Checking in from Marshall, new to the forum.
Hoping you all can help guide me to some great ORV trails in the state.
Welcome! Metro Detroiter here. Can I assume you are looking for jeep/4x4 trails and not ATV/ SxS tails?
For most of the public access trails in state and natl forest lands you have to get north if M20/Muskegon latitude. There may be others closer to Marshall. I can post some useful links here once I'm home and at my laptop.
Sorry it took so long.
As far as finding dedicated ORV routes and trails, there are some apps and some websites that publish this info in a user friendly way, though all of it is free public info. I use GAIA and onX offroad, the latter is a subscription based service with both mobile device apps and web based tools. Both offer offline maps mode, so you can use and track GPS location without data/cell service. onX Offroad shows ORV routes with color coding to classify open/closed and what type of usage is permitted. Some trails are ATV/SxS/motorcycle only. It also has ingfo about each trail, if any has been provided by other users. Unfortunately in Michigan, and the midwest overall, the amount of overlander feedback for this kind of info is lacking. Out west, there trails maps and trail info is much more rich and complete.
onX Offroad web view (mobile app is almost identical) - The location pins/routes are user created waypoints/routes that are saved to your acct and synced across all devices.
www.michigan.gov
The Michigan DNR states that dispersed camping is allowed anywhere on state lands as long as it meets these rules and regulations:
"Dispersed camping is permitted on any state-owned land for free. The following rules apply:
- The campsite must not be located in a designated state park, recreation area, rustic state forest campground or game area. The campsite must also be located more than one mile from a rustic state forest campground.
- The property must not be posted "No Camping."
- A camp registration card (PDF) must be prominently posted at the campsite for the duration of the stay. It is the responsibility of the camping party to ensure that the registration card remains legible (placing it in a zip-top bag is recommended).
- State Land Rules are followed."
they also link to an interactive map with state lands and campgrounds. (
https://midnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=1c46dfdb716042f7ad99866aa5d099bf ) I use this almost exclusively to determine areas of interest for dispersed camping, verifying that it meets the rules for "dispersed camping", as far as location/proximity goes, and then use google earth pro or web based program to find roads/two track/trails around the areas on interest. If you DL google earth pro (its free), you will be able to create routes and save locations with custom, labels and notes, etc and then you can save them as a .KML file and open them in the web based Google Earth prgram ( earth.google.com ). I believe there is a way to sync google earth across devices under one user account but I just save the routes/waypoints/etc to .KML file into my google drive and DL directly to the device in need so that I can use it offline in conjunction with offline maps. There are some more detailed info available for how to do this, google search will give you plenty of results.
My Google Earth of two "Projects" i have made of potential camping and some routes that I have tried. *The routes are too small to see in this zoomed out view*
There are other sites and apps, like iOverlander, that have some other potentially useful info on a map based GUI for things like where public utilities are available, dump stations, etc. It seems to be mostly geared toward RV type overlanding.
iOverlander
