[PoorBehavior]

The kids are old enough to travel and not need help going to the bathroom.
I live in Ohio but most of my real traveling has been in uniform so I don't know about the secret good places in the Midwest for family vacations, (and that I can get in a couple of good rides).

So, I am looking for suggestions/ideas of someplace I can take my family, that they will enjoy, for a week or so and that I can get in a few rides. The kids are 9 and 4.

 

[SKPhoto816]

Check out Brown County State Park in Indiana. It has some pretty fun trails and may not be too bad of a drive.

 

[Seanbike]

Brown Co is awesome, I've heard Town Run which is pretty close is also a great ride. HMBA.org can give you all the info you'd like on IN trails. There is a pool and playground at the state park. The campground is very nice. The town nearby, Nashville I think, has a whole lot of crafty stuff the wife might like and a good ice cream shop.

Ft Custer MI is also a spot I like to go for a camp & ride trip. Nice campground and good trails. A lake with beach is good for the family while you pedal. A bonus is that it's pretty close to Kalamazoo where the Bells brewery is.

 

[brentos]

Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Beautiful area that the whole family will think is awesome. It's probalby a 12 hour drive for you, but for a weeks vacation, it's worth it. It really has a different feel than the rest of the Midwest.

If you go, be sure to check out Copper Harbor and Marquette for riding. I currently live in Utah, where there's lots of great riding. But I still try to get back there to ride.

 

[deanna]

Check out Brown County State Park in Indiana. It has some pretty fun trails and may not be too bad of a drive.

x2.

There's also Versailles State Park that isn't too far from BCSP (1-1.5hr maybe?) that has some pretty interesting trails.

 

[ExpertCrasher]

Look into Mohican state park right in Ohio. Lots of great hiking/biking trails, camping, canoeing, you name it.

 

[Fischman]

South/Central PA

Hanover is a great little town--York, Hershey and Gettysburg are nearby. Nice, family-friendly B&Bs, reasonably priced midweek. Hershey Park Amusement Park is a crowd pleaser. You can tour a potato chip factory and a Harley Davidson Factory. The little ski areas have summer activities including ziplines and giant hamster balls you can roll down the hills in. Seven Springs runs the lifts and you can do some DH on the bike. If you're a history buff, Gettysburg has a great self-guided tour and a fantastic multimedia show at their visitors center. If you're into the Amish thing, Lancaster is in the neighborhood. Great technical riding in the Michaux State Forest, fantastic less technical riding at the Allegripis trails near Altoona, and plendy of easier trails in various local parks all around.

Have fun!

 

[RollingWanderer]

Check out Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Lots of stuff for the family to do and some very nice riding.

-RW

 

[PoorBehavior]

Check out Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Lots of stuff for the family to do and some very nice riding.

-RW

Yeah, I helocast into that damn lake once, it was 39 degrees. I would like to see the place when I could enjoy it. Of course the boat loads of naked coeds might be a sliiight issue with he wife. (I kid, if that was the case I would vacation there every year).

 

[FloridaFish]

You better have a good reason for limiting a vacation to the Midwest.

 

[Nater]

There's Wisconsin Dells (if you're into water parks and touristy amusement park type stuff). There are quite a few good rides within an 1 to 1.5 hours of there too. PM me if this is what you're interested in...I can help with and itinerary.

 

[firefox90]

Another vote for Brown County. Limekiln trail is spectacular.

 

[RollingWanderer]

Yeah, I helocast into that damn lake once, it was 39 degrees. I would like to see the place when I could enjoy it. Of course the boat loads of naked coeds might be a sliiight issue with he wife. (I kid, if that was the case I would vacation there every year).

Lake of the Ozarks isn't the party lake it used to be. The naked coeds are pretty well contained to party cove...avoid that area and you'll find the rest of the lake and surrounding area is very family friendly. Of course I live here with my wife and kids, so I'm a bit partial.

-RW

 

[sslikesnake]

Devil's Lake State Park (great camping, and lots of hiking/biking trails) is near Wisconsin Dell's, and a great family spot, too. A few ski resorts nearby, which means there's elevation (and possible bike rentals for downhill--not sure, but just a guess?)

Also, Turkey Run State Park in Central Indiana is nice, and it's not far from Kickapoo State Park in Illinois, both of which have some nice mtbi'ing.

 

[Samac]

I'll cast my vote for Brown Co. State Park in Indiana too. The Abe Martin Lodge (located in the park) has a water park for the family. It has some of the best MTB trails in the area.

http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/abe/index.html

 

[jonw9]

I heard a lot of good things about Brown Co. and would like to take a trip there myself.

I also second the Michigan UP. There is a lot of riding, scenic areas and things to do. Also Copper Harbor is one of IMBA's "Epic Rides"
http://www.imba.com/epics/copper-harbor-trails

 

[manabiker]

Michigans UP is great, but then, all of Michigan has great trails, Hartwig Pines is a great stop,(300+foot tall Pines, 1800's logging camp, hiking trails, MB trails) on the way up north, if your going in the heat of summer its cooler the farther north you go, check out Mackinac Island too, no cars allowed, rent bikes, and ride horses enjoy biking like it used to be with the whole family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinac_Island
http://www.stateparks.com/hartwick_pines.html

 

[indytriple]

Here's the official web site for Brown County mountain biking:

http://www.browncountymountainbiking.com

Brown County's signature flow combined with the tourist-friendly town of Nashville makes for a perfect vacation destination (not to mention a mountain-biker-friendly brewpub 2 miles from the trailhead). All of it is only 15 minutes off of the interstate. There are tons of other great trails in the area including Nebo Ridge, Versalles State Park and French Lick Resort, all within an hour or so of Brown County. TONS of riding.

Bike magazine names Brown County one of its Top 33 riding destinations in North America.

Brown County has grown quietly, not based on hype, but based on quality of trail construction, variety of trail skill levels, and amazing "Fun. Fast. Flow." factor.

E-mail the folks that run the web site above if you have specific questions. They'll get back to you in short order.

 

[Harold]

Growing up in Indy, I spent a LOT of time at Brown County State Park 20yrs ago. As a kid, I loved the place. My grandparents took me there often with my cousin, and we had a great time. Even though I currently live in Texas, I still like to go. I have not ridden the trails at BCSP yet (I'm really itching to, though), but I have ridden elsewhere in the area and it's a good spot for it.

Nashville will definitely give your wife something to do. There might even be something there that'd interest you. I have long thought that I'd be happy to settle down somewhere in that area. I only hope I get there before it gets too expensive.

 

[pursuiter]

Not exactly the midwest but really close to Ohio, Pisgah in NC. It's ~10hrs from Chicago so it must be less than 6 hours from NW Ohio:
http://www.mtbikewnc.com/trailheads/pisgahnf.html