Sharon Mills Mountain Biking Trails

One of the most scenic of the Potawatomi Chapter’s trails, this easy loop provides sweeping vistas of rolling farmlands and the opportunity to ride scenic singletrack along the banks of the Raisin River. The property on which the trial is located is owned by Washtenaw County, and is part of the Sharon Mills Park. The trail runs counter-clockwise and heads west in an undulating series of turns and twists as it passes through fallow farmland and next to small wetlands. As it turns south it runs parallel to the Nan Weston Preserve of the Nature Conservancy, home to a variety of interesting plants and wildlife. Deer, turkeys, wood ducks and sandhill cranes are frequent visitors to the park. As the trail approaches the Raisin River it parallels an old road bed and snakes back and forth under a canopy of old oaks and other trees left from the pioneer farming days. The character of the trailbed changes significantly in this area, as it becomes tighter, more twisty and with continuous changes in elevation that hold the rider’s interest. Once on the south side of the old roadbed the terrain slopes gently to the impoundment formed by the dam at the mill site. The ride along the banks of the Raisin River in this area is especially picturesque, particularly in the early morning or evening, made more so by being entirely single-track. At the eastern end of the park the trail turns north and heads back to the parking lot, climbing some hills as it leaves the river valley in the process.

After a ride it’s always nice to stop by the mill site a quarter mile south on Sharon Hollow Road to sit by the river, get a drink of water, or to use the restrooms.