Mountain Bike Trail

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek

One of the more popular Metro Detroit trails, Pontiac has been a favorite for decades.

One of the best known and most used trails in the Detroit metropolitan area due to its location (just 11 miles from Pontiac and 38 miles from downtown Detroit) and challenging terrain, Pontiac Lake Recreation Area has been providing an escape from the hustle and bustle of this auto building community for hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers for years.

Pontiac Lake features a single, easy to follow loop (with two optional, signed, difficult sections) which starts and ends just off of a main parking lot.

Starting from the parking lot, you'll cross Gale Road, and head a few hundred yards down the wide path until the trail starts off to your left. It begins heading east on rolling terrain for the first couple of miles.

After reaching the top of a climb around the three-mile mark, you'll be rewarded with an overlook of Pontiac Lake. The trail continues to wind through the woods until the final switchback climb that ends the trail.

Head south and onto the doubletrack you started on, and continue straight back to the parking lot.