Iron County ORV Trail System
The Iron County ORV Trail System in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula encompasses one of the most extensive county-managed ORV trail networks in the UP, with over 350 miles of designated ORV trails and route connections threading through the heavily forested country of Iron County and extending into the adjacent Ottawa National Forest on the Wisconsin border. The system serves the communities of Iron River, Caspian, and Crystal Falls and connects riders into the broader UP trail network via the state-designated ORV routes that link county systems across the Upper Peninsula. Iron County's terrain is classic UP north woods: dense northern hardwood and mixed-conifer forest of sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, balsam fir, and white pine; the characteristic glacially sculpted topography of eskers, kames, and kettle lakes left by the Laurentide Ice Sheet; the drainage networks of the Iron River, Paint River, and Brule River watersheds that define the county's hydrology; and the iron mining legacy that gives the region its name and produces some of the trail corridor on reclaimed mining land. The trail system includes dedicated single-track for dirt bikes, wider corridors for ATVs and UTVs, and the forest roads and old rail grades that accommodate full-size 4x4 vehicles on appropriate sections. Most trails are multi-use and seasonal, open April through November with the trail system transitioning to snowmobile use during winter months when Iron County becomes one of the Midwest's premier snowmobile destinations. Michigan ORV license is required. Contact the Iron County Chamber (906-875-6622) or the Michigan DNR Crystal Falls field office for current trail conditions and map availability.