Review Date
June 4, 2013

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: DEADMAN biking ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I have been riding the local loop since the early 90's long before Olson park was open, back when we rode up the chute from ceder bend. I have ridden with the A2 ski club, the original guys from Cycle Cellar, the hell riders, and the MMBA who builds and maintains the trail network. I have ridden all the trails in Ann Arbor, even the not so popular or well ridden sections. Now I have my own rides taking people out on the main loop on Wednesdays starting at 6 pm at Olson Park. The local loop or Loop of Pain is not the typical trail, it is made up of many parks, greenways, and cut throughs. the amount of traffic on the trail has increased gradually since I first started but the legend of the trail and difficulty has not decreased like many established trails have. probably because there is no room to make the trail easier with re-routs like in our state forests, so what I mean is you cant sanitize this trail like whats happening to all the trails around us! There is no set way, or direction, every week we ride a different rout, way, and distance to the point where everyone has there way of going about it and there all great rides. it's the infamous A2 local loop.

Recommended Route:
Find a leader that knows there way around or meet us at Olson Park on Wednesdays 6pm, look for the guys from Wheels in Motion. To sign up for our weekly ride news letter go wheelsinmotion.us one of the pictures that scroll on top has a sign up. We also post it on our facebook page.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Rolling Hills
Maybury
Brighton
Island Lake

Review Date
May 8, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Visitors rate this review
4.43 of 5, 7.00 votes

Reviewed by: Smitty , from Ann Arbor

Summary:
If you want technical trails with lots of climbing, nothing else comes close in the area. If you are hardcore and would like a guided tour, contact the Hellriders, otherwise consult the local bike shops (Great Lakes Cycling for beginers and Two Wheel Tango for all others)

Recommended Route:
Any and Many. The Official and Original "Loop of Pain" started at Cycle Cellar on Felch street and headed up Spring and right on Sunset and cut through the Cemetery into what is now called the Bluffs park (now with over 2 miles of technical single-track). Skip the cemetery and hang a left onto Sunset and a right onto the second street, then another right before going under M14. follow this and go around the first business that you come to and look for the trail head. The route then continued into Bird Hills (now illegal). Skip Bird and head into Kuebler Langford and don't miss the secret left turn as the trail turns left about 200 ft in. This takes you into GS camp and take the lookout hill down to Huron River dr (ride the log if you can) Turn right for 1/4 mi and hang a left into the Barton woodchip trail that crosses a bridge. Watch for a trail on the left in a 1/4 mile or so. Once on the trail stay left at all intersections for the largest loop. If you managed to ride the roots along the river and come out next to another foot bridge, hang a right and then a left and cross the railroad tracks. Go straight and go under the chain and hang a right onto Barton and then left onto Whitmore lake rd and then a quick right onto the tunnel trail, don't miss the right after the water crossing, after the tunnel hang a right for more trail, when you hit a piece of pavement turn right then left back onto the trail. Look for a new trail in this area that will take you out to Pontiac trail and cross over into Leslie Science Center. There's another tech trail on the left after a while that will take you near the golf course and then continue to NEAP and ride what's left of the trails there then reverse course and head back to Leslie finish that off and head out of the Science Center onto Traver rd, left on Barton, right on Plymouth then a quick 180 degree left onto a dead end street and a steep climb to a street that will take you to Broadway, right turn, then left onto Cedar bend, you are now in the area now know as the AA downhill (formerly HE HAW, as there is a tough climb that when you finish you are breathing hard HE HAW HE HAW). Hang a right down the steps and ride down the grassy hill into the trail and hang a hard left, follow the trail back to Cedar bend, go left and climb up to the UM parking lot and look for the AA downhill start near the tennis court have fun. Down by the river across from the outhouse hop the curb, ride across the grass along the fence for the apartments and climb all the way up HE HAW to the top of the grassy hill if you can. Repeat loop as needed til puking. Take Island dr out and cross Fuller, ride the bike path under the Broadway bridge and continue on dirt path, youll come out at Argo park and you can ride the single-track (illegal) or ride the road out to Long Shore dr where youll hang a left and go under M14, hang a left where Long Shore meets Whitmore Lake road and the Entrance to M14. Head through the parking lot and back under 14, follow the road til it ends and follow the trail out to the industrial wasteland where UM row team is stationed. Find your way out to Main and cross over into the driveway of the abandoned house and back into the Bluffs (This area will be the Official trailhead for the Bluffs someday. Find your way through the Bluffs back to Sunset and Spring then back to the Cellar.
If you managed to follow these crappy directions you should have about 20 miles in. If you need more there is always the loop on the east side of town (good for another 20 miles). More on that later.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Poto - fast non-technical

Review Date
April 22, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: DiRT , from A2

Summary:
If you feel the A2 city trails aren't real/challenging enough, you're not riding the right ones, or you've missed a turn off. The Bluffs is no picnic. NE is easy, but a good training loop. The arb can be outright deadly, if you have the cops chasing you on one of those rooty drop-downs.

Recommended Route:
Northeast park trail, The Bluffs and pirate trails in the arboretum.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
a 5 stars to raise it a bit.

Review Date
October 23, 2002

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 5.00 votes

Reviewed by: Stoup , from No-Cal

Summary:
Not bad for being in the "city", but come on....if you have time to dirt surf, leave your coffee houses and do some real trails. This train is not technical - do not fool yourselves.

Review Date
May 1, 2001

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Reviewed by: J Peso , from Ypsilanti

Summary:
Good for beginners but also has some cool technical
terrain for the more "advanced". Rough dirt singletrack
off of Plymouth climbs up to large field with offshoot
dirt tracks. Southbound trail empties and circles around what looks like an old dry quarry. Quarry not too deep to dive bomb. Pretty sweet rough drop that made me wish I had a dual. And there are several descents.
Past quarry, to the southwest, trail rougher but not too bad. Crosses dry stream bed and empties on Earhart.
To the south of quarry, trail becomes very rough and eventually crosses stream before finding end not far
from Dixboro. Enjoy while you can, I think the U/M
plans to build new "East" campus on this site sometime
in future.

Recommended Route:
Singletrack on U/M owned property off of Plymouth Rd
between Earhart and Dixboro. Can also be entered from
subdivision at Dixboro and Plymouth.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
I know that I CAN'T recommend NE Area Park unless you