The ‘7 Hour Plane Crash Trail’ May Be Michigan’s Most Epic Off-roading Adventure

Could you imagine a more epic sounding name for an off-roading trail in Northern Michigan than the '7 Hour Plane Crash' trail? Without knowing the background on the name it sounds equal parts ominous and exhilarating.

The 7 Hour Plane Crash Trail is a routing though a portion of Wisconsin and into Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula that is almost exclusively gravel, dirt and unimproved two-track roads.

👇🏼BELOW: The Only Destination For These Highways are Michigan State Parks👇🏼

The trail begins in Crandon, Wisconsin about 30 miles south of the Michigan border. It winds its way north into the Western Upper Peninsula at Smokey Lake Road west of Iron River.

The 7 Hour Plane Crash name comes, legend says, from offroad racers in Mexico's Baja Peninsula south of California who use the name 'plane crash' for day-long excursion routes that have been mapped out. The Wisconsin/Michigan Plane Crash route is said to take 7 hours if you drive it straight through.

This map shows the full course.

READ MORE: If You Can Find It, and Respect It, You Can Stay for Free at Northern Michigan's Club Superior

The trail uses many US Forest Service access roads and is not intended for a sedan or minivan type vehicle. Many areas on these roads are intended for high-clearance. A video ride through the trail shows a section of two-track trail that was heavily flooded. These drivers found a pick-up abandoned pick-up along a flooded section of the trail.

Here's a look at a deeply rutted two-track section of the 7 Hour Plane Crash Trail. The drivers called this section one of the most difficult sections of the trail.

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The trail ends at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula near a legendary open cabin known as Club Superior which is open for anyone to stay who respects the facility and cleans up after themselves.

While it may be an adventure like no other in Michigan, the 7 Hour Plane Crash trail should not be undertaken by those who are experienced off-roaders as no one wants to get stuck and pay for an incredibly expensive tow.

See video drives along the 7 Hour Plane Crash trail below.