Michigan’s Drummond Island has a rich history that spans back hundreds of years, but its off-road trail system is still in its infancy. That’s why its recent recognition from BFGoodrich as part of its Outstanding Trails program is significant for the area and for those who have put in years of work to establish it as a great off-road destination.

Off-Road.com was on-hand for the official presentation of the BFGoodrich Outstanding Trails award, and we were also able to sample the trails first-hand. It’s a beautifully scenic off-road area with plenty of activities to partake in when not on the trail. That’s why it’s no wonder Steve Walker, Drummond Island Off-Road Club President, told us that many locals consider the area “The Ultimate Playground,” since in the summer months Drummond Island offers fishing, golfing, hiking, water sports, bird watching, and, of course, off-roading.

BFGoodrich’s Outstanding Trail Program is in its fifth year of recognizing off-road trails in the U.S., and it is truly gaining steam as a highly-touted award. The first few years of the program was a bit of a building phase for BFG, but now the award carries with it a certain weight and provides a number of benefits for off-road clubs. Along with the recognition as an Outstanding Trail, Drummond Island Off-Road club was also presented with a $4,000 check from BFG to help preserve the trail system and continue its conservation efforts. BFG Light Truck Marketing Manager Joe Mazur helped explain the program in more detail while at the ride event for the award presentation.

“We started BFGoodrich Outstanding Trails five years ago, and we partnered up with United Four-Wheel Drive Associations and Tread Lightly!” he said. “We wanted to not only nominate trails across the country that people liked to go off-roading on, but also reward clubs that are doing the right thing and basically are responsibly off-roading as well as taking care of these trails to make sure that they’re around for everybody to enjoy.”

For Drummond Island, which is just across the way from Canada over the waters of Lake Huron, this recognition is important. The 136-square-mile island has a long history, being both one of the five main meeting locations for the Chippewa Tribe and also a focal point during the start of the fur trade. Nowadays, the island has roughly 1000 full-time residents that swells to 4,000 or 5,000 in the summer months. Walker explained that the local club, which has been in existence for roughly six years, looked to be preemptive in protecting the trails on the island and what it offers off-roaders and can provide for the local economy. 

“We knew the day was coming at some point that they were going to try and close down the trails,” said Walker, who moved to Drummond Island after leaving a banking job in his late 30s and now runs the Bear Track Restaurant and Motel.

Walker hasn’t done it alone, however, which he is quick to note. He credits Drummond Off-Road club vice president Mike Kelly with doing a great deal of work, noting “he’s the brain and I’m the mouth.” The Drummond Island Off-Road club has also received a great amount of aid in creating and maintaining the trail system by groups such as the Great Lakes Four-Wheel Drive Association, who’s president Bob DeVore also serves as treasurer for the United Four Wheel Drive Associations. Mud, Sweat and Gears (MSG) is another Michigan-based group with a long history of traveling to Drummond Island to explore its trails, and MSG President Rob Pionk was nice enough to give us a seat in his Rubicon when we ventured out to the trails.

Part of what makes Drummond Island and its trail system such an interesting story is the cooperation between different clubs. At times, off-road clubs can be guarded about their riding spots and aren’t always the quickest to work with others on trails within their area, but that is far from the case with Drummond Island’s situation. The success of the trail system can be attributed to the collective effort of all parties involved.

Although trails have existed and have been explored by locals for decades and beyond, there was really no clear-cut system in place even 10 years ago. Some trails crossed over personal property or were not interconnected. But today, there’s over 115 miles of off-road trails broken into roughly 67 miles of ATV trails, and about 48 miles of four-wheel trails for full-sized vehicles.

Yamaha recognized the trail system as a great ATV destination and awarded a Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Grant a few years back. With that exposure and the increase in popularity in the area – as well as the forward thinking of the locals – the collective group effort worked to outline a trail system, work with other outdoor groups such as wildlife enthusiasts and hikers, and build a plan for off-roading on the island.

“We had to get [the trails] controlled and put them into a trail system so that we could get the wildlife people involved, so that we can get the forest people involved, and we can control erosion, and take proactive steps,” Walker said.. “We tried to compartmentalize the island so that the people that wanted to explore it hiking and bird watching could do that away from the off-roading. It also has some unique terrain that we wanted to protect. There’s a lot of rock here. Looking at survival, we know that other people who liked to do this type of activity and would travel here to go off-roading.”

The island itself is a giant chunk of rock. You’ll find references to the island as “The Rock.” It was even described as “glacier s#&t” to us, which is an apt description since the island is believed to have formed when a large glacier traveled through the area, leaving deposits of rocks on its path south. The island can only be accessed via ferry, and although it is vey lush and green like much of Northern Michigan in the summer, once on the trails it’s clear that it truly is a big rock. Whereas many trails in other wooded areas will absorb water over time, the hard-rock base of Drummond Island doesn’t allow the water to absorb, and in many areas it just pools up and sits, which makes it a fun trail ride if you don’t mind getting a little dirty. 

Jim Mazzola, a GM engineer who was recently voted in as the new president of the United Four-Wheel Drive Associations, attended the event after having not been to the island for almost a decade. The UFWDA has been in existence since 1974, exclusively representing full-sized four-wheel drive vehicles, their access to trails, and preserving the environment. He recognized the importance of the BFGoodrich Outstanding Trails award and felt the exposure really helps to further the cause of off-road systems like Drummond Island.

“Certainly the aspect of being recognized is one of the most important things,” Mazzola said. “There’s a lot of clubs, groups, associations, and even individuals that work very diligently and very hard to bring about recreation and some sort of economic prosperity to the communities they live in, and one of the things I’ve noticed in being here this weekend, and I haven’t been here in 10 years now, is the community is so much behind what has been done out here, and it’s a great plus to see. Not only is the community behind it, but to have industries come in and recognize the fact that there are a lot of hard-working groups out there that are really trying to do the right thing. All too often we find that people blame four-wheelers, full-size and small four-wheelers alike, for all the destruction that goes on everywhere.

“To [have the locals] recognize the fact that there’s income, and prosperity, and there’s business and there’s tourism dollars being developed with the development of this trail system, and to have industry like BFG recognize those clubs really caps it off for these clubs, that they’ve come full circle and they’re now being recognized as a legitimate entity and a legitimate recreation, which I think is fantastic.” 
 
Walker echoed Mazzola’s sentiments that such an award will only help gain more exposure for the area, but it will also help aid them in the fight to keep these trails open for off-road use and have some extra leverage when meeting with local, state and Federal officials.

“The recognition across the state of Michigan also helps to help draw some tourism up here, and BFGoodrich is a national company providing us exposure, and that has some weight,” Walker said. “Everyone up here is very proud of the award. It’s a huge deal on a number of levels.”

Moving forward, the Drummond Island Off-Road Club, the Great Lakes Four-Wheel Drive Association, Mud, Sweat and Gears, and other off-roaders who enjoy the trails will continue to do so while maintaining the area the right way. That means riding only on designation ORV trails and helping local Department of National Resources (DNR) agents keep enthusiasts on the right path.

“We have law enforcement now that, if you’re not riding on the correct side of the trail, they are going to get you,” Walker said. “They’ll work with you inside the trail system, but if you’re running up a field somewhere you can be cited.”

With the hard work of local clubs, the acceptance o the local community, and the support and recognition from companies such as BFGoodrich, Drummond Island will offer off-roaders a great getaway for years to come. This is just one of 19 off-road trails that BFG has recognized, covering 16 states and recognizing two trails in Canada. Over $70,000 in grants have been awarded to clubs, but as Drummond Island has learned, the recognition goes even farther than the financial aid.

For more information about Drummond Island, visit http://www.drummondislandchamber.com/.

Links:
 
United Four-Wheel Drive Associations - http://www.ufwda.org/

Great Lakes Four-Wheel Drive Association - http://www.glfwda.org/

Mud Sweat & Gears - http://www.msg4x4club.com/