Poto: Sharon Mills

[hotspurr]

HI All,

Sharon Mills was mowed double wide today. Should be good for the rest of the year. The extra width will make the trail suitable for cross-country skiing, too. One caution: There is a tree trunk down across the trail on the east end of the trail on the north side of the old road. I'll bring the chainsaw out next week and remove it.
its a good time of the year to ride along the river and look at the color. The nearby gravel roads to the north and northeast in the Sharon Short Hills are also very nice riding; color and lots of ups and downs. Cap it all off with a trip to Alber's Orchard on Bethel Church Road for cider and do-nuts.

Cheers, Norm

[wavenet]

Has the Sharon Mills trail been abandoned?

[cmkovick]

Has the Sharon Mills trail been abandoned?

I had helped Norm out there in 09 and last year went out there to do some cleanup a few times with my wife and kids, but I had a schedule change at work (changed to days) and with 2 young kids I have not made it out there myself. It's a bummer because that could be a fun trail. A cutting and weed killer (probably not an option) would do it good. Or this is one where some running events sure would benefit it. I think part of the issue with the trail was it got very little use even when freshly mowed because it is a ways out for most people and with the Poto, Brighton, etc closer for most it makes it tough to drive farther.

[hotspurr]

Hi All,

The Sharon Mills Trail was double wide mowed last week (Aug. 10th) and all the fallen trees cleared off the trail. It should be in good shape for late summer and fall riding/hiking.

Cheers, Norm

[hotspurr]

Hi All,

I am happy to report that the Sharon Mills trail will be open for riding/hiking this weekend. Enjoy a visit to this unique park and pedal/walk along the beautiful Raisin River. Special thanks are due to Dan Roy for looking after the trail and getting it ready for riding.

Cheers, Norm

[hotspurr]

Hi All,

Thanks to the great efforts of our Sharon Mills trail coordinator, Dan Roy, the trail is in great shape. The section of the trail down by the Raisin River is especially nice to ride or hike. There is also lots of wildlife in the area that can be observed. Go early in the morning or just before sunset and you will see a variety of critters. For example, lots of big turtles have been observed layng eggs in the nearby farm fields.

Cheers, Norm

[Steve_Balogh]

Snow was melting, didn't ride. I checked the trail out for the first time, but just walked it a little. A bit overgrown. Does the trail actually go down to the Raisin River?

[hotspurr]

Hi All,

A map of the trail is available for download from the Chapter trail guide. Here is a link to the map:
http://mmba.org/library/maps/sharonmill ... 5Oct08.jpg The current configuration of the trail is slightly different from what is shown. The trail does go down to the river and provides good views of migrating waterfowl in the Spring. Please do not ride or walk on the trail when it is muddy. Ruts created in minutes in Spring can last all year.

Cheers, Norm

[Steve_Balogh]

Hi All,

A map of the trail is available for download from the Chapter trail guide. Here is a link to the map:
http://mmba.org/library/maps/sharonmill ... 5Oct08.jpg The current configuration of the trail is slightly different from what is shown. The trail does go down to the river and provides good views of migrating waterfowl in the Spring. Please do not ride or walk on the trail when it is muddy. Ruts created in minutes in Spring can last all year.

Cheers, Norm

Thanks for posting - I thought all of that land west of the trailhead was that homeowner's farmland, didn't realize the park boundary circled his property and that whole view was the park. Now I see where the river trail really is.

[glr]

Decided to try Sharon Mills for the first time tonight. Did leave pizza cutters, but only where all the moles had there tunnels in the north end (you know, eating the worms). Trail is totally dry. Did stop the first lap to clear some down trees and sticks periodically. My new saw works great, by the way. I was very impressed. For only being 3.8 miles the trail has a bit of everything, along with some great views of the river. Does have a bit of overgrowth, but not to bad, only question on the south side of the hills loop the trail seems like it was let go, or maybe it wasn't mowed the past few times, is that section going to maintained in the future? Decided to do a few laps, had some fun. This trail was cool overall, I will ride it again.

[glr]

Tried to ride tonight, seems the trail doesn't drain well. Had to walk a lot, but I did manage to do some face slapper removal and cut a large down limb. Maybe try it again next week if it doesn't rain to much.

[Steve_Balogh]

Rode this trail for the first time today. Everything is pretty dry. Good trail for a fatbike, some areas are pretty bumpy or a bit overgrown. Only one small spot is a slightly muddy. Nice trail, I like the river and farmland views here.



More pics here: http://sb.smugmug.com/Sports/Sharon-Mil ... &k=wLvmtpr

[glr]

Nice photo's, did you get a new bike? I see they got the viewing platforms done. Was the wet spot behind the plowed field? If you ride there in the evening you can surprise the fish close to shore. I almost got splashed in April out there.

[Geff]

Nice to see people continue to check it out a bit.

[Steve_Balogh]

Nice photo's, did you get a new bike? I see they got the viewing platforms done. Was the wet spot behind the plowed field? If you ride there in the evening you can surprise the fish close to shore. I almost got splashed in April out there.

I added the Fatback a little over a year now. I typically use the Wildfire for paved trail/dirt mix with Knard tires. The wet spot was close to the river in the field - pretty solid though. The scenery makes up for lack of big hills or techy features - I love the open trail, the Mill is an added bonus.