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Potawatomi Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.5 (154)
  1. Areas
  2. MI
  3. …Eastern Michigan
  4. …Hamburg Township
  5. Pinckney Recreation Area
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“THE destination for southeastern Michigan mountain biking. ”

Dave Jansen
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Map Key

18.8

Miles

30.2

KM

100%

Singletrack

992' 302 m

High

882' 269 m

Low

1,179' 359 m

Up

1,179' 359 m

Down

2%

Avg Grade (1°)

12%

Max Grade (7°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Features Views

Trail is "one-way," follow signs. Some adjacent trails are closed to bikes.

Overview

A good mix of fast and flowy trail to steep, technical climbs, to brain-rattling descents. There are a number of options to make this shorter including the The Shortcut which will eliminate about 3.0 miles.

Need to Know

Biking season: All year (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Other activities include bicycling, boating, camping (reservation), canoeing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, swimming, water skiing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling. Dining in Chelsea, Dexter, Pinckney. Bike shops in Chelsea (Chelsea Bike & Sports-313/475-9371), Pinckney (Village Cyclery-313/878-0117) Bike rentals: Pinckney (Village Cyclery).

Description

20 miles northwest of Ann Arbor, youll find three trails: the 17-mile Potawatomi Trail, the 5.1-mile Crooked Lake Trail and the 1.9-mile Silver Lake Trail. The routes are shared with hikers. If you double the length of Pontiac Lake and replace the rocks with roots, you have "Poto". Trails range in distance from 1.9 to 17.5 miles round trip.

The trailhead is at the end of the first parking lot, next to the outhouse. Potawatomi is singletrack from beginning to end. The longest continuous loop is around 17.4 miles long, and includes several steep climbs.

The trail is often rooty, sometimes sandy, and changes constantly from down to uphill. Often your momentum will carry you up part of the next climb.

For first timers, it may be necessary to stop and look at a map, or use the MTB Project mobile app, but the DNR does a good job of marking the trail. A printable map of the trail can be found here.

Contacts

Local Club: Potawatomi Mountain Bike Association

Land Manager: MI DNR - Pinckney State Recreation Area

Shared By:

Dave Jansen
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.5 from 154 votes

#1

in Pinckney Recreation Area

#59

Overall
  4.5 from 154 votes
5 Star
62%
4 Star
30%
3 Star
5%
2 Star
2%
1 Star
1%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Pinckney Recreation Area

#2

in Michigan

#59

Overall
142 Views Last Month
63,055 Since Dec 23, 2013
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
0%
2%
46%
18%
33%
1%
Add a Photo

Photos

Winter bridge crossing on the Silver Lake Trail.
Nov 15, 2015 near Pinckney, MI
Ride the Poto.
Apr 30, 2016 near Pinckney, MI
riding "the Poto," or the Potawatomi Trail
Nov 15, 2015 near Pinckney, MI
Bridge near Hi-Land Lake
Dec 23, 2013 near Pinckney, MI
Honzo loves Poto!
Dec 17, 2015 near Pinckney, MI
Having fun with the roots out at the Potawatomi trail.
Oct 12, 2022 near Chelsea, MI

7 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 2 days ago
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Check-Ins

Sep 24, 2023
Alec Tors
Really good blue flow with some black downhill roots. Few features. For 19 miles, doable
Sep 23, 2023
Kylee White
Sep 16, 2023
Logan
Oct 23, 2022
John Peterson Jr
17.5mi — 2h 27m
Oct 12, 2021
Scott Frock
Jun 12, 2021
Micah Plimpton
18mi
May 11, 2021
Shawn Murphy
May 2, 2021
Private User

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