Western: Owasippe

[mntn-biker]

I'm anxious to get out there.

Me 2 - I rode it for the 1st time last month before it closed for the season and it was ALOT of fun!

[Larry]

a friend of mine stopped out there last week. the dude in the maintenance building said they would open on the 15th, "no exceptions".

but there is only one small group of scouts there, so who knows. i only live about 10 miles from there, maybe i'll stop and check again after the first of august.

[mntn-biker]

a friend of mine stopped out there last week. the dude in the maintenance building said they would open on the 15th, "no exceptions".

but there is only one small group of scouts there, so who knows. i only live about 10 miles from there, maybe i'll stop and check again after the first of august.

[blamp28]

I phoned the office out there this morning. They have scouts there until August 8th and will officially open the trail to bikes on August 14th.

[monantony]

Enjoy it while it lasts, the evil CAC is HELLBENT on selling it., Pulling out all the stops to stay in power in Chicago long enough to ensure it is sold to a delevopment consortium for 20 Million.. Blue lake township is fighting em off on rezoning. I am planning to go up and bike a bit if i can this year, I have loved hiking there over the years... The great part up there was the kids stayed in camp and never got out, so it was always serene...
Anyone have experience MTB'ing the reservation??

Tony
4700 acres going poof
Edit': NM, I have had a chance to read this entire thread. Even hiking it is annoying the way they hav the maps setup, though I think the ones I had were better the the few I saw on trails......

[jandklasky]

Tony
4700 acres going poof
Edit': NM, I have had a chance to read this entire thread. Even hiking it is annoying the way they hav the maps setup, though I think the ones I had were better the the few I saw on trails......

Tony and I are Scout Leaders with Troop 115 from CAC and have camped at Owasippe many a summer with the Troop. What CAC is doing is SAD indeed, especially the underhanded way in whichj it is being done.

As far as the trails, while I hate to see the hiking trails torn up and widened by Mountain Bikes, I too am a mountain biker, and would have to agree that the trails they have there would be pretty ideal. And since the powers that be at Owasippe appear to have opened the trails up to biking, I guess it is out of my hands. So, with that being said, the trails at Owasippe are actually pretty easy to comprehend, if you have been up there for as many years as I have.

Essentially: The BLUE trails circumnavigate the entire Owasippe property, and lie pretty close to the property lines.

The ORANGE trail circle Lakes Wolverine, and goes through or near 3 of the sub camps that they have there - Wolverine, Robert Crown, and Camp Carlen. Some of the orange trail does indeed run along dirt service roads.

The WHITE trails simply connect the various other color trails to one another, or go to points of interest.

[mntn-biker]

Thanks you 2 for posting and updating us from the CAC side. We appreciate your input and are glad to hear you want your council in your area to keep the camp as much as we do. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the deal falls by the way side or some big corporation comes up and donates money to a local GR council to save it from the hands of the developers.

[duotone]

As I understand it the deal fell apart and we will be riding it soon.

[chillmolly2]

Brought my mountain bike back to Michigan with me, so I made sure I biked Owasippi before it is gone forever.

Love that trail!

As always, the trail is sandy in spots, and there are different trails going off in all directions. The yellow signage is pretty good, so following the "bike" trail is pretty easy.

[seether]

rode owasippe yesterday with GRrider and Sweetelly. Great ride, if not a little taxing due to heat and my 2 weeks of slacking off after Pando... trail was in good candition after the rain. this trail is great outer loop has some true challenges and amazing terrain, but is an energy sucker with all the sand. inside loop is fast and fun. overall a great ride.

there is a campaign going on out there to SAVE OWASSIPE! i checked out the web page: ooec.org (owasippe outdoor education center) They have a well laid out page and a good buisiness plan. They have Zero mention of mountain biking on the page. (although they do mention cross country running) has anyone from MMBA contacted this group? seems they could be allies in saving the trails.

[nate.phelps]

Owasippe never fails to put a big grin on my face.
I think one of the biggest reasons is the trail hasn't been sanitized. It's one of those special places that makes me feel we're in BFE and it's a long, long walk back to the car. Especially when your traveling at mach stupid on an incut off camber downhill. Good times.
I really hope that the land deal fell through as this a trail we should not lose.

[duotone]

Rode it Friday, fell in the river at the first bridge, refreshing...

Great ride as always.

[nate.phelps]

Rode it Friday, fell in the river at the first bridge, refreshing...

Great ride as always.

good to the last drop?
at least there is enough water there to cushion the fall.

[duotone]

Everytime I ride this place I get kicked off my ride.

In less than a second I ended up 10 feet on my a**. All was going well till my pedal grabbed the bottom part of a stump, and away I went!

Course is in great condition, they are charging for parking (or else) and the sandy parts are REALLY sandy.

Tony

[killercarbon98]

Rode last week- Great shape! Love that place. Too bad that Loon from Holland is going to tear it up! Anyone know the VanAndels? Would make a nice tax deduction if it were bought and donated. If only I won the Lotto!

Still paying a fee? Why? Its a done deal I heard. Where's the money going now?