So the second section of the North Country Trail that I was able to ride this summer was a fairly tame section from the Freesoil Trailhead on the corner of Freesoil Road and Elk Hwy in the Manistee National Forest. Heading north to Big M, you ride through the Udell Hills, though the hills are rather tame until you get closer to Big M. That doesn't mean that its not a fun or scenic ride, though. There are a lot of great open forest views, clearings and ponds on your way up to Big M. There's a section of gravel and pavement that you need to pay attention to once you get closer to Big M, but otherwise the path all the way up to M55 is great single track. There is a short section just north of M55 that is not open to mountain bikes, so if you wanted to ride a big ride from Freesoil Trailhead up through the trail I posted the other day, you would have to find a route around the NCT just north of M55.




After revisiting some trail from the Lumberjack 100 that I completed earlier in the year, we returned back to our car at the Freesoil Trailhead for a total ride time of about three and a half hours. I think you could make it up to M55 and back in about two hours, though. In addition to that, you can ride south from the Freesoil Trailhead for a few miles before running into another section of NCT trail closed to mountain biking. I haven't ever ridden that section but might make that a goal next summer just to get it on video.