Those who love the River Raisin cannot help but be heartened by the recent buying binge that Washtenaw County has embarked upon in the river’s upper reaches.  Within just the past few years, over a thousand acres of land have been purchased by the county along the river’s course.

Washtenaw County, of course, has this money to spend because of land preservation taxes that the voters in and around Ann Arbor can’t help but pass.  Of course, the benefits of Washtenaw’s far-sighted vision positively impacts the entire region.

One of these benefits is the new mountain bike/hike trail at Sharon Mills County Park.  Sharon Mills was a part of Henry Ford’s goal to create village factories across southeast Michigan.  It made auto parts for many years.  After the mill became obsolete for industrial purposes, it served for many years as a winery.

Several years ago, Washtenaw County purchased the mill to ameliorate the lack of county park space in and around Manchester.  A recent purchase added hundreds of acres to the park on the west side of Sharon Hollow Road at its intersection with Pleasant Lake Road.

From the parking area at that intersection, the Michigan Mountain Biking Association has constructed a roughly five mile trail system.  The first mile or so is surprisingly hilly.  This section of Washtenaw County has sand, gravel and field stones left by past glaciation.  The trail system uses these terrain features to maximum effect.

While in this section, I was passed by some friendly mountain bikers.  The trail is so new that the local mountain biking community is encouraging use to firm up the trails.  Some hikers have a poor view of mountain bikers, but I admire the work that the MMBA does.  They have a committed group of trail builders who have created many nice hiking areas.

After the first few miles, the trail flattens and straightens to follow the western park boundary.  Fall colors and unharvested corn fields were the predominant view here.

Soon, the trail reaches an old road bed.  The path cuts east and pushes up and down the incline for a mile or so.  At times the trail is lined with old field stones that farmers likely piled along the field edges in past years.  The trees along this boundary make for a pleasant stroll.

Just before the trail reaches Sharon Hollow Road, it turns 180 degrees and follows the top of the road bed.  This is a flat section, but there is just enough height to give some nice long-distance views of the surrounding woods, fields and hills.

The trail once again reaches the western property boundary and this turns south.  This is the most scenic area of the trail system.  Sharon Hollow, an impoundment of the River Raisin, accompanies the hiker for about a mile.  The pond banks are tree-lined and swans are frequent visitors to this body of water.  It is one of the most scenic areas of the River Raisin by my estimation.

This trail system is fun to hike by itself, but I have to mention the additional hiking possibilities that it provides.  Just to the west, the Nature Conservancy owns the Nan Weston Preserve that protects additional land along Sharon Hollow.  It is possible to hike west into this preserve from the Washtenaw County land.

There are two good ways to do this.  One is by following the old road grade mentioned earlier to an intersection with the preserve trail system.  Another possibility is to follow a power line right-of-way to connection with the preserve trails.  If one studies the maps well, it is possible to hike through Nature Conservancy land and into the Sharonville State Game Area. 

I’ve plotted and hiked 10+ mile routes through this area in the past.  And, given the fact that state game areas are open to Fall and Winter camping, this becomes a rare backpacking opportunity in SE Michigan.

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