Snowmobiling the Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon County is winter riding at its finest. Experience the snow-covered beauty of the western Upper Peninsula as you cruise through a landscape of soaring evergreens, gently flowing rivers and icy lakes. Here are three trails you shouldn’t miss.

Trail 1: Lake of the Clouds and Lake Gogebic

Start on Trail 1 in White Pine or Silver City and head west on 107^th Engineers Memorial Highway, which skirts the shores of Lake Superior, into the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park to the scenic overlook at Lake of the Clouds. (The road to the scenic overlook is closed to cars in winter but open to snowmobiles.) Head back toward Silver City to take Trail 1 south until you hit Trail 11, which follows the southern edge of the state park. Keep riding until you reach Trail 102, which will take you east to the northern shores of Lake Gogebic, the largest inland lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. There, you’ll meet up again with Trail 1, which you can follow along M-64 back to White Pine, Silver City or wherever you’re staying.

Ontonagon to Bond Falls

Want to see some of the U.P.’s most iconic waterfalls? Plan a trail adventure to Bond Falls, which sits in the southeast corner of Ontonagon County, just north of Watersmeet. From Ontonagon, take Trail 137 southeast to Rockland, where you’ll follow Trail 13 east until it hits Trail 3. As you follow the trail south, you’ll be able to take a slight detour on Trail 8 east to visit Agate Falls. Otherwise, stay on Trail 3 until you reach Bond Falls, which offers great photo opportunities even—or especially—in winter.

Copper Harbor trip

This trip designed for experienced snowmobilers takes riders through some of the most beautiful scenery the western U.P. has to offer. Start your trip in Ontonagon on Trail 12 and head east on either Trail 3 or Trail 13 (Trail 13 eventually meets up with Trail 3 just over the border in Houghton County). Trail 3 is also known as the Bill Nicholls Trail and takes riders through a picturesque winter canvas where they can see the famous Firesteel Trestles, former railroad trestles that soar hundreds of feet over deep gorges. Follow Trail 3 into Houghton until you hit Trail 132, then ride that until you reach Copper Harbor deep in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Find a place to stay

Many of the lodging properties in the Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon County can be found right on the snowmobile trails or provide easy access.

Learn more about snowmobiling in the Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon County here. See a trail map here.