Trail status update:
Conditions seem to have deteriorated since the last few reviews.

We are contemplating a run from Lk Orion to Imlay City and are wondering what kind of shape the trail is north of Dryden...If anyone has ridden since tcphillips did in July, I'd love to hear about it! Thanks!

The trail in Lapeer County north of Bordman Rd. (and south of Imlay City) has been mowed.

It has not been graded or improved, but the weeds and underbrush have been held at bay.

The trail is still non-technical single track along which the rider can pass single file, and the hard-packed surface is quite nice for those in the mood for a country ride.

This is still not a ride for the exceedingly casual biker, but nonetheless a nice ride for multi-gear, fat-tired bikes.

Don't forget the DEET-based insect repellent and plenty of water.
It's tick and deer-fly season.

--TCP

June 5, 2010

Updated trail conditions....

I had occasion to ride north from Leonard, Michigan/Bordman Rd to Imlay City, MI this past weekend.

The trail does not appear to have been mowed this season as of this date.
There is a gravel single track along the right-of-way that is easy riding, but it is narrow (single file) and the grass is high to both sides.

There is nothing particularly wrong with this, but those looking for a leisurely ride along a groomed trail won't find it here.

If one is going to ride the Polly Ann in Lapeer County, MI, I recommend a DEET-based insect repellent to keep both flying insects and ticks at bay.

Updates as the season progresses....

--TCP

Total mileage is 18.3

Not 14.3

Don't know how I missed that.

Regards....Tom Phillips

August 3, 2009

The Polly Ann follows the old Pontiac, Oxford & Northern rail line. The “official” trail is marked from Oxford north to Leonard and to Bordman Rd. but the right-of-way is marked and quite passable (for hikers, horse, and mountain bikes) quite a bit further. That is the topic of this article.

The trail entry for the purely Lapeer County portion is on Bordman Rd., 1.6 miles north of Leonard, Michigan and 0.8 miles east of Rochester Rd. Leonard is roughly 15 miles north of the center of Rochester, Michigan on Rochester Rd (also known as Forest St, in Leonard.) There is no defined parking lot on Bordman Rd. other than on the side of the road.

The trail becomes mowed two-track whose surface ranges from stone dust to dirt to road bed ballast. The right-of-way is not particularly brushy, but it is a “trail ride” from here on. It is quite passable on a mountain bike. My wife and I ride a tandem but from this point north a tandem team would be greatly challenged, due to trail surface conditions.

At Hough Rd. the trail is less improved, rail bed ballast and gravel. Another mile north the trail climbs a steep embankment up to General Squier Rd. This road is paved and traffic travels at 55 mph, so be careful. The embankment on the other side is just as steep. Walking one’s bike up and down may be a good idea. At General Squier Rd., visible to the west of the trail crossing, there is a commercial farm/vineyard that has produce and fruit for sale in season. It is a worthwhile side trip.

Continuing NNE along the trail, the trail surface gets rougher, down to single track with uneven surfaces, which can be wet and occasionally slippery after a local rain. The trail crosses Casey Rd. about 1/4 mile east of General Squier Park and about ½ mile east of Pioneer Cemetery which has the graves some of the earliest settlers in the area. The trail passes through numerous marshy areas. There are well-maintained bridges across marshy areas and streams all along the trail.

The trail crosses Dryden Rd. just east of the main intersection in Dryden, Michigan. There are stores and a restaurant or two and also a gas station. There is a pavilion on the south side of Dryden Rd. just west of the trail crossing. Dryden Rd. is within the village limits, nonetheless traffic is quick there and caution while crossing is advised.

From Dryden the trail is mowed but single track. The trail will cross Hollow Corners Rd. then Sutton Rd. Shortly thereafter is Hunters Creek Rd., Summers Rd. and then Interstate-69. Summers Rd. is a north-south road unlike the others (This note to help orientation.) As the rider crosses under I-69, the large concrete abutments to guard the highway bridge pylons against train derailment may be noticed. The next road is Newark Rd. The country is mainly agricultural with large soy bean and corn farms. There are also stretches of woods.

At Black’s Corner Rd. (another north-south road) the trail becomes paved for something less than a mile. On the west side of the trail is a pickle factory. The trail crosses under the old Grand Trunk Western (now Canadian National) line which travels east to Port Huron and into Canada.

This portion of the trail passes west of the old main business district of Imlay City. At W. 4th Street, one may head east to N. Main St. for a ride around old Imlay City, the center of which is at N. Main and 3rd St. There are numerous restaurants, shops, and gas stations in the old section of town. It is a very typical Midwestern small agricultural/industrial-based town. There has been a substantial remodeling of the old business district that has been nicely done. There is a downtown pavilion and sitting area. There are ice cream shops (a nod to my wife.) There are numerous historic homes on side streets. The main business district of Imlay City has shifted to Van Dyke Ave. (M-53) which is further east. Van Dyke (M-53) is extremely busy with a great deal of traffic as M-53 is the major north-south route between Detroit, I-69, and up into Michigan’s “thumb.”

The trail heads NNW out of Imlay City toward Lum, Michigan. Crossing back over Black’s Corner Rd. at Attica Rd. the trail returns to rough single track. At this point trail maintenance becomes spotty. Mowing seems to be perhaps once a year. The trail surface is rail bed ballast, dirt, and pebble. It may be wet after local rain and can be slippery. There also seemed to be the occasional railroad tie hidden barely beneath the trail surface that can dump the unwary (speaking from experience here.)

The trail crosses Summers Rd. (north-south road) and then quickly crosses Imlay City Rd./Capac Rd./old M-21/78. Caution must be taken here. This is the old main highway between Port Huron and Flint. It is still a major surface thoroughfare. Traffic is very heavy and very fast here.

The trail crosses Bower Rd. and continues NNW through farm country. The next road crossing is Youngs Rd. (north-south road.).

The trail enters Lum, Michigan at Lum Rd., ½ block east of Mitchell Lake Rd. There is a party store in Lum that has ice cream (a nod to my wife), drinks, and makes pizza. The proprietors took pity on my wife and let her use the bathroom. Otherwise there are no public toilets (that we could find) in Lum.

The trail continues NNW swinging to North out of Lum headed toward Kings Mill. The agricultural country continues with soy bean fields, corn fields, an occasional sugar beet field, with occasional deep woods sections. The next road crossing is Stanton Lake Rd. There is one more crossing at Curtis Rd. before one arrives at Kings Mill. Kings Mill is on Lake Pleasant Rd., which is an extension of Rochester Rd. There is no formal trail entry here but there is a small community here and party store at the corner of Kings Mill Rd. Mill St., and Lake Pleasant Rd. where one may ask to park. There do not appear to be any public toilets (that we could find.)

Additional notes:
There are numerous creek crossings all along the way on bridges built and maintained by various clubs and civic organizations. The bridges are sound and well maintained. One may choose to walk one’s bike across as at some of the approaches to the bridges there may be a difference in surface height from the approach, to the bridge deck, and back to the following approach.

Long sections of the trail run through some fairly deep woods and marshy areas. In warm weather insect repellent is advised. There are numerous deer in the area as well, so to guard against ticks as well as biting flies, an insect repellent with DEET may be advisable.

Michigan temperatures in July and August can reach into the 80’s and occasionally 90’s. Carry sufficient water.

At most of the road/trail crossings, there is sufficient parking for one or two cars to get on the shoulder to load and off-load bicycles. Please be mindful and do not block farmers’ entry into their fields, which are often adjacent to the trail and parking spots.

Trail traffic is generally very light to non-existent north of Hough Rd. There are a very few walkers/hikers, a very few bike riders.

There is evidence of horses.

Wildlife:
Endless deer, rodents, an occasional fox or coyote. The marsh areas are full of aquatic birds such as various species of ducks, gees, kingfishers, swallows. A couple of these ponds appear to have beaver lodges as well as muskrats. The upland areas have pheasant, woodcock, wood ducks, endless perching birds, raptors, clinging birds, and about everything else imaginable.

Final note:
While there is little change in elevation on this trail, the rough, uneven surface of the trail north of Bordman Rd. make this other than a casual ride through the country. I averaged less than 10 mph through the northern sections of this trail. Some sections of the trail go through country that is not easily accessed by the country roads. Carry a cell phone, although there are areas of limited or no coverage.

Mileage:
Boardman Rd. entry to Dryden ==> 4.7 miles
Dryden to Imlay City ==> 5.9 miles
Imlay City to Lum ==> 6.2 miles
Lum to Kings Mill ==> 3.5 miles
Total mileage ==> 14.3 miles