National groups approve 193-milebike trail in upper Michigan

IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (AP) - Michigan has a new officially recognized bicycle trail that extends 193 miles across the Upper Peninsula.

The Detroit Free Press reported U.S. Bicycle Route 10 follows the wide, paved edges of U.S. 2 from St. Ignace on the Straits of Mackinac to Iron Mountain in western upper Michigan.

The newspaper says the state now has 1,008 miles of official bicycle routes that have the approval of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Adventure Cycling Association.

The group's goal is to create a network of numbered and signed bicycle routes similar to the European EuroVelo network.

So far, the nation has 8,042 miles of approved bicycle routes across 16 states. That includes 1,008 miles in Michigan.