more stats
3.7 miles
Distance
424 ft
Climb
-428 ft
Descent
00:27:14
Avg time
-4 ft
Altitude change
972 ft
Altitude min
1,104 ft
Altitude max
1,033 ft
Altitude start
1,030 ft
Altitude end
-0%
Grade
-17%
Grade max
16.4%
Grade min
1 mile
Distance climb
1 mile
Distance down
2 miles
Distance flat
00:27:14
Avg time

Sugar Loop Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Gravel Bike
    • Adaptive Bike
    • Winter Fat Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    DTE Energy Foundation Trail
    Chelsea, Michigan
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond Rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (1 vote)
  • Local Popularity
    100 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 100 in E-Biking
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
  • Global Ranking
    #2140 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #127086 in Trail Running
    • #120321 in Hiking
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    DH, AM, XC, DJ, Fat, Adaptive MTB, CX, Gravel
  • Direction
    Both Directions[+]
    • Both Directions for Winter Fat Biking
    • Both Directions for Adaptive Biking
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes
  • TTFs on Trail
    Berm, Jump, Gap Jump, Rock Garden
  • Year Opened
    2019
  • Land Owner
    DNR

The newest loop is the 4.0 mile Sugar Loop. The most technical of the four loops, over 25 tons of quarried rock was brought in to structure many features, including “Natural Selection”, a three-line structured rock feature, “Big Rock Candy Mountain”, a large armored berm switching up and down Sugarloaf Hill, “Pop Rocks”, a series of rock “diving board” jumps/drops, and “The Upside Down”, a winding bermed descent/climb with optional jumps.

Access Info

All trail loops are directional based on day of the week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays bikes travel clockwise on all loops, with foot traffic going counterclockwise. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, these directions are reversed for the respective users. In winter, parts of the trail system are groomed for “floatation use only” – fat tires, xc skis or snowshoes. Check the Facebook page for latest updates.

Disclaimer

This trail closes during wet/erosive conditions. Check the DTE Facebook page linked below for current conditions.

Trail Supporters
  • past supporters

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 18 rides
  • 26 miles average
6 Months
  • 229 rides
  • 22 miles avg distance
All
  • 1,443 rides
  • Last: Aug 23, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
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December
Status:
on Aug 1, 2026
Ideal
Avg: 4.66 (18 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
  • < 2 days
  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
  • Description
  • Photos
  • Description & Photos
  • Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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  • popular
  • less popular
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Winter Trails
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Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status

Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.

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Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
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        Directions to sugar-loop-220397 trailhead (42.344650, -84.100250)
        View on Discover Map

        Photos

        30 more »
        mtb
        140 |
        Nov 12, 2025 @ 6:35pm
        Nov 12, 2025
        mtb
        127 |
        Nov 12, 2025 @ 6:35pm
        Nov 12, 2025
        mtb
        146 |
        Nov 2, 2025 @ 5:36pm
        Nov 2, 2025
        mtb
        167 |
        Aug 17, 2025 @ 5:16pm
        Aug 17, 2025

        Videos

        8 more »
        youtuber DTE Foundation Trail with Alex | Michigan...
        mtb
        7:57 | 351 | Sep 25, 2019 , Chelsea
        youtuber The Sugar Loop is Sweet • DTE Energy...
        mtb
        12:49 | 2168 | Sep 16, 2019 , Chelsea
        DTE Trail Rides - Sugar Loop CCW
        mtb
        29:04 | 527 | Jul 13, 2023 , Chelsea
        youtuber Group Ride Sugar Loop | Michigan Mountain...
        mtb
        6:21 | 483 | May 8, 2023 , Chelsea

        Technical Trail Features (TTF)

        Routes with this trail

        TTC 2020 Purple 46 Miles Clockwise Archived
        46 miles • 2,581 ft • 4 • Loop • Race •
        Triple Trail Challenge, presented by Tree Fort Bikes, is one the longest running fund raisers for the...
        TTC 2020 Purple 46 Miles Counterclockwise Archived
        ★ 1.0 • 47 miles • 2,469 ft • 6 • Loop • Race •
        Triple Trail Challenge, presented by Tree Fort Bikes, is one the longest running fund raisers for the...

        Links

        4.9 ★★★★★
        18 Ratings
        5 ★ 89%
        4 ★ 11%
        3 ★
        2 ★
        1 ★

        9 Reviews & Comments


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        Nearby Trails

        DTE Energy Foundation Trail

        • By lonewoolf & contributors
        • #220397 - 13,159 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Sugar Loop

        ▼ Where is Sugar Loop located?
        Sugar Loop is located in DTE Energy Foundation Trail, Chelsea, Michigan, United States. It is part of the DTE Energy Foundation Trail trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 42.34465, -84.10025.
        ▼ How hard is Sugar Loop?
        Sugar Loop is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Sugar Loop?
        Sugar Loop has 424 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 428 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 972 ft to 1,104 ft.
        ▼ Is Sugar Loop a point to point trail?
        Sugar Loop is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ How long is Sugar Loop?
        Sugar Loop is 3.7 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ Are dogs allowed on Sugar Loop?
        Yes, dogs are allowed on Sugar Loop. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
        ▼ When is the best time of year to ride Sugar Loop?
        Based on activity log data, the most popular months to ride Sugar Loop are:
        • July (126 activities)
        • October (101 activities)
        • May (98 activities)
        Check the reports page for current trail conditions.
        ▼ How do I access Sugar Loop? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
        The closest parking and trailhead locations to Sugar Loop are: View all parking locations in the area.
        ▼ How long does it take to ride Sugar Loop?
        Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 30 minutes to ride Sugar Loop. The trail is 3.7 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
        ▼ How busy is Sugar Loop?
        Sugar Loop is a very popular trail. There have been 8,291 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 10,632 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

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