I have heard from a couple of you here and on Facebook about a ride in Central MI. For anyone interested, a few of us are planning to do the Gladwin ORV route and a few of the area two tracks Saturday, March 25th. We will meet up at the Gladwin ORV trailhead parking lot about noon and try and get on the trail be 12:30. Just let me know here if you’re interested. Channel 7 GMRS is probably the most important thing to bring. It will be wet, so bring rubber boots for those of us in SE MI we may have a chance to do a shop tour at Unlimited Off Road in Fenton. If we do, we will stop by between 9-10AM. More details on that shortly.
This sounds awesome. I ordered ORV permits through DNR but they don’t go in effect until 4/1/23. Is that a problem. Also, is Midland handheld GMRS radios okay? Is there anything else I should consider bringing. I’m looking at buying a kenotic recovery robe and soft shackles. I have the factory recovery points on Stomper. I have future plans on equipping Stomper but it takes time. Any input on suggestions would be helpful.
You don’t need any special equipment for this ride, there will be more than enough recovery equipment. GMRS/channel 7 is the biggest thing to make the ride enjoyable. I would say a small limb saw, shovel, strap/kinetic rope and shackles are the key gear to pick up when you can. Might end up airing down too, depending on the conditions. Having a good air pump is helpful in getting back on the road. The nearest gas station is a few miles from the trailhead.
Regarding the ORV stickers, I don’t think anything we will be on qualifies for sticker use, but it’s a really gray area. You can read the regulations and decide. I would say it would be very odd, if you have next year’s stickers, to have any problem. Per the chart, if the route is passable by 2WD in normal conditions, it’s not required if you have plates.
I’d like to do this in the summer when I have free time to drive up to Gladwin.
Also on the stickers. You can’t buy the new ORV until March (online), so really there is like a 2-3 week “overlap period” where you can but the new ones before the old ones expire.
I’d be interested in what the actual rule is for these 2-3 weeks. I already covered up my 22’s with my 23’s but I owned both.
I’m sure the regulations are you display the current stickers, but I am pretty sure most of the route are county roads, which in no way require ORV stickers. I am not sure any of the Gladwin route requires stickers at all if you are plated. I have ridden dirt bikes and SXS through the area a lot, never had a question come up, but…… I always buy them anyway, just to be safe.
We used the 2023 stickers at Holly Oaks last weekend and went in without issue - I think that you would be ok with them for this weekend. They show an expiration date on the sticker, not a starting date.
for those of us in SE MI we may have a chance to do a shop tour at Unlimited Off Road in Fenton. If we do, we will stop by between 9-10AM. More details on that shortly.
