaza. They're covered from the elements and give you a place to change a tire or fix that annoying sound coming from your derailleur. 4. Bike Wash Station With Park Tool Stand Right next to the bike maintenance station is a bike wash station with Park Tool stand. Sure, a bike stand and post is a pretty simple amenity but it's another way they've built the whole place around spending more time outside and having everything you need for a great bike weekend right there. If you're ripping around the trails, you're going to get messy and this is a really convenient and thorough way to wash your bike off. 5. Shared Community Screen Porch Can you hear the mosquitoes? Let's face it, mosquitoes are a part of spending time up north. Home Base has a sweet shared screened patio. If the mosquitoes are bad or it's raining, you have a great place to still spend time together outside while having a little buffer from some of the less pleasant elements of nature. Inside the Rooms There’s a reason this section is last. As mentioned earlier, Dave and Ronda Tworek want to emphasize that everything is designed to bring people together outside. There are other hotels, but this is a place for the outdoor community to come together outdoors in the best location possible. That being said, the rooms are pretty awesome. Step inside and the very first thing is a bike storage area with drainage built into the floor. You can stay here in the winter, get caked with snow, and have a place to store your bike indoors where the ice buildup can thaw and go down the drain. After that, it’s a nice simple place to bring the family or teammates. Rooms have a table, kitchenette, really nice bathrooms, and two bunks that sleep up to five people total. Rooms have high-speed internet, Air Conditioning, and heat. Heading to Cable? Book a Stay at Home Base Between all the events, tons of gravel biking around Cable, and MTB trails, bikepacking trips, and just loving the area in general, we keep finding ourselves back around Cable. When you see the location of Home Base, you’ll love how centrally planned it all is. Everything you love about biking and events in this area is accessible right from your front door. And when you’ve had your last flat tire or are just ready to call it quits for the day, Home Base is really well designed for you, your bike, and your bike crew. All reservations can be booked right on the Home Bas website so head to Home Base Lodging to book your bike and ski weekends.

Patrick Moore brought his Heck of the North spirit to Northfield, Minnesota for the Gray Duck Grit gravel race recently. Here he shares about his time riding driftless gravel, playing mind games, and enjoying the hills that were alive with the sound of anguish. Words by Patrick Moore Living in Duluth, I’ve developed a complicated love/hate relationship with the challenging courses that Jeremy Kershaw and the Heck of the North team come up with each year. In the moment, usually around mile 60, they can destroy you both mentally and physically, but after it’s all said and done, the sense of accomplishment is hard to beat. So this year, excited about some smoother gravel, I threw some skinnier tires onto my Salsa Cutthroat and hit I-35 south for Northfield for the 2nd ever Gray Duck Grit. The 110-mile course was breathtaking. Farms dot the rolling landscape as the wind whips through the tall corn stalks, offering a soundtrack like no other; think Children of the Corn minus the scythes. Friendly waves from farmers driving combines was a regular occurrence. The gravel was indeed smoother, but the hills... The hills were alive with the sound of…anguish? The hills simply did not stop. It was an absolute roller coaster of rolling hills through the northernmost parts of the driftless region. My Wahoo Roam indicated upwards of 13% gradient climbs. But as the saying goes; what goes up, must come down. The descents were fast and exhilarating and just long enough to psych you up for the next bluff. At mile 75, I engaged in a fairly one-sided conversation with a curious cow about the humor of the word bluff as I struggled up one. Definition 1: bluff: a steep slope formed in sediment (loose material such as clay, sand, and gravel) that has three feet or more of vertical elevation (three feet is a gross understatement). Definition 2: bluff: an attempt to deceive someone into believing that one can or will do something (yes, I called the bluff’s bluff and made it up all of the bluffing bluffs…pardon my French). I crossed the finish line with a strong sense of relief. Although my time was slower than I had hoped for, I had a ton of fun. I also gained some great experience in not underestimating the demands of bluff country. But best of all, I met some fantastic people (and cows). I’m already looking forward to the 3rd Gray Duck Grit! A huge thank you to Mark and Kris Jesse and their amazing team of volunteers for putting this event on.

The second annual Gray Duck Grit recently took place in Northfield, Minnesota with distances of 69, 111, 222, and 333. We caught a few different perspectives of how the day went from three different riders. Enjoy their recaps here then stay tuned for a few more Gray Duck Grit stories. To learn more, visit Gray Duck Grit. Brian Turk - 2nd Place in "The Cow" (333 Mile Race) This tops my lifetime accomplishments list for sure. Still not sure what made me decide to try the Gray Duck Grit 333 mile race known as the Cow, but I did. With 14 starters my goal was to finish, not compete for a podium. I was last to leave the start and was somewhere in the area of 7th at 55 miles and 5th at 110. Never passed anyone else - but three ahead of me dropped and I was 2nd at 165….and never gave up. The 2 that I passed, and rode with for a while in the 55-110 section ended 3rd and 4th. I battled the cold and rain. I battled the 30 mph head and cross winds that took out a lot of riders. I had no mechanical issues. A lot had to go right. I spent the last 2+ hours unable to hold my head up. The most important difference in this race was having Candace Turk as my support. She was able to meet me at every aid station every 55 miles. This meant I had all the food and hydration I needed when I needed it and she had it ready for me. It meant I had every clothing option I needed for changing conditions. I could add and drop batteries and lights as needed. Most important was having her support - I never anticipated the difference that could make. She sacrificed a lot to do this on no experience. Luckily we connected with another rider right before the race - Shawn Wynn and his partner Casey. Casey had also never been support before so she and Candace connected. At 110 miles, Shawn was in 4th and beaten by the cold and wind and figured he couldn’t podium so dropped out. He and Casey stayed with Candace through the overnight hours. Their support to help Candace was such an unexpected help. The Gray Duck grit organizers support was also huge. Pretty sure no one expected this out of me….including me. I couldn’t have done it without the support of others….and everything working in my favor. Jack Reher Gravel is a placebo for one’s current place in life. Gray Duck Grit allows one to clear the space between their ears. There are no boundaries or restrictions within their motto “Ride Your Ride”. It’s you against yourself. How far can you go? The beauty of this particular race is nobody knows the outcome. A good year. A bad year. All that matters is one tried their best. Nobody can ever take that away. And in the end, all the effort is worthy of the experience & friendships made. Paul Palecek My Gray Duck ride was definitely the highlight of my year! With all the awesome athletes posting insane times sometimes it's easy to forget all the intangibles that these events and biking in general brings. I have struggled with mental health myself and I've never found a medication or counselor that is as effective at reducing anxiety as a long bike ride. Also I invited my best college friend to come ride with me. We don't get to see one another much anymore due to our busy lives and this was a perfect opportunity. We rode our ride and never separated the entire 70 miles. (we took about a mile's worth of wrong turns:)) We talked and laughed almost the entire way. At one point we stopped to help a distressed rider, giving him more water and food and gave him a pep talk. We rode partly as well to honor my friend's son who has autism. My friend Greg devotes almost all his free time to his son and a ride like this to re-focus means more to us than we can possibly describe. Thanks for hosting this great event and can't wait until next year. To learn more, visit Gray Duck Grit.

The Itasca Lakenights is a deep-northwoods bikepacking adventure surrounded by scattered lakes, forgotten forests, and long nights around the fire. It starts and ends at a tiny oasis in the forest with a general store and motel rooms to kick off your trip as well as a hunter's paradise bar and grill for story telling and post ride burger and beverages when you complete your last mile. Photos by Josh Kowaleski & Josh Rizzo Over the winter we dreamed up the idea of making new memories discovering a bikepacking route up north in an area not known as a popular gravel and adventure destination. We studied satellite imagery and global heatmaps that kept making Itasca County look like a dreamy place to spend long days biking with friends and cool evenings talking around the lake. For those new to the area, Itasca County is enormous. It is Minnesota's 3rd biggest county and has over 1,400 lakes. It's far outside of the popular north shore regions and beyond the Iron Range. Grand Rapids in the south is the biggest city but northern Itasca County is vast with very low population density, and very high lake density. State and county forests make a huge percentage of land ownership which both allow dispersed camping. This route is full of boat landings to stop for lake lunches and campgrounds for lake nights. The majority of the route is winding gravel roads through wooded rolling hills. It eastern section also includes some rugged ATV trails and unmaintained barely used cutting paths through the woods (both noted on the map). Some would say the real gems of this route are the few and far between off-grid food and drink spots. We highly recommend getting breakfast at the Pine Cone Soup & Sandwich Cafe in Marcell as well as a burger and beer at the Antler Lodge upon completing the route and returning to your car. Talmoon also Hayslips Corner which boasts being the self declared oldest bar in Minnesota and is right across the street from a convenience store. Route Map Preview [Full Route With POIs Available to Patrons] Sneak Peek Inside the Guide [Join Patreon for Full Access] Scenes From The Itasca Lakenights Disclaimer: If you choose to ride this route, you do so at your own risk. You are 100% responsible for being prepared for all conditions and making sure that biking these routes is legal. Before riding, check local weather, road conditions, closures, and property ownership. Obey all traffic laws and follow land use restrictions. Do not ride these routes without proper safety equipment and navigational tools. The accuracy of these routes cannot be guaranteed neither can we guarantee that these routes are on public property. TheNxrth.com and its contributors are in no way liable for the personal injury or damage to property that may result from cycling this route or any other routes on this website.

The Itasca Lakenights is a new bikepacking route in Minnesota. The Nxrth scouted it with some friends this summer and will be publishing it exclusively for Patrons. Here we're highlighting Jeff Sylvester's bike and gear setup to highlight some awesome gear that worked well on this route. Jeff Sylvester's Framed Bike With DIY Mounts BIKE: One of the early rigid Framed fat bikes with alternate 29 inch wheels and 2.10 inch mountain bike tires. GEARING: 2x with 28x38 up front and 11x42 8-speed, mostly Sram X5 run by Microshift thumb shifter in friction mode. RACKS: Axiom fat bike rack in the back, DIY fork mounts for two Nalgene water bottles, and a DIY handlebar rack. BAGS: Serfas frame bag and Ortlieb waterproof panniers in the back. For this ride I think I had a very good set up. I would have preferred to have 2.5 inch tires or larger for the sandy sections, but the 2.1 tires were perfectly adequate and there were only a few times I was stopped by the sand. My gearing was excellent. I have done a similar trip with an 11-36 cassette and felt I was under geared while fully loaded, but this time I felt I had all the gears I needed. One issue I had: my Voile straps were a little long holding my Nalgene bottles on my fork and I spent a lot of time tucking in the slack so that the extra length wouldn't get into my front wheel. Next time I will have shorter straps or go with a bladder in my frame bag which has worked well for me in the past. Also, for my next trip I will invest in a handlebar bag that has easy entry for snacks while riding.

This fall, Noelle Battle from Bikepacking Roots, took on a solo bikepacking trip of the Northwoods Route through Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Traveling here from the East Coast to do this route, she shares a reflection of her trip as well some highs and lows. Words by Noelle Battle, Executive Director of Bikepacking Roots. Learn more about the Northwoods Route. After a long drive out from the East Coast, I arrived in Ironwood, Michigan which would be my base for starting my journey on the Northwoods Route. It’s been over a year since I had set off on an extended bikepacking adventure like this, and the first time since early 2020 that I was taking on a 500+ mile trip solo (almost getting stuck in Cuba as the COVID-19 lockdowns started is a story for another time). I’d been so busy getting settled into my new role at Bikepacking Roots, that I hadn’t spent that much time on my bike leading up to the trip, but "hey, I’ve done this before, ~50 miles a day is no big deal" is what I kept telling myself. I got my trusty bike and gear in order and headed toward Wisconsin to start the first leg of my journey. For those of you who might not be familiar, the Northwoods Route was envisioned by Kurt Refsnider and was first launched to the public in 2021, thanks to the work of many dedicated volunteers who participated in the Route Test Team and contributors who wrote sections of the 70-page guidebook that was developed to accompany the route. It is a 630-mile route circumnavigating the western half of Lake Superior, primarily following gravel roads, two-tracks, logging roads, rail trails and sections of pavement through thick forests and past too many picturesque lakes to keep count. A unique feature of the route is that the loop is closed by utilizing passenger ferries across Lake Superior to travel to Isle Royale National Park, connecting the Minnesota and Michigan sections of the route. I wanted to share some of my reflections from my trip to give other riders a bit of a feel for the route, and maybe inspire some others to take the same challenging adventure in the future. I completed the trip in 14 days (12 days of riding and 2 days for the transit via Isle Royale). This worked out to be an average of just over 50 miles a day, with 4 days in each state since there are approximately 200 miles in each state segment. My trip is proof that you can survive this ride with average fitness level and minimal training, but I’ll advise that it definitely would have helped if I had ridden my bike a bit more in advance. The route is challenging. Even though it isn’t overly technical and the physical difficulty isn’t super high because it doesn’t have big mountain climbs, it will definitely challenge folks. But the good thing is that it is a really accessible route for all types of people with the right planning, understanding of your capabilities, and plotting out the time needed to make the route most enjoyable for you. I certainly wouldn’t have minded extending my trip to allow for more time for lake swimming and taking advantage of the countless other activities along the route. For folks that are looking for more technical riding, the route has several published singletrack alternative segments where you can take a different route following some amazing trail networks such as the Duluth Traverse and the CAMBA Singletrack Network. I can’t speak from personal experience on those alternates, but the little bit of singletrack that was mixed into the main route on the CAMBA system was super fun. In addition to those alternatives, the MTB culture is really strong around here and our guidebook highlights a number of other trail systems touching the route that folks may want to spend additional time exploring. I ended up in Copper Harbor at the start of their annual Trails Fest and learned about the world-class trails being built up there which are attracting people from all over. One of my biggest impressions from the trip was how quiet the roads were, especially in the Wisconsin and Minnesota sections. Apart from the sections getting into and out of Duluth, time spent on any busier roads was usually very short and then you were back on roads where there may not be a motor vehicle for hours. I ran into more ATVs in Michigan on the rail trail and other ATV roads, but I also rode that section on Labor Day weekend, so I am guessing traffic was higher than normal. Another aspect I loved (and sometimes hated) about the route was the variety of surfaces. This isn’t a route that was seeking out only the smooth gravel roads in the region. I laughed to myself once in particular when riding along a perfectly smooth gravel road in the Minnesota section, being amazed by these perfectly maintained, traffic-free roads, only to make the next turn off onto a chunky, sandy ATV trail for the next 10 miles. I thought to myself, so this is what it is like to ride a Bikepacking Roots route, always something to keep it interesting! I might have huffed and puffed and sometimes pushed my bike up the short, steep gravel climbs, but that was often followed by getting to charge through flowy sections with a big grin on my face. I think the rideability percentages for the route are accurate, but that all depends on who you are and what bike you are on. Expect some chunky gravel and sandy sections. I was happy with my 2.25” tires and just personally chose to walk some climbs as I was nursing some knee pain (or just feeling tired!). The good news though is that most of the steep and loose gravel climbs that may be challenging to ride for some are pretty short. Some other questions that seem to come up a lot in regard to the route are the weather and the BUGS! I am happy to report that despite being told that it was a bad year for mosquitos in that they were still around in August at all, I didn’t find them to be too bad – I have definitely experienced much worse biking in the Northeast! That being said, black flies were around, particularly in Wisconsin. They liked to buzz around me while riding if I was going particularly slow. I never found mosquitos to be that bad where I camped, but they often were really bad if I ever stopped to do anything while on a narrower trail or heavily wooded section. I understand that bugs are worse in June-July so I can’t speak to how the route would be earlier in the year. Beyond that, I had trouble deciding what I thought the optimal time would be. I enjoyed the weather being warm enough that I could take advantage of plenty of lake dips, one of my favorite parts of bikepacking. I actually started my trip in weather that felt like early fall, but then ended the loop on a 92-degree day! The leaves were already changing a bit, but I imagine going just a little bit later into fall would be amazingly beautiful. Note that ferry schedules limit the season so you will need to plan accordingly. As a part of my trip, I got to meet lots of great folks along the way. I stayed at some cool, bike-focused accommodation such as ROAM Adventure Basecamp in Wisconsin and Trails End Campground in Michigan. I got to chat with folks from several local trail stewardship organizations and brainstorm about how we can better connect in the future. I also met with a Ranger on Isle Royale and talked about the increase of bikepacker visitation on the island. Encouragingly, she is excited to work with us to understand bikepackers’ experience on the island and to continue the relationship going forward as the route becomes more popular, within the confines of what is feasible and in consideration of other challenges the park is facing (such as record visitation). I’m excited to see the interest and enthusiasm folks have for the Northwoods Route and I hope that the number of people getting out there on a section or the full route continues to grow over time. As I often talk about, I am really excited to grow Bikepacking Roots’ presence around the country and I’m excited to have one of our early signature routes highlighting the extensive gravel and singletrack options of this region (which understandably is also great for winter fatbiking too). I’m grateful to have had this time to connect deeply with the region, as bikepacking allows us to do, to understand a little more about the culture, the history, and the landscape. Next up, I’m excited to be heading a few hours south to the inaugural Midwest Bikepacking Summit in Wisconsin this weekend! To purchase a print version of the Northwoods Route Guidebook and GPX files, click here. To purchase a PDF version of the Northwoods Route Guidebook and GPX files, click here. Keep an eye out on their Instagram and Facebook for more photos and videos from Noelle's recent trip.