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Biking the Old Mission Peninsula

08.11.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

Well, we’re back. A beautiful, breezy 62°F (16°C) when we left Traverse City, Michigan this morning. A face-slapping 100 (38°C) when we touched down in Austin this afternoon. And it appears the air conditioning is on the fritz at home — indoor temp was 85 (29°C), and we’ll be in for an uncomfortable night.

But what a great week we had. We met our friends Brad and Linda, whom we biked with in Chicago several weeks back, and stayed at Linda’s sister’s farm on the Old Mission peninsula of northwestern Michigan.

The red A marks the spot on both maps.
The red A marks the spot on both maps.

The setting is spectacular. The peninsula juts into Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan for about 18 miles. It’s narrow, and from many spots you can see both the West Arm and East Arm of the bay at the same time. A great biking destination.

Just a few miles from the farm is the Old Mission Lighthouse. The ride allowed us to get used to the bikes we had rented and were riding for the first time (more on renting bikes in a later post). Although now out of commission, there is still something romantic about a lighthouse.

Mrs. and Mr. Noob.
Mrs. and Mr. Noob.

We took several rides on the peninsula during our stay, each one covering a slightly different route. The center of the peninsula is high ground, which means riders have plenty of hills to negotiate. The area around Grand Traverse Bay is known for cherry orchards. Grapes grow well, too, and a number of wineries have sprung up in the area.

A cherry orchard.  Look close to see the cherries.
A cherry orchard. Look close to see the cherries.

Despite the name Old Mission, the missionary activity in the area is fairly recent. It was not until 1839 that a Presbyterian minister came to the area to convert Ottawa Indians. A replica of the mission stands across the road from the farm where we stayed.

The old mission was a rude log structure.
The old mission was a rude log structure.

Three roads run up the peninsula. Center Road, the major highway, has the high ground in the middle. Peninsula Road hugs the shoreline on the west side, and Bluff Road runs along much of the east side. A number of connecting roads cross the peninsula, allowing bikers to create routes of varying distances.

Brad and I took off one morning to ride to Traverse City and back. We opted to head south on Peninsula Road, spend a little time in town, and head back on Bluff road. The toughest part of the trip is at the beginning, when we had to cross the hills to get down to Peninsula Road. From there, the going was easy, with a marked bike lane along much of the road, and fresh, smooth asphalt for several miles.

Once down the hills, we rode through picturesque Bowers Harbor.
Once down the hills, we rode through picturesque Bowers Harbor.

Several long paved bike trails cross Traverse City and lead to various locations in the country. We rode the TART Trail along the city’s lakefront park.

Brad's recumbent on the TART Trail in downtown Traverse City.
Brad's recumbent on the TART Trail in downtown Traverse City.

Northwestern Michigan College farther along the trail is home of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy.

Bike Noob at the ship owned by the Maritime Academy.
Bike Noob at the ship owned by the Maritime Academy.

Leaving Traverse City on the return leg, bikers must ride Center Road, or Route M-37. It’s fairly busy, but has a wide shoulder for much of its length. Still, it’s good to get off Center and get onto Bluff Road with its views of the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

Brad follows Mrs. Noob around a curve on Bluff Road.
Brad follows Mrs. Noob around a curve on Bluff Road.

Our ride to Traverse City and back was 37 miles and change. It’s an easy ride, and the break in town allows for some additional sightseeing.

The Cherry Capital Cycling Club seems to be quite active — we saw them riding in good-sized groups several times during our stay. Their web site features maps of a number of different bike routes in the area.

Perfect summer weather, terrific scenery, cherries and wine — we had a great time. For getaway biking, northwestern Michigan is hard to beat.

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Comments

  1. Bryan says

    August 11, 2008 at 12:43 am

    Nice to have you back. It looks like you and Mrs. Noob had a good time. I’ve never been to that area of the country but I’ve always heard it’s nice. You wouldn’t catch me up there in winter though!

    Reply
  2. Apertome says

    August 11, 2008 at 11:23 am

    Looks like some good riding in that area. I’ve never been up there either, but it sounds like a great trip!

    Reply
  3. Andrea says

    August 16, 2008 at 8:06 pm

    This is good to hear. My grandmother lives in Traverse City and I go up there nearly every year. I went to the Old Mission Peninsula last year and was fantasizing about a bike tour of MI. Perhaps in a few summers!

    Reply
  4. rainycamp says

    August 16, 2008 at 8:38 pm

    Andrea, go for it!
    Another benefit of biking in the area is that people seem to be aware of the amount of biking activity and are very tolerant of bikers. The only complaints about bikers I heard is that during cherry harvesting season they can sometimes slow down trucks loaded with cherries, which must be able to hit at least 40 mph to get up the hills.

    Reply
  5. Howard J. Blodgett says

    December 13, 2008 at 10:54 am

    I was happy to find this article today. I live in Traverse City, about five miles north of the town on M-22 in Leelanau County, and I can testify that it is an incomparable place for bikers, with hundreds of routes, spectacular scenery, and one of the best trail systems in Michigan in the Leelanau Trail, an adjunct to the TART (Traverse Area Rails-to-Trails) system that one can ride to Suttons Bay (about 15 miles from T.C.), mostly on paved trail. It passes through spectacular countryside, working farms,vineyards, etc., along an old railroad grade (never steeper than 3%). I highly recommend it.

    We also have hundreds of miles of off-road bicycling, too, in the Fife Lake State Forest east of town. The Traverse area is an area of heavy bicycling activity, and the municipal and county governments have done much to encourage it. If you ever get a chance, don’t miss a trip up here in the summer. It’s a bicycler’s paradise.

    And no, I don’t like the winter up here. I leave that for the snowmobilers and others crazy enough to go out in sub-freezing weather and claim that they’re having fun.:)

    Reply

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