UTV Trail Ride from Houghton Lake to Leota (Michigan)

[@danfrank5833]

great presentation keep up the great job.

[@UTVBoondocker]

Thanks for watching Dan! I plan to make several more this year on the smaller trail systems. There is a new one in Cadillac that is 100 miles one way and I'm looking forward to filming that. Stay tuned!

[@captseamus]

Nice video. You from that area or did you trailer it there?

[@UTVBoondocker]

I trailered it there - have some friends that live in the area but we've been all over on those trails. It's one of the nicest trails to ride in the lower peninsula (in my opinion). Thanks for watching!

[@kenlowe8659]

I helped a lot of riders who were lost in that area due to no cell service or GPS. I know it’s the world we live in but the old school map reading works.

[@UTVBoondocker]

I'm old school and I always have paper maps available, great call out Ken! Another tip for the techno die hards is to always download GPS maps as offline so you can access them using GPS devices without service. As long as your device has a cellular chipset, it WILL have GPS as well (unless it's from the 90's lol). Thanks for watching!

[@charlesmanwill335]

Love to see people actually use hand signal to other vehicles

[@UTVBoondocker]

Yeah, most people are pretty good about it on this trail system - it's really helpful on the blind turns! Thanks for watching!

[@billbob235]

Couldn’t agree more! Ride with lights on too!

[@AmishHitman73.Archive]

after that i can better understand why my dog leans out the window lol its like the camera was where a dog would be, friggin great view there!

[@UTVBoondocker]

It's definitely a great time! Thanks for watching!

[@kenlowe8659]

Ive been riding dirt bikes from Leota to Houghton Lake. Years before cell phones. Sense the early 80s to current. I can’t stress enough, bring fold trail maps. Service isn’t always available.

[@UTVBoondocker]

Just responded to you other comment, so thanks again for mentioning this. Most of my riding is in the UP so a cell signal is ... ahem... rare. My primary navigation is GPS based from a n Apple iPad with a cellular/GPS chip and I prefer the GAIA app - works great. As mentioned above, I always carry paper maps (if available) for my area. Don't want to get lost anywhere but especially in the remote UP.

[@kenlowe8659]

@@UTVBoondocker I can just imagine UP riding is a different breed due to the remote locations. I haven’t had the pleasure to ride dirt bikes in the UP. I could be wrong but there seems to be more 50” or less loops in northern lower plus living in southern Michigan, Leota, Mio, Fredric, Houghton Lakes Denton loop, and St Helen are easily rideable in a day. Some day I’ll ride in the UP and experience a remote off road adventure.

[@UTVBoondocker]

@@kenlowe8659 I hope you make the trip UP. It's a great time! Meanwhile, we do have some descent riding downstate. I'll have to make more videos on the other routes like Tin Cup along with other private parks. More to come!

[@Brandon_Cazz]

Where did you unload at and take off from? My son and I would like to try this route

[@UTVBoondocker]

You can drop at Denton Creek ORV Trailhead which is near the route that I shared *or* you could drop right in St. Helen near the airport (close to the shell station in town). The ride to houghton Lake from St. Helen is a nice route too. Hope you have fun and thanks for watching!

[@Megaman96]

👍

[@UTVBoondocker]

Thanks for watching Chris!

[@brianperkins2643]

Where did you stay at? And could you ride from where you're staying

[@UTVBoondocker]

We have some friends that have a place up there just off the trail system but that trail system connects to St. Helen area and Roscommon - I'm sure you could find a VRBO in the area that is close to the trails. You could easily make 4 day ride on all of the trails in the area with a nearly full explore. It's a favorite place to ride for me except for holidays - it's crazy busy during that time but any given weekday or non-holiday weekend is pretty tame and super fun. The trails are whooped out pretty good so plan on speed over the bumps or lots of shaking :). I do plan on another video showing the St. Helen trail system which has some really nice areas to ride including a sand bowl, rock section and plenty of elevation changes. Hoping to film that this year. Hope that helps you out a bit and thanks for taking the time to watch! We have plenty of other videos if you're looking to kill some time!

[@patricklandis3910]

Just out of curiosity, how long did it take you? What was your average speed?

[@UTVBoondocker]

Probably an hour or so - I had my son with me and we filmed and poked around on the trip so it's hard to say. You can ride from St. Helen to Roscommon in about an hour or Houghton Lake less than 2 hours. As for speed, I typically run about 20-25 mph with the occasional 35 sprint on open areas where I can see. Lots of blind turns so you have to be careful of oncoming machines - they all don't take it slow :). Thanks for watching and Happy New Year!!

[@SuperSYMPATHIZER]

So it’s basically dirt roads??

[@UTVBoondocker]

In the beginning yes, but then it's trails and then dirt roads toward the end. If you take the trails from houghton lake to St. Helens, that is all trails (mostly sand). Same from St. Helen to Roscommon. Thanks for watching and have fun on the trails!

[@makiyapetruska6601]

No! There's a variety. We'll worth the trip! Please remember to keep the trails clean, take your trash with you and keep your vehicle OUT of the water! Unfortunately not everyone who visits these trails are respectful of the land and waterways. This has caused a few different places along this section of trail to be blocked off. (Not the main trail, but cuts, and river access) Loved this video and seeing out local trails being highlighted! Happy trailing!