A1 Trails
Rail Trails in Michigan

Lakelands Trail State Park

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Trail description: 13-mile multi-use trail runs east-west from Stockbridge to Pinckney.
Access fee: State trail pass
Towns along the trail: Stockbridge and Pinckney, MI
Web site: Lakelands Trail State Park
Trail map: Available from the park and on the park's website
Trail surface: Gravel
Designated activities: Bicycling, walking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing
Facilities on the trail:
Points of interest: Flowers are spectacular in the spring
Lodging: Ann Arbor, Jackson and Lansing
Camping: Pinckney Recreation, a few miles south of Pinckney, has 245 sites
Bike shops: Ann Arbor, Jackson and Lansing
Weather forecast: Ann Arbor
Tourism info: Jackson Tourist Bureau | Lansing Visitors Bureau
Getting to the trail: The Stockbridge trailhead is on M-52 in Stockbridge. The Pinckney trailhead is one quarter mile north of M-36 on D-19 in Pinckney.
Map of local region: Stockbridge | Pinckney

Rate this section of trail

Number of ratings: 6
Average rating: 0.58

Trail name: Lakelands Trail State Park
Times biking the trail: Once
Date of last visit: Sept, 2005
Sections that I biked: Gregory to Stockbridge
My favourite sections of the trail: None
Best time to go: None for biking
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Poor
Rating: 0.5 stars
What I liked: The scenery was terrific, but I didn't see much of it becaus eI spent most of my ride looking for horse hoof divots and soft sandy spots to avoid.
What I disliked: So much of it was in horrible shape. Horses have beaten this trail to the point where it is just full of holes. Much of it is also soft sand -- like trying to bike on the beach. I have a hybrid, but I still had to get off my bike and walk quite a bit of it.
Comments: Disappointing. I'd say if those in charge of this trail want it to be a bike trail, they have to keep horses off of it. They just do too much damage. Lots of other trails (like the Kal-Haven) have created a separate bridle path a few feet way from the hiking/cycling trail. And the soft sections made this trail unpleasant in some places, and almost dangerous in others. I'd be willing to buy a daypass to support the trail if these problems could be corrected. As it is, disappointing. It is so pretty there, but there's no way I'll be back.
Submitted by: ml
from: Dexter MI
Date submitted: Sept 10, 2005

Trail name: Lakelands Trail State Park
Times biking the trail: Once
Date of last visit: June, 2005
Sections that I biked: Stockbridge to Gregory, and Gregory to Pinkney
My favourite sections of the trail: None
Best time to go:
Trail marking: Fair
Trail maintenance: Poor
Rating: 0.5 stars
What I liked:
What I disliked: The trail has been totally destroyed by equestrian use of the trail. Bikers, walkers and handicapped can not now use this trail at all because of the millions of holes in the riding surface by the horses.
Comments: The trail has been destroyed by equestrian use. Its a beautiful area of Michigan but now because of the horses using the trail, nobody else can use it. They need a sererate trail for horses to use, let the bike riders and walkers have a seperate trail.
Submitted by: Blazer
from: Jackson MI
Date submitted: June 30, 2005

Trail name: Lakelands Trail State Park
Times biking the trail: Once
Date of last visit: May, 2005
Sections that I biked: ALL
My favourite sections of the trail: None
Best time to go: Never
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Poor
Rating: 0.5 stars
What I liked: Horse traffic has destroyed the trail surface.
What I disliked: Horrible surface quality
Comments: Avoid this one. The DNR needs to decide wether this is a multi-use trail or a bridle path. Horses do way too much surface damage to allow both.
Submitted by: BB
from: Novi, MI
Date submitted: May 19, 2005

Trail name: Lakelands Trail State Park
Times biking the trail: Few
Date of last visit: May, 2003
Sections that I biked: i biked the whole trail.
My favourite sections of the trail: The only part of the trail worth traveling by bike is from Stockbridge to Gregory, which was just great. Gregory to Pinckney was like riding in 4 inch sand..very frustrating.
Best time to go: We've been in May and August. The srping flowers were great
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Poor
Rating: 0.5 stars
What I liked: Again, avoid from Pinckney to Gregory. Gregory to Stockbridge was great.
What I disliked: The 4 inch sand from Pinckney to Gregory
Comments: The entire trail was a bucloic setting, traveling through wetlands, woodlands and farmlands. Yet when traveling on bike, we couldn't look at the terrain traveling between Gregory and Pinckney, becasue the trail was so poorly maintained. It was 4 inches of sand causing slow passage and spin outs.
Submitted by: kate
from: Michigan
Date submitted: May 25, 2003

Trail name: Lakelands Trail State Park
Times biking the trail: Few
Date of last visit: May, 2003
Sections that I biked: The whole trail
My favourite sections of the trail: From Stockbrigde to Gregory
Best time to go: Spring .. lots of trillium
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Poor
Rating: 0.5 stars
What I liked: I really liked the scenery
What I disliked: There seemed to be no one who maintains the trail
Comments: There are lots of potholes
Submitted by: Lucy E. Drinkwater
from: Chelsea, Michigan
Date submitted: May 25, 2003

Trail name: Lakelands Trail State Park
Times biking the trail: Once
Date of last visit: May, 2003
Sections that I biked: Pinckney to Kelly Rd.
My favourite sections of the trail: Section just before Kelly Rd.
Best time to go: Spring
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Fair
Rating: 1 stars
What I liked: Enjoyed the spring flowers and levelness of the trail.
What I disliked: Too beat up and "littered" by horse use, which made riding very strenuous(finally turned off path at Kelly Rd. and took M36 back to Pinckney).
Comments: Would recommend that horses be restricted to one side of the trail (north or south), so that bicyclists could have one smooth side to ride on.
Submitted by: RH
from: Flint, MI
Date submitted: May 18, 2003

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