#TrailTuesday: Conquering the Pontiac Lake Mountain Bike Trail Loop

Dan Cooke
May 23, 2023
8 min read

Updated: Mar 13

Welcome back to our weekly #TrailTuesday Series! This edition explores a trail widely recognized as one of the Top 100 Trails in the entire country: Pontiac Lake's Mountain Bike Trail. Join us as we scale the climbs and ride the bends of this classic biking and hiking trail!

"Yeah, I've been riding for a while now. Pontiac Lake was what really got me into it."

Flashback to April of 2020, and my buddy has formally inducted me into the Detroit region's mountain biking faithful. I'm far from being the most recent convert - cycling in general, and mountain biking in particular, exploded as recreational interests during the peak pandemic era. There are legions of new bikers on Maybury's MTB trail that day, but I'm one of the lucky few to have an experienced guide waiting for me at each check point. I try to pick his brain about the sport at each of those points, mostly in an effort to buy myself an extra minute to catch my breath.

"This trail's great, but Pontiac Lake is just another level. Definitely harder than this, but it might be my favorite in the state."

Regardless of the pursuit, new minds are immensely impressionable. I can still vividly recall that conversation because of the imprint that it left on my perception of some local park known as "Pontiac Lake" - a place that I had never heard of and, frankly, was intimidated by. A trail that I would surely explore someday, via bike or boot, but certainly not that day.

A little over three years later, I find myself finding standing at 1,118 feet - the highest point of Pontiac Lake's MTB Trail Loop. Despite the years of trail experience that I have now logged in the saddle of my bike, I'm actually a hiker during this inaugural pilgrimage to Pontiac Lake (bike is finally out of the shop and ready for the season!). As my eyes catch fleeting glimpses of the glistening waters of Pontiac Lake through the recently-bloomed canopy below, I'm a juxtaposition of emotions.

Disappointment for not reaching this exact vista sooner in my life.

Gratitude for having the interest and ability to stand here now.

And excitement for presenting this miraculous trail to an audience so that they too can explore it - hopefully soon.

It is our honor to reintroduce Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area now.