Where to ride - where to stay?

Thinking of visiting Alger County? For a listing of local attractions, activities, and lodging please visit the Munising Visitor’s Bureau. There’s a wealth of information at their site.

Bruno’s Run

Nestled in the heart of the Hiawatha National Forest is a 9 mile loop known as Bruno’s Run. One of the trail heads for this moderately challenging single track loop is located about 11 miles south of M-28 on Federal Forest Hwy H-13. A parking area is available alongside Moccasin Lake. A portion of the loop runs through both the Pete’s Lake and the Wide Waters Campgrounds. Bruno’s Run travels through pine and hardwood sections of the forest. You’ll pass several beautiful lakes along the way and travel along a portion of the Indian River. Bruno’s run is a local favorite for those who enjoy the challenge of single track.

During the summer months, the Valley Spur Ski and Mountain Bike trail system offers a choice of 4 loops ranging in length from 4 to 12 miles. The Valley Spur trail system is located approximately 5 miles from Munising on State Highway M-94. Trails range from easy to intermediate in difficulty and traverse the Valley Spur winding ski trails as well as portions of the Hiawatha National Forest’s two track roads. During extreme dry weather you’ll find the more outer lying routes to be quite challenging due to the sandy trail conditions. Be sure to pack a good supply of water as none is available enroute. Parking for the north trail head is located in the parking lot at the Valley Spur lodge facility. There is also a south lot located 1/2 mile east of M-94 just off the Coalwood trail, also known as USFS 2264 or Wyman Road.

On The Road

Say you’re not the mountain bike type?  Here are a few suggestions for touring in Alger County:

You could take H-58 out of Munising and head up into the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park to see one of the park’s best known rock formations, Miner’s Castle. This is about a 22 mile round trip from town. The Pictured Rocks Park stretches along the shores of Lake Superior for about 40 miles between Munising and Grand Marais. While one of the park’s features includes nearly 42 miles of scenic hiking trails, please know that the interior trails are for hiking only. Bikes are only permitted on the roadways within the park. The H-58 corridor that traverses the park from Munising to Grand Marais is not currently fully paved all the way through, however that will be changing in the next couple of years as the paving project continues to progress.

For a shorter ride, take a spin out to Sand Point. This is about a 5 mile round trip, taking H-58 west to Washington Street. Sand Point offers a great swimming beach and spectacular sunset views. You can also stop along the way and visit Munising Falls.