By Donna Sulivan, Contributing Writer
Where else can you have fun 7 days a week with mud, trails, campfires, racing, and some down and dirty fun on 400 acres…well if you haven’t been to Twisted Trails then you are missing out on all the fun!
Twisted Trails is owned and operated by siblings Dale and Donna Humphrey who were born and raised in the area and started off roading at a young age. Dale even had his senior picture taken with his prized mud truck and was featured in 4 Wheel Magazine with one of the rigs he built. You could say it runs in their blood. This passion has grown to them having the largest Off Road Park in Michigan with 400 acres of trails, sand, swampy areas, rocky terrain for a challenge, a gravel pit, an a huge mud pit area currently in the process of expansion. Check out the half mile short course track for some jumps and curves to race your buddies on. Coming soon is another one for kids under 12 for the next generation of off roaders. The nice thing about the trails is that you don’t have to be the professional rider there are trails for everyone, you can check out the scenery with a leisurely ride on the easy trails all the way to testing your skills on the extreme trails where we recommend winches and lockers; either way you get miles and miles of trails with beautiful northern Michigan scenery in addition to the fun mud and dirt of an off road park.
This 400 acre park is now open 10am-6pm daily with extended hours for special events on Fridays and Saturdays generally from 9am to 10pm; come to ride the off road park and camp or hit up one of the many events throughout the entire year. Their on-site rustic campground allows you to ride your off road rig right into the park so the convenience of being able to take a break or roll into your campsite after a long day is definitely a plus. Kick back around the bonfire for a little R&R after a long day of riding. They currently have a few electrical sites and hope to expand in the future but don’t worry if you don’t get an electrical site you can kick on the generator during your stay. They continue to make improvements including the current expansion project they are working on of the new 40×72 ft General Store with bathrooms, showers and a new dump station. It’ll be nice to clean off after a hard day of riding the trails.
August is a full month at Twisted Trails with lots of special events and fun for everyone. The month kicks off with a jamming Summer Dog Party August 5-7 with Drew Hale, Jesse Jefferson and Headwind Blues Project rocking out on the stage, trail riding, mud racing, poker run, and joining in on the Copemish Heritage Days Parade. A weekend of fun for everyone! The park then shuts down for a full week to work with the 22 2 None Organization to set up for the DK5K Tough Mudder on August 13th, a 5k on foot obstacle through the park with teams of volunteers there to cheer you on the whole way getting you to the finish line. This year there is a MV-22 Osprey set to land, exciting and something you definitely don’t want to miss. All the proceeds from this event go to help veteran’s combat suicide. August is still not over because the local Dirt Dudes begin their invasion of the park August 19-21st with Crashapalooza 2.0 with events, live music, giveaways, and a lot of fun you definitely never want to miss out on. Check out these guys pushing their rigs to the limits and having fun on their home turf. If you missed Crashapalooza last year you missed out and you need to get your tickets because you don’t want to miss another one!
If you thought all the fun was in August you would be wrong because September Twisted Trails kicks off the month with KLT’s Kamp Omelette September 9-11 that benefits the local Cherryland Humane Society and Charlie Golf One with more fun. Bands rock the stage all weekend with Detroit Rock City, Scarkasm, Sunset Blvd and the Liki Titi Band, corn hole tournaments, campfires and more. What’s better than having fun and benefiting a great cause in the process??? After hitting up the stage we need to hit the trails on September 18 and get those motors rev’ed up and racing, endurance style; one and a half hours of pure adrenaline rushing through your veins on over 4 miles of trails to see if you have what it takes to not only finish but finish first for the last Trail Master Challenge of the season. Twisted Trails works with the RBOR for over 60 racers from all over the country so they can test their skills from stock, modified, unlimited and SXS classes to compete to say they finished and came out on top.
Tickets at Twisted are every affordable at only $20 per person for the Off Road Park, $10 per person for rustic camping and event tickets vary per event. For all their ticket pricing; 5 and under are free and kids ages 6-15 are half off adult pricing. They also have a Stay and Play Package that gives you 25% off when you stay at least 2 nights and play at least 3 days so make a weekend or more of it and save! For more information, call or text 231-651-9548, email twistedtrailsoffroadpark@gmail.com or go to twistedtrails.com to book your stay now!