CRAMBA: Orion Oaks

[Willrock]

Anyone try it out yet? I'm thinking about hitting it after work tomorrow. I figure most areas should be decent as long as I stay clear of the north end.

[Steve_Kinley]

OO should be fine, I was riding it a few weeks ago and it was OK.

[turbotoad]

Rode Orion Oaks today. Snow flurries in the air, a few crunchy frozen muddy spots, and just enough bite in the wind to have cold toes at the end of the ride. I really wish some dedicated singletrack could be developed at Orion. The ride is a fairly good cardio work out if riden at a hard pace, but the technical demands are sorely lacking. There seems to be a fair amount of un-used wooded area that could provide some isolated singletrack opportunities. Does anyone know the status of potential trail development at Orion?

[turbotoad]

Excellent day for a ride. Trail had about 1/2" of snow on top of frozen, crunchy dirt. All was great until some guy walking had his dog chase me for awhile! 6ft lease people!!! Then another 2 loose dogs later on.............Ugggg, just because there is a dog park in the park doesn't mean they can just run around loose on the trails. Other than the irresponsible dog owners, it was fun.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

[icebiker]

Our group rode over from Stony Creek and found the Orion Oaks trails dry . The trails were being patrolled by a Oakland Co. sheriff officer on a mt bike[ cool].
I think Orion Oaks would be an ideal course for the snow bikes. So when the snow returns [and it will] We plan on bringing our Pugsley's and Mukluk's out .

[turbotoad]

Our group rode over from Stony Creek and found the Orion Oaks trails dry . The trails were being patrolled by a Oakland Co. sheriff officer on a mt bike[ cool].
I think Orion Oaks would be an ideal course for the snow bikes. So when the snow returns [and it will] We plan on bringing our Pugsley's and Mukluk's out .

What time was this? I was out there around 2pm. The trail was mostly dry but had a few muddy patches and the ground was pretty soft. And once AGAIN I was presented with FIVE (5) dogs running around without leashes in various places! Wish the Sheriff would have been around to see that! I'm getting real tired of these dog owers who don't/won't follow the park leash rules.

[icebiker]

11:00
Bummer about the loose dogs

[bikesatori]

Just finished riding out there with my wife. First time, ever, for either of us, at Orion Oaks, even though I pass it very often when driving... just decided this would be a good opportunity today to try it out since other trails may have been a gamble as to whether sloppy or not.
I was amazed by how many people out there today! Mostly all suburbanite dog walkers I was guessing... a few cyclists... really an awesome day to be outside!

As far as the riding goes and type of cycling, I really would only classify this location as Path riding, not much as far as trails go, just my opinion maybe.
We rode everything there was to see on the overabundant and overbearing signs, many sections twice since there seemed to be little flow between segments in some areas...

Everything was in good rideable condition. A few very minor sections were damp, but nothing too sloppy. One I recall was near baldwin rd, another was a climb (or descent depending on direction) in the middle near marker 20 I believe.


Might be a good go-to ride if you just want to gear up the singlespeed and mash like mad for some cardio or something...

[Steve_Kinley]

You can make a nice loop once you know the trails. And it normally dries pretty fast. I come in by the bark park and it is a nice diversion from some of the other trails since so much is out through the meadows.

[turbotoad]

Rode earlier tonight. Trails were in great condition, but a little soggy along Clarkston Road section. But 98% of it was dry and the normally sandy spots were still packed down. Passed another rider 3 times going the opposite direction. A few dog walkers were out and of course non of the dogs were leashed Just about took out some little foo-foo dog that darted in front of me!

Well, while it certainly is no Pontiac Lake or Holdridge Lakes, it can be a fun place to just get a good cardio, or to take less experienced riders out to for some "off-roading" that isn't as intimidating as some of the other trails in the area. Depending on the route, there are actually a few good climbs and a couple fast downhills. The route I takes is about 7.5 miles and I never ride on the same section of trail (except for a short section from the parking lot on Clarkston Rd). Sometimes I do the route clockwise, sometimes counter.....depends on if I want to climb the sledding hill or bomb down it.

There is potential out there for some great single-track, but nothing ever seems to happen with regard to adding some