Michigan Holly Oaks ORV Park added to Jeep Badge of Honor app

03coloradowrangler

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recently browsed through jeep badge of honor app and noticed Holly Oaks ORV Park was recently added.

No idea what it has as the park has yet to open but interesting to see something new was added for Michigan other than Drummond island. I believe another member stated before that there was a mimicked trail of something out in moab here. drove by the other day and there were a few campers and vehicles driving around out there.

Screenshot 2020-06-29 at 7.00.48 AM.jpg
 
recently browsed through jeep badge of honor app and noticed Holly Oaks ORV Park was recently added.

No idea what it has as the park has yet to open but interesting to see something new was added for Michigan other than Drummond island. I believe another member stated before that there was a mimicked trail of something out in moab here. drove by the other day and there were a few campers and vehicles driving around out there.

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There were 7 new trails just added to the platform. Holly Oaks is just not opened yet and that’s why check-ins are temporary disabled.
 
I happened to notice a feature to recommend a trail when i opened the app a few days ago.

theres been several private groups using the park over the past few months, probably providing feedback and trying the place out.

Ive been eyeballing progress on Holly Oaks as its progressed from your average gravel pit to a moundy gravel pit. overall it really doesnt interest me as to me its just one of the many local gravel pits, but nice to see BOH adding new locations.
 
Anyone know when this is opening ? I'm getting ready to start a road trip to do 4 of the new Badge of Honor Trails this summer. Just did the new one in AZ, heading to WY next week to do that one, then MI, WVA then NH. Will do the last two in TX and FL next spring when I head to the Daytona Jeep week.

Here is a picture of my Badges on my 2016 JKUR as of 2019 when I got my 49th Badge.
Badges of Honor on JKU Hard Rock Rubicon.jpg
 
Might have something to do with the managing agency cause I see Holy Cross is disabled and closed for the season as well.

Your gonna have to skip that trail and have to make a separate trip. I’ve looked into it and no one really has any info on it.
 
Might have something to do with the managing agency cause I see Holy Cross is disabled and closed for the season as well.

Your gonna have to skip that trail and have to make a separate trip. I’ve looked into it and no one really has any info on it.
Not sure if making a separate trip is in the cards or not. It's 1500 miles one way. Is the trail open or is it just that the BOH program doesn't have it available to check into?
 
No idea when its opening, i haven't seen any equipment running there or anything. just pallets of stuff sitting along the entrance gate for months ,the signage isn't even up advertising what the place is.

there's been no business activity going on at the site for quite a while now. holly oaks website says tentative opening date is Sept 17 due to "covid"... but i think that's the third time the date has changed since discussion of opening this place began.
 
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There you have it. They have it disabled so that you can’t drive there check-in at the gate, not run the trail, and get the badge. I wouldn’t be surprised if that date gets pushed out even further like everything else has.
 
I live in AZ. They said on the news that AZ is the hottest spot for Covid in the world with CA and SC right behind us followed by Bahrain.

They have never closed any of the tens of thousands of miles of trails on public lands here or in CA due to Covid and I don't know of anyone who has gotten Covid from a trail ride. We can't go to bars or the gym though because they are Covid "breeding grounds". Is Michigan that tight on their activities ?
 
all of our state parks up here have decided to padlock and board up the doors on the pit toilets, even the trail head pit toilets up north.. so seems like the DNR is paranoid enough.

mounds orv park in the flint area closed its gates too. trails up north are open and busy... but those are miles of trails through the woods and not just a park within a hour of the majority of the big city and suburbs of detroit.

The last i heard yesterday, the Governor here is talking about starting up tighter restrictions again... so it may end up getting the date pushed out further again.

this place is literally just a fenced off maybe 180 acre gravel pit so im sure their argument is that there is a higher risk of close contact. holly oaks has been in the progress of construction just before covid and still is & wasnt ready to go quite yet anyways, its still just a empty field without any outbuildings.
 
all of our state parks up here have decided to padlock and board up the doors on the pit toilets, even the trail head pit toilets up north.. so seems like the DNR is paranoid enough.

mounds orv park in the flint area closed its gates too. trails up north are open and busy... but those are miles of trails through the woods and not just a park within a hour of the majority of the big city and suburbs of detroit.

The last i heard yesterday, the Governor here is talking about starting up tighter restrictions again... so it may end up getting the date pushed out further again.

this place is literally just a fenced off maybe 180 acre gravel pit so im sure their argument is that there is a higher risk of close contact. holly oaks has been in the progress of construction just before covid and still is & wasnt ready to go quite yet anyways, its still just a empty field without any outbuildings.
It’s a political warfare casualty for now
 
Probably have to stop buying paint again. :)

was definitely a pain in the butt when you need a couple 5 gallon cans of kilz for work. we could go to depot and use a contractor card while shopping in store to buy basically everything in person but in order to buy paint/stains we had to order it online then have it shipped. on the other hand our account through sherwin williams was no issue calling in a paint order and picking it up at the door.
 
current drive by photos of how the park stands from dixie hwy. Its a work in progress still, a lot of washed out ruts in the loose soil seen from the road.
entry sign has looked like this for months, just thought people would like a visual for this COVID shutdown right at the peak starting time to get things rolling for the park this year. Appears work has begun again at least from the road side, no idea what’s going on in areas I can’t see down below and beyond.
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i am glad that there will be another localish park to go to. R&V, Bundy and the Mounds are all getting kinda repetitive