by Josh McCreedy » April 24th, 2020, 9:47 pm
The Oakdale Trails are built on what was once a large state facility. At one point, the cottage style asylum/hospital/refuge/? had over 110 buildings with extensive farms, bakeries, icehouses, recreational facilities, etc. It was all razed after sitting dormant for years, a popular makeout and teen fun spot. The trails started with the Demille Bowl, which was first mowed and ridden by my brother and students from Chatfield, a school adjacent to the trails. This led to interest from the city, trail planning/design, and construction in phases over three years, with professional and volunteer labor. The Demille Bowl continues to evolve, as Eagle Scouts added a 70' wood roller set and a series of rollers over large concrete pipes. It will continue to develop as a play area, but it already has several berms, a step up, a rock kicker, a small skinny, a rock garden, and a small roller double. With the Demiille Bowl opened (.8 miles, still in progress), the Cemetery Loop, named for the hospital cemetery on Farmers Creek, came next and measures out close to 1.75 miles with alternate lines and connectors. Cemetery Loop has a few optional technical features, nothing too crazy at all. On the East side of Farmers Creek is a .8 (1 mile soon) loop called Osprey. It's all on the banks of the creek and has some exposure, but is mostly pumpy and fast. There is a little play section on the southern end. Cross the service drive (which is also nice to ride) and access the South Loop, under construction. It's flow lite. Not much elevation, but I'm trying to make it playful--too many little tech things to list, with some progression. It's all meant to be groomed. It's all nondirectional. Most of it is machine built. It's all multi-use. It's all kid-friendly and has become a major community asset in just a few years.
Park behind Mott Community College Lapeer at the Ponds and Prairies trailhead. Follow the linear trail under the railroad and you jump on the Demille Bowl. If you've ever driven Demille, the you look right down on the trails on both sides of the boulevard. There are temporary maps on the main intersections, but you can't get very lost out there. You're hemmed in completely in all four directions.
The South Loop is under construction currently, with more trails coming behind Rolland Warner Middle School in what is called Oakdale Woods. It is the choicest area of the property: mature hardwood canopy and slightly more topography to work with. Strava will show you what the locals are doing...We should have a bit over nine miles by the end of the summer with a pretty good variety of trail. Tilted Axis hosts Wedneday group rides. There's also a facebook page called Friends of Oakdale Trails. They post volunteer days and ride info. I hope this helps.