Is this Michigan?s most scenic cycling tour?
Bicycling Magazine named the Old Mission Peninsula as the best ride in Michigan in 2012 and I’m not going to argue. It’s often the first ride we do in the spring and one of the last before November snows shut down our cycling season.
Why is it one of my favorite tours? Probably because I love pedaling by water and there is an abundance of it along this route. This 18-mile-long peninsula, which is the divider between East and West Traverse Bays, has three major roads, all them offering lake views.
Center Road, the major highway, runs up the middle of the peninsula. From the high spots you can see both the West Arm and East Arm of the bay at the same time. If you like hills, there’s a few along this route, though none steep enough to turn your legs to Jello.
Looking for an easier ride? Stick to the shoreline roads. Peninsula Drive hugs the shoreline on the west side, and Bluff Road runs along much of the east side. Bluff Road has a couple leg burner climbs, but even a newbie biker should be able to make these ascents.
Weather & wind determines routes
What route we ride depends on how we feel and what’s happening with the weather. One spring morning just after the ice had gone out, we headed up to the peninsula only to encounter a stiff north wind.
In summer a breeze can provide a welcome cooling effect on a hot day, but on this day where the temperature was just nudging the 40s, that wind coming over the icy bay waters was numbing. Not a great day to be riding. Still if it’s warm and winds are light, pedaling along the lakeshore before the leaves are out on the trees offers pretty much unobstructed views of the lake most of the way.
In late October the Old Mission Peninsula is a favorite fall color ride. When the mainland trees are dropping leaves, the buffering effects of Lake Michigan help hold autumn color just a little longer on the peninsula.
The entirety of Dave Foley’s case for Old Mission Peninsula as the best place in Michigan for bike touring appears in the April 2015 issue of Silent Sports magazine. To order a copy, call Circulation at 888-706-4045. Or subscribe online here and never miss another issue.