Mountain bike trails are 1 of 47 worldwide to receive honor

COPPER HARBOR -- Twenty-five miles of rugged terrain, beautiful scenery and varying elevation...the Copper Harbor Mountain Bike Trails have something to offer every rider.

"I like the size of the loops; if you have an hour to kill, you can go out and ride for an hour,” said Dan Kauppi, a member of the Copper Harbor Trails Club.  “If you want to spend the day, you can go ride all day long out there.  It’s fun and it's helped me grow because of the different levels."

Local biking enthusiasts formed the Copper Harbor Trails Club last year.  But they've been working on the trails for nearly a decade, maintaining and mapping the area and adding extensive singletrack over cedar plank bridges and boardwalks.

Now their hard work has earned the route the elite "Epic Ride" status designated by the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

"We put the nomination in; we felt we had something special for some time and it's great to have that confirmation that they recognize that," said Sam Raymond, Vice President of the Copper Harbor Trails Club.

The trails are one of only 47 "Epic Rides" in the world.

As the first "Epic" in the U.P., the title should benefit the community as well.

“Being a town that deals only with tourism, this helps give us some national publicity for the mountain bike community, which seeks out these “Epic Rides” and actually goes to these destinations,” said Aaron Rogers, President of the Copper Harbor Trails Club

Though the recognition comes at the end of this year's season, the group is already excited to promote their new status next spring.  They also believe the honor will help them to achieve their goal of doubling the trail system within the next five years.