Copper Harbor Trails Fest to offer races, activities Sept. 4, 5, 6

The Copper Harbor Trails Fest offers a variety of mountain bike races and activities this weekend, Sept. 4-6. (2014 Copper Harbor Trails Fest photo © and courtesy Chris Schmidt. Reprinted with permission.)*

COPPER HARBOR -- The longest running mountain bike event in the Upper Peninsula returns to Copper Harbor this weekend! The 22nd Annual Bell’s Beer Copper Harbor Trails Fest kicks off on Friday, Sept. 4, with a movie night fundraiser hosted by UPMTB premiering the film unReal at the Copper Harbor Community Building at 8:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 5, riders hit the trails with both a short and a long Enduro event featuring either 2 or 4 timed primarily downhill trail sections with untimed transition stages in between.

At 4 p.m. Saturday, it’s the kids turn with 40-yard, 1-mile, and 3-mile mountain bike races for ages 13 and under. At 6 p.m., the fan favorite DWD Memorial Dock Jump showcases mountain bikers jumping via a ramp off the Harbor Haus Dock. The evening winds down in the Copper Harbor Park with the music of The Raven Congress. 

On Sunday morning, Sept. 6, Downhill Races will take place on the Overflow Trail.  Starting on Brockway Mountain, the downhill race features large jumps, drops, rugged terrain, and large berms as riders descend at high speed to the finish of the race near highway M26.

A downhill racer faces a challenging course during the 2014 Copper Harbor Trails Fest. (Photo © and courtesy Chris Schmidt. Reprinted with permission.)*

At 1 p.m. Sunday the 14-mile XC race and at 2 p.m. the 22-mile XC races roll out through Copper Harbor on their way to the newly constructed Keweenaw Point Trail before looping back through the main Copper Harbor Trail System and finishing in the Copper Harbor Park. In the evening, the weekend is topped off with The Fitz BBQ and Bell’s Beer served in the park with a bluegrass concert by Minneapolis-based The Last Revel. 

The entire weekend is open to the public, registration for race events is available on site, and there is no charge for the music in the park. All funds raised support the Copper Harbor Trails Club mission to advocate, develop, and maintain trails and land for human-powered activities in and connecting to Copper Harbor.

Additional information and the full schedule of events is available at www.copperharbortrails.org.

Download the Participants' Guide here.

* See more of Chris Schmidt's photos here.