Beautiful vistas, Great Lakes, small lakes, rivers, waterfalls, forests, beaches, rustic campgrounds, national parks, national forests, state forests, twisty dirt, sand, gravel and paved roads, lefse, cheese curds and pasties: The Great Northern Adventure Route has it all, 1360 miles of riding through three states and some of the most scenic and wild land in North America.
The GNAR takes riders across northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and through or adjacent to Voyageurs National Park, Superior National Forest, The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness, Ottawa National Forest, Hiawatha National Forest, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, twelve state parks, and the shores of Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan.
In order to make the route more manageable, we've divided the route into six sections. These sections are not designed to be ridden in a day, but instead have endpoints with reliable cell service to allow for loading or editing the next section.
A list of campgrounds is provided for each section. Make the GNAR yours by choosing your own stopping points! Using the REVER app and the linked maps, you can add side trips, lengthen or shorten the route, or ride it in either direction. The GNAR is your adventure to alter and customize! Share your ride, changes, discoveries, experiences and photos with other riders on the REVER app.
01
Section
The journey begins at Hayes Lake which is the start of the forest and peatlands as you ride on gravel near the Canadian border and Voyageurs National Park. This section remains tame, but hosts a few cool points-of-interest like the Faunce Fire Tower and a walleye statue. All of this culminating in a relaxing evening at Crane Lake.
02
Section
Section 2 kicks off with a scenic ride through lake country to Ely, followed by a thrilling paved stretch on Route 1. The route shifts to Echo Trail and to Grand Marais before hitting the Arrowhead Loop, one of our favorite sections of the trip. The route concludes down to Duluth along Route 61 or alternate gravel route.
03
Section
As you meander out of Duluth, this route navigates away from Route 2 linking together dirt and gravel forest service roads. This route features many twists and turns to keep you on your toes before linking back to Silver City and the shores of Silver City.
04
Section
Exploring Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, you will navigate a mix of road types and encounter natural obstacles, including a memorable river crossing and rocky incline. This route emphasized the unpredictablitiy of adventure riding along logging dirt roads that had washouts. The route continues up to Copper Harbor and rolls down to L'Anse with great dirt roads.
05
Section
After departing L'Anse, the ride lets you get your lean on into Grand Marais, MI. East of Grand Marais, the road turns to gravel with a soft layer of silt that offers a challenge for newer riders.
06
Section
The final day offers a scenic ride past Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, with sand-riding routes that will test your expertise. This journey rounds out with more canopy cover riding and concludes at the Straits of Mackinac
Behind every route, a partnership that propels every journey, hand in hand, wheel by wheel
Stephen Wisner has worked as a fly fishing guide, avalanche controller, commercial fisherman and high school English teacher. In 2014, along with a friend, he rode a motorcycle from Sault Ste. Marie, Canada to Valparaiso, Chile. He has also ridden ADV bikes to the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec and all around the American West. He designed the Great Northern Adventure Route to showcase the beauty of the Upper Midwest. He lives with his wife, children and stepchildren in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Glad you asked, the GNAR or Great Northern Adventure Route is a curated adventure route on mostly dirt roads that span across the upper reaches of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It begins at Hayes Lake State Park in Northern MN and ends at the Mackinac Bridge in MI.
The full route is around 1,300 miles. The route has also been broken down into six sections that start and end at bigger towns. The route does not have to be ridden in these set sections.
Great question, this depends on the size of the group, pace, and how much you want to stop for notable points-of-interest. Our crew did it in 5 days while filming, but the final section was a big push to finish. Our suggestion would be to allow for 6-8 days to fully experience the route.
The GNAR passes through many small towns with ample opportunities to fill up. You won’t need to go more than 150 miles, so if your bike requires less than that, bring some extra fuel.
Although the name suggests it is gnarly, this route is quite tame. Like any adventure, you can expect a challenging section or a few, but for the most part, this route features beautiful views, cool canopy cover, and wide gravel/dirt roads.
After the thaw! This route would be most ideal from late June to mid October. That being said, each year differs so take that into consideration.
Whether this is your very first adventure trip or you are a seasoned veteran, this route is wildly awesome, but approachable. You can expect to reach some remote regions that most folks have never experienced nor ever will, you will visit small, quirky towns and find neat points-of-interests along the way. The route rides along Lake Superior, but dives into the forests and along many other lakes along the way.
There are many remote sections of this route, in addition to your typical clothes and camping supplies, it’s essential that you have the proper tools, tubes, patch kits, etc to fix your bike if something goes wrong.
You can easily do both on the GNAR. There are ample remote and managed campsites along the way as well as small Inns. If you plan to ride a section on the weekend, we recommend booking a site or room in advance.
Ya, you betcha. Be prepared with spray and cover.
Just like the spelling of REVER, it goes both ways! The route can be ridden either direction, when you launch the route as “Follow Route Line,” you can use the static line on the map to follow along either way.