The best motorcycle roads in Michigan
The twistiest paved roads in Michigan, from Michigan Highway 565 near Richmond Township on down. Distances, how twisty each one is and how to string them into a ride.
Looking for the corners in Michigan? We measured 36 named paved roads and picked the five that never stop bending.
The headliners
Michigan Highway 565
Near Richmond Township. 7.4 miles, about 10 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●○○ Properly twisty
North Lake Shore Drive
Near Cross Village Township. 6.9 miles, about 10 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●○○ Properly twisty
Pineview Drive
Near Mancelona Township. 6.6 miles, about 10 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●○○ Properly twisty
Greenwood Reservoir Road
Near Ely Township. 11 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●○○○ Flowing and curvy
Thousand Island Lake Road
Near Watersmeet Township. 7 miles, about 10 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●○○○ Flowing and curvy
When you want to settle in
Not every ride is about hairpins. These are longer paved roads that keep twisting the whole way, good for a long cruise where you can find a rhythm.
- South Lake Shore Drive, near Friendship Township: 13 miles
How we picked them
We looked at the shape of every named paved road in Michigan and measured how much each one bends along its length. Then we ranked them by bends per distance, so a short hairpin road and a long mountain highway are compared fairly. Gravel, tracks, residential streets and anything under about 6 miles are left out.
What this does not tell you: how nice the scenery is, how good the surface is, how busy the road gets, or whether it is closed for snow. Check before you go, especially in the mountains and in winter. Then ride it and see for yourself.
Turn it into a ride
Open the MotoRidez planner and link a few of these into a loop, or hit Surprise Me and let it pick a twisty route from wherever you are. Every ride you record is remembered, so next time it can send you down roads you have not tried yet.
Questions riders ask
What is the twistiest motorcycle road in Michigan?
Michigan Highway 565 near Richmond Township. It is 7.4 miles long and bends more for its length than any other named paved road of that size in Michigan.
How do you work out which Michigan roads are twisty?
We measure how much each road bends along its length from its shape on the map, then rank roads by bends per distance. Gravel, tracks and residential streets are left out.
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