Courtesy of the Keweenaw ATV Club Now is a great time to buy a Side by Side or a UTV for this coming Saturday’s (Oct 5) KATV Club Fall Ride. Another option is to rent a SXS from an area rental business. This is a very scenic and fun ride. It is open to the public.

It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, it is always a great time to trail ride in the Copper Country. However, when you combine an excellent ORV and snowmobile trail system, with the beauty of the fall colors, now is the best time to ride!

In Thursday’s Gazette, two stories told about the unmatched fall color of the Keweenaw. One national survey shared that the Copper Country was the very best place to experience fall color. When you have the remarkable management of the forest products industry in sustainable forestry along with the natural beauty of our area, there simply is no better place to see the fall colors.

Add in the best place to see the fall colors is right in the heart of the forests!

That’s why next Saturday’s Keweenaw ATV Club Fall Ride is a ride one needs to experience. If you are fortunate to have your own ATV, Side by Side (SXS), or UTV…it’s time to join your friends in the Keweenaw ATV Club. If you are not fortunate enough to own your own Off-Road Vehicle (ORV), you’re lucky to be surrounded by ORV Dealers that truly do have an ORV that fits your riding and fits your family.

Another excellent way to participate in next Saturday, Oct. 5’s Keweenaw ATV Club Fall Ride is to rent a SXS. Look at this past week’s Fall Colors Guide in the Gazette to get ideas. Wildlife Refuge Cabins in South Range, Boondock Inn UP North Resort near Twin Lakes, Copper Country Rentals in Calumet, Pat’s Motorsports and Adventure Motel, both in Greenland, and Hamilton’s North Coast Adventures near White Pine are among the multitude of area businesses that rent SXSs.

The Keweenaw ATV Club Fall Ride begins in Copper City. Riders will meet at the Drift Inn at 9 in the morning. You’re asked to bring a bagged lunch. They will be stopping along the scenic route. The ride is open to everyone. You need not be a KATV Club member, but you are warned that once you go on this ride, you are going to want to join on your own!

You’re going to meet new friends. You’re going to see for yourself how fortunate our area is to not only have a great ORV Trail System, but see for yourself how valuable the KATV Club is to our area. You’re also going to be taking a lot of pictures to share with those that did not take advantage of this ride.

You are going to need to have an ORV Trail Sticker on your ORV. You can get the ORV Trail Sticker from numerous businesses throughout the area. Rentals usually come with an ORV Trail Sticker, but it never hurts to ask to be sure. It is that $36 Trail Sticker that finances the maintenance and repairs of the Trail System.

One area where repairs are taking place is just north of Hancock where there is a signed trail detour on Trail ‘B.’ With the help of the volunteers of the KATV Club along with DNR funded (through the ORV Trail Pass) contractors are working to make sure the trail is safe for all trail riders.

After almost 20 years, the DNR is using an alphabetically specified Trail System in our area, such as Trail ‘B’ that has the short detour. Snowmobile Trails use a numeric system. The alphabetically used ORV signing program is 1 or 2 black letters on a white background. This contrast in color is visible, especially with our fall colors. The snowmobile numeric trail designation has black numbers on an orange diamond. Again, the black on orange is visible with the snowfall our area gets. Plus the ORV black on white goes with the ORV arrow signs that the state has used for a number of years.

One of the main reasons for this ORV trail signing program was to distinguish which trails were open to ORVs and which trails may only be open to snowmobiles. All too often people think that all snowmobile trails are open to ORVs. Not all snowmobile trails are open to ORVs.

For next Saturday’s KATV Fall Ride, you’ll come upon awesome lookouts, full tree canopies where you’ll think you are going through a tunnel. You’ll come across historic copper mining remnants. On top of all this, you are going to have a lot of fun.

Go to Keweenaw ATV Club on Facebook or on the internet. “Let’s Ride” on the KATV Fall Ride on Oct. 5. Everyone is welcome.

The Keweenaw ATV Club monthly meeting is on Monday, Oct. 7. It will be at the Hubbell VFW and starts at 7 p.m. Come and bring a friend.