Ride Guide- July 2025

RIDE GUIDE

JULY 2025

It's time to experience the wonders of Michigan!

We are excited to see you all soon at the Tour des Trees! We have a wonderful crew of 63 riders this year and we thank you all for your support.

Below, you'll see a breakdown of each day from Paul Wood, who rode the entire route and made some notes. Special thanks to Kathy Gilmour, Laurie Skul, and Thom Kraak for coming along on the trip, too.

After that, there will be some additional notes and info to remember as we approach Tour week. As always, please feel free to reach out at any time if you have any questions.

Thanks very much for all your support of TREE Fund!

Jonathan Cain

TREE Fund

Route Notes from our Tour Director, Paul Wood:

We have just returned from our final review of the 2025 Tour des Trees route and event logistics. I was able to ride every single mile offered this year, except I opted not to do the Day 1 Morbark Challenge. Below are my notes and observations from last week's ride:

Day 1 - Grand Rapids to Big Rapids (63 & 108 miles)

We’ll exit the hotel onto Monroe Ave. for the first two miles until we reach Riverside Park, where we will have our official kickoff event. Once we exit Riverside Park we will quickly intersect White Pine Trail, which, for those not doing the Morbark Challenge, will be our primary path to Big Rapids. The entire TdT peloton will be on White Pine Trail for 37 miles except for short jaunts to our Aid Station in Cedar Springs and Lunch in Morley. The ability to utilize a trail for a significant portion of Day 1 should allow us to ease into what will be a surprisingly hard Tour and offer a safe environment for us to get reacquired with each other and the dynamics of the TdT pack. From there, those taking the more direct route to Big Rapids will continue on the Trail for another 15 miles before exiting to participate in a community event in Big Rapids. For those who are participating in the Morbark Challenge, you will be shuttled past the worst of some really bad “pavement” on 5 Mile Rd, and then complete the long option on Day 1.

Notes/Observations on Day 1
We’ll need to be very mindful for potential of conflicts with commuting traffic while exiting the hotel as we make our way to Riverside Park, but there is bicycle lane and this stretch is like many other urban settings we have safely navigated before.
While the previously unpaved stretches of White Pine Trail are now paved, there will be several miles where the Trail surface will vary dramatically. Expect to experience lots of seams, root upheaval, and debris. You will have to be very focused while riding on the Trail, paying attention to the potential of these “hazards” and leave yourself plenty of space between your fellow riders.
There shouldn't be very much traffic on the White Pine Trail but just remember to be a good citizen. Cyclists should yield to other trail users and be sure to alert them of your intention to pass when doing so.
Most importantly, there will be LOTS of intersecting roads and driveways on the Trail and most of these have very limited sight lines, so you will need to be especially careful crossing these intersections. I ask that you take personal responsibility when crossing these intersections and do not allow a rider ahead to influence when you deem it is safe to cross. Only you know what you consider to be safe conditions for yourself!

Day 2 - Big Rapids to Traverse City (96 miles)

We start the day with a quick tree planting at Big Rapid’s new Depot Park. Afterward, we’ll continue along White Pine Trail until its northern terminus in Cadillac, at mile 45, where we’ll have lunch. Although riding on the trail for the better part of two days will provide us a safe environment to start the Tour, it will be refreshing to finally get out on the road were you can enjoy the exhilaration and efficiency of a well coordinated pace line. The roads from Cadillac to Traverse City are mostly wonderful and will lend themselves to making time in your pack!

Notes/Observations on Day 2
As with Day 1, we’ll need to be cautious and conscientious while cycling the 40+ miles on White Pine Trail to start our day.
While most of the roads we’ll utilize from Cadillac to Traverse City are wonderful and have nice shoulders. There are two stretches that concern me; the first is the 1.5 miles on West 13th before turning onto South 37th Street shortly after leaving Cadillac and the four miles on North Brownson Ave before turning onto Arbutus Hill Road, after our afternoon Aid Station in Kingsley. These stretches of road will have a fair amount of traffic but they also have a nice shoulder.
For those that would like a shorter riding day, after lunch, we will have shuttles to take riders over to the SEEDS campus, just outside of Traverse City, where we'll be able to see all the projects they are working on and how they train students for future careers in green industry jobs.

Day 3 - Traverse City to Manistee (101 miles)

The Queen Stage! Not only is Day 3 our longest of the 2025 Tour, but it also has the most cumulative climbing - 4,130+ ft. - and its 40 ft/mile is 2-3 times greater than the other stages this year. While there are no real big climbs, the terrain is rolling and includes a few climbs that will get your attention. After a gentle start along the bayshore and a short stint on the Leelanau Trail you turn onto Grandview Road at mile 3, where you’ll encounter the longest climb of the Tour. This 2.5 mile and 500 ft climb will surely break up the pack. After the “big” climb you’ll roll along a series of short climbs which make for wonderful cycling before turning onto M22, one of the most prominent backdrops of this year's Tour des Trees. After cycling through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore into the town of Empire, we hit what is probably the most challenging climb of the Tour, Wilco Rd/(Empire Bluff). It climbs around 280 feet in just a bit less than a mile. From there you’ll spend most of the afternoon on M22, which, while it is a fairly heavily used state highway, it has a nice shoulder and offers lots of views of Lake Michigan to your west. Oh and it also has a number of pretty spicy climbs to keep you engaged.

Notes/Observations on Day 3
As stated, this will be the most challenging day of the 2025 Tour and anyone who completes this century will have earned a shoutout tonight!
While the morning route is on mostly quiet roads, we’ll spend a fair amount of the day cycling on the shoulder of M22 (40+ miles). And although a lot of this year's route will allow for a rotating and occasional double pace line, since the M22 has a fair amount of traffic and a shoulder that has been grooved, you’ll need to be really cautious and pay close attention to traffic to work this road efficiently and safely.
You’ll also need to exercise caution during the final 1/2 mile of the day navigating US 31 to our hotel for the night.

Day 4 - Manistee to Whitehall (91 miles) - The third consecutive (or fourth for those who did the Morbark Challenge) 90+ mile day of the 2025 Tour des Trees! No doubt there will be some weary legs in the peloton today, but after 3 of 5 days and 260 of the 427 miles, you have completed 60% of the days and miles of this year's ride! Day 4 is a wonderful day that has us cycling along a series of shoreline roads and through quaint Michigan towns filled with energy and tourists. One real highlight of the day was riding into and watching the families as they enjoyed the thrill of riding their ORV's at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. To be honest, I don’t have a lot to say about this day, since we woke up to cool temps and light rain that persisted until after lunch, so while I remember it as being a safe and enjoyable route, our spirits were dampened by the weather and fatigue from the previous days' rides.

Notes/Observations on Day 4
As noted, this was a safe route and the only real safety concerns I have are:
After many miles of open roads reentering a trail system and shifting our mindset back to the issues on a multi-use path as we approach Montague.
Our final 2 miles on East Colby Street to our hotel for the night.
This is a 4-lane, busy street and as we approach our hotel, it crosses under US 31 where we'll have to navigate safely through entrance and exit ramps to and from the highway.

Day 5 - Whitehall to Grand Rapids (76 miles)

The final day and possibly my favorite 20 miles of the 2025 Tour! We start out with a short ride to our host for breakfast, at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, on the shores of White Lake. After departing breakfast, we cycle some 20 miles along the shores of Lake Michigan into North Muskegon, and these 20 miles just may be my favorite stretch of the entire Tour. We navigate into Muskegon on the Lakeshore Trail, where we will hold a special Memorial Tree planting for Gwen, the wife of our long time photographer Al Gilens. After the Aid Station and Memorial Tree planting in Muskegon, we’ll jump on the last trail of this year's Tour, the Musketawa, for 17 miles into lunch. After lunch, we’ll make our way along a beautiful series of rolling roads before entering the final stretch and closing the loop back to Grand Rapids, after five days and 425+ miles. A well-deserved celebration will be in store for you at tonight's closing dinner!

Notes/Observations on Day 5
We will be navigating from the hotel along the same road that was identified in the notes for the previous day, E. Colby St., and the worrisome concerns regarding possible heavy traffic on that road as well as vehicles entering and exiting US 31.
We will be utilizing 20+ miles of multi-use trials, which by now we should be very familiar with trail etiquette and the principles of safe navigation on them.
At the end of the day, we will reenter a city of size, which typically has better cycling/pedestrian infrastructure but also has more pedestrians using that infrastructure and many more vehicles, so be hyper focused as you approach Grand Rapids.

General Observations/Notes:

I use a front daytime light and a rear blinking light/radar (Varia) when road cycling. We highly recommend using rear lights at all times and front lights when possible, to help with visability.
When navigating a route, I prefer to use my phone and the RidewithGPS app so that I have the best opportunity to stay on course and hear all of the custom cues and POI’s that I create for the Tour.
I understand that doing so comes with the limitation of your phone battery life but I overcome that by using a portable power bank that I keep in a top tube bag.
I know that most of our riders will choose to use their bike computer to navigate the TdT route and most head units today work remarkably well. But:
You must make sure you are prepared to use the RidewithGPS app on your phone;
Have uploaded the routes before you arrive;
Know how to find the 2025 TdT event page within the RidewithGPS app before you arrive;
Know how to transfer routes from your phones RidewithGPS app to your head unit in case of an issue or route update during the Tour.
I will be reviewing and making final edits this week to the routes, after which I will publish a link for you to join the event so you can begin to familiarize yourself with all the above.
You will most definitely experience varying road & trail surface conditions. I would encourage you to outfit your bike with the widest tire it will accommodate so you can run lower pressures for comfort and safety. I use 700 x 32 tubeless tires and run 50 psi in the rear tire and 48 psi in the front tire.
The weather could fluctuate dramatically, so be prepared!
We experienced sunny skies and high 80’s/low 90’s the first three days on our recon, mid 50’s and rain on Day 4, and beautiful skies and 70’s on our final day of riding.
It was windy most days. We were pretty lucky with a mostly assisting wind on Days 1 - 2 while heading north. The winds were pretty calm on Day 3, but when a storm front moved in after our ride on Day 3, the winds shifted and were blowing hard from the northwest, so it was mostly assisting but there were stretches where it was a battle. On our final day, while the skies were beautiful and temps were pleasant, the wind shifted again and was coming out of the east, so we fought the wind most of the day.
So again be prepared for changing conditions! Bring your aero bike, helmet, socks and skin suit, or even better find someone to draft off of 😜

Ride Safely & Have Fun!

Paul Wood

Tour Director

Black Bear Adventures Bicycle Tours

pwoodbba@gmail.com

Final Ride Reminders

For all ride information, be sure to check the Participant Resources page on the website. https://treefund.org/tourdestrees/participant-resources

Important dates:

Event Dates: August 10-16
Rider Fundraising Deadline: August 17

Fundraising Progress:

We have raised over $174,100 towards this year's campaign and are 42% to our goal! Great work, everyone. Don't let that momentum slow as we get into Tour week. Be sure to plan on sharing photos and stories to you donors- so say thanks for those that have already supported you- and to potential donors, so they can see all the good we are doing during the week.

Travel:

Be sure to take a look at the Travel Logistics document for information on arrival and parking. Also, look at the current itinerary for all of our events, aid stations, and timelines for the week. All addresses can also be found on the itinerary.

Current Itinerary: July 24, 2025 version

Bike Shipping and Assembly:

If you are shipping your bike to the start, time your bike to arrive at the Amway Grand Plaza by Hilton, 187 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 between August 5 and 8. Be sure to mark your shipping label with your name and "ATTN Tour des Trees." When you get the hotel, your bike will be available for pick-up at the front desk.

For anyone that shipped their bikes or have them broken down, we have mechanics and equipment in the Bike Room to help you get that assembled and ready to go. We are allowed to leave the bike boxes at the hotel during the week in a locked room. (Thanks Amway Grand!)

If you are shipping your bike home, be sure to have a packing slip made up before you arrive so it can be placed on your bike box when we depart. You can ship your bike back from the Amway Grand by dropping it at the Bell Stand.

Route:

The routes will be on RideWithGPS and will be downloadable to your bike computers. Those will be send out after Paul Wood makes the final edits. You can also receive directions via the app on your phone, just make sure you have a charger with you. All route directions will be given via the RideWithGPS app.

Communication:

We will once again be using Remind101 as a communication tool during the week to send messages to riders and staff while they are on the roads or apart from each other. To receive text alerts text @2ac6hb to 81010. Be sure to use the @ symbol in your text. This is a new year, so you'll need to resign up for these alerts, even if you got them last year.

Events:

We love to see our riders attend as many of our outreach event as they can and have tried to schedule them for maximum availability for our riders during the day. There are a few that may require some extra planning on your part, if you would like to attend.

Sunday afternoon (Day 0): Join us at the Meijer Gardens between 1:30 and 3:30 for a tree planting event at 2:00pm. Afterward, Bartlett Tree Experts will be there to answer questions from the public for an "Ask an Arborist" event. If you would like to ride over, we'll have an area sectioned off and guarded where you can leave your bike.

Monday lunch (Day 1): During our lunch stop, Professor Pricklethorn will be doing a presentation for the area children while they eat their free summer lunches provided by the school district. Afterward, ReLeaf will give a presentation about proper tree care for homeowners, which you are welcome to stay for.

Monday afternoon (Day 1): At just about the end of the route, from 3-5pm, the Mecosta and Osceola-Lake Conservation Districts will be hosting a Community Conservation Day, with over a dozen vendors and kids activities to get everyone connected with nature.

Tuesday afternoon (Day 2): For those that would like a shorter riding day, after lunch, we will shuttle riders over to the SEEDS Ecology and Education Center, where they will give tours of their awesome facilities showing off their projects and how they are training students for future careers in the green industry. Tour will include topics on climate resistance, composting, wood restoration and more. Those in attendance might also get to catch the end of a Professor Pricklethorn Rally at the Human Nature School next door.

Wednesday lunch (Day 3): During our lunch stop, TREE Fund Trustee and professor at Michigan State University will be giving a presentation on working with local groups on tree initiatives to members of the Frankfort Tree Board and boards from other surrounding communities.

Wednesday afternoon (Day 3): At our aid station in Onekama (pronounced "Oh-neck-ah-ma'), plan on taking a few moments to walk down via guided tour through the area used by lumbermen in the late 1800s to the picturesque mineral springs.

Wednesday afternoon (Day 3): At Mile 93 of the day, plan on stopping by Lake Bluff Farm to see the State Champion Giant Sequoia and other cloned trees of historic trees. This is a short, self-guided Tour in a beautiful location right next to Lake Michigan.

Wednesday evening at 8:45pm (Day 3): After dinner, join Dr. Hallie Dozier for a meditation session to calm your mind and prepare you for the last two days of the ride.

Friday morning (Day 5): Our final tree planting will be very special as we will be remembering Tour volunteer Gwen Gilens at Hackley Park in Muskegon. Her husband, long-time Tour photographer Al Gilens will join us, as well.

Saturday morning (Departure Day) at 10:30: Want to see Professor Pricklethorn one more time? He will be doing a Rally at the Meijer Gardens, which will be the final presentation for their summer series. (Admission fee required.)

Goodie Pick-up:

All the apparel you ordered from Voler as well as your teeshirt, cap, waterbottles, helmet, and other goodies will be available for pick up at the Amway Grand from 11am to 4pm, next to the bike room. Follow the signs in the hotel.

Fundraising Reminder:

For those of you that are "paying your own way" for your fundraising efforts, be sure to either add your fundraising money to your personal donation page at http://www.tourdestrees.org or send in a check before you arrive on August 10, so we don't have to worry about it later. For everyone else, remember, fundraising minimums are due by August 17.

Part Time Riders:

For those that are not joining us for the full Tour and are not starting with us on Sunday night, be sure to see Jonathan in the bike room the evening or morning you arrive so that he can give you your ride goodies. If any of your plans are changing, alert him at jcain@treefund.org as soon as you can.

Virtual Tour des Trees at home

Your Tour - Your Pace - Your Backyard!

We are very grateful for the 16 individuals who are participating in our Virtual Tour des Trees this year.

So far, our virtual participants have raised over $5320 towards the fundraising total for this year's Tour and still have a few more weeks to earn their prizes. Way to go, all!

Dinner On Your Own Night

Once again, Tuesday night in Traverse City will be our customary On Your Own Night for dinner. Our hotel is just walkable half-a-mile away from their wonderful downtown, full of places to eat and explore. For first timers, On Your Own night is a chance to explore the city we are in on your own time. Our hotel also has a shuttle to many of these locations for those that would like to use it.

For a list of local restaurants, see the Downtown Traverse City website.