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.
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%
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”.
Glacial Hills
The gem of Bellaire received 40.6% “Very Good” and 32.8% “Excellent.
Palmer Woods
50% of respondents gave Palmer Woods an “Excellent” rating, the top mark of any trail.
Vasa Singletrack
The most-ridden trail received almost entirely positive remarks, with just 1 person deeming it
“Poor”.
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.
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”!
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.
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!