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2023 Annual Survey Results

Cody Sovis | Published on 12/10/2023

We’re committed to addressing the needs and priorities of our members. To learn more about NMMBA’s collective goals, our team sent out an annual survey to solicit valuable feedback on our work and better understand our organization’s members. After a month of collecting responses, we’re excited to share the results with you. 


Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association By-the-Numbers

We’ll preface the survey by saying it reflects a relatively small sample of riders. Only 64 people responded to the public-facing survey, less than a quarter of our organization’s membership. Still, we believe it provides some level of insight into our membership and trailwork. 


Most members are new to the organization. 

55% of respondents have been NMMBA members for less than five years, with 9.4% proud to be members for a decade or more. This influx of newer memberships reflects NMMBA’s commitment to the community over the past several years with events like the Fiesta and Traverse City Trails Festival.

Forms response chart. Question title: How many years have you been a NMMBA member?. Number of responses: 64 responses.



Primarily Riding in Traverse City

The higher concentration of riders reflects northern Michigan’s demographics. Nearly 77% of respondents named the Vasa Singletrack or Unmarked as the trails they ride most often. Palmer Woods in Leelanau County was third at 17.2%

Forms response chart. Question title: What NMMBA trail do you ride the most?. Number of responses: 64 responses.


Other Favorites

Respondents named several trails outside of the NMMBA network as favorites. We’ll endeavor to study the design characteristics of these trails into future trail development projects. Some of the notable responses include:


  • Boyne City Forest
  • The Dragon
  • Hickory Hills/City Loop

Trail Ratings

We asked respondents to rate the following NMMBA trails. Palmer Woods, Glacial Hills, and the Vasa Singletrack received high marks, although it’s worth noting other trails aren’t accessed by riders enough to form a valuable rating. 


Cadillac Pathway

62.5% of respondents didn’t provide a rating, with 20.3% assigning it a “Good” rating”.


Forms response chart. Question title: How would you rate Cadillac Pathway?. Number of responses: 64 responses.


Glacial Hills

The gem of Bellaire received 40.6% “Very Good” and 32.8% “Excellent. 

Forms response chart. Question title: How would you rate Glacial Hills Pathway?. Number of responses: 64 responses.


Palmer Woods

50% of respondents gave Palmer Woods an “Excellent” rating, the top mark of any trail. 

Forms response chart. Question title: How would you rate Palmer Woods?. Number of responses: 64 responses.


Vasa Singletrack

The most-ridden trail received almost entirely positive remarks, with just 1 person deeming it
“Poor”. 

Forms response chart. Question title: How would you rate the Vasa Singletrack?. Number of responses: 64 responses.



Vasa Singletrack - Unmarked

The unmarked trail network was also well-received and surprisingly well-trodden. According to this survey, the unmarked trails have more reported ridership than Kalkaska or the Cadillac Pathway. 



Forms response chart. Question title: How would you rate the Vasa Singletrack Unmarked (VST-Backcountry, VST-B). Number of responses: 64 responses.


Other Trails

NMMBA’s Kalkaska (84.4%) and High Country Pathway (87.5%) have too little traffic to make any strong inferences. 


Advocacy

59.4% of survey respondents gave NMMBA full marks on a 1-5 scale for its work as an advocacy organization. 76% of trail users give NMMBA a positive endorsement for advocacy.

Where We’re Riding

As you’d expect, most of the area’s riding is on NMMBA trails, with 37.5% of respondents riding on association-maintained trails 2-3 times per week. We’d like the work schedule of the 7.8% of survey takers who ride the trails “almost every day”!


Forms response chart. Question title: How many times "per week" do you ride a trail within the NMMBA trail network?. Number of responses: 64 responses.


We’ve Got Two Hours or Less

85.9% of respondents ride between 1 and 2 hours per ride. This is an important part of trail design because ride length impacts everything from traffic hotspots and wear to the prevalence of unauthorized “shortcuts”.


By distance, 40.6% of rides are between 13-18 miles, or about a lap of the VST. Nearly 60% of riders are 18 miles or less.


Forms response chart. Question title: How long is your average mountain bike ride?. Number of responses: 64 responses.


We Like XC/Flow Trails 

The most popular trail style was a well-maintained, flowing XC trail, with 59.4% responses. XC flow with minimal features (51.6%) and natural XC trails (39.1%) were next. All mountain and downhill registered 26.6% and 14.1%, respectively. 


Room to Improve

Based on survey responses, trail users are looking for a more diverse trail experience and new places to ride. This feedback includes both a request to keep trails accessible to new riders while introducing more advanced features for experienced riders. We’ve also seen repeated mentions of introducing dedicated signage to the Unmarked Vasa Singletrack.


Committed to the Ride

Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association is working hard to deliver an exceptional trail experience to mountain bikers across the region. Our board and trail committees invest time and energy working with landowners and land managers to ensure access and expand trail networks when needed. We value your input, but we need your help. Become a NMMBA member and get involved!