Hungerford Lake Mountain Bike and Ski Trailhead — Attraction in Norwich Township

Review is for the mountain bike trials, not the campground

First impression of this trail is it is what my biking desires have been longing for. First of all, it's a more casual location than some of the other locations I've been to near Grand Rapids. The trail itself is a straighter, more open trail than the squiggly ones near Grand Rapids but enough curves to be a lot of fun. The surface is a little loamy and very sandy in places with plenty of roots and ruts to keep you from gettin lazy. A lot of hills here, which also lead to good, fast downhills. And to top it all off, the air has an "up north" quality and it smells of rotting leaves and pine, which does more for my soul than a zillion bottles of expensive perfume.

Do use caution, there are some segments where the trail doubles with horse trails. I would imagine that kids could ride the trail ok if they're experienced, though there are a few hills they'll have to walk.

The one person I encountered was just a friendly guy. He didn't ignore me because I wasn't wearing a spandex team jersey or riding some fancy new bike, or even try to talk about his expensive bike (even though I know it was VERY expensive). I'm sure this one chance encounter is not indicative of all the trail-goers here, but I have to hope it is as I tire of the "bike-snobbery" and unfriendly people I've been encountering closer to the city lately.

Speaking of bikes, my older 26" full suspension cross-country bike with normal 2" wide tires was just about perfect for this trail. I did let some air out after the first few miles due to all the sand but otherwise the trail doesn't require huge travel suspension or super brakes. It's just a nice trail for a good ride. My newer 27.5+ "all-mountain" bike was a bit of overkill, but still fun, and really any trail bike with good gearing and brakes is going to be fun to ride here. I suspect both hardtails and gravel bikes with wide enough tires would be a lot of fun to ride...

September 10th 2023

Cool trail but it needs maintenance. Trail markers start out one color then switch colors and start sharing colors with ski trails.

Heavy fern growth up to your handle bars in some parts narrow trails with big trees down clipped my pedal a few times because I couldn't see.

Mountain bike trail crosses path with horse trail in parts. Didn't see anyone out there except...

Rode the trail a few years ago. Could have used some maintenance, but was over all a decent experience. Had to get off my bike a few times to get over fallen trees or slowdown to figure out which way the trail went. Trail was better suited as a hiking trail at the time. I hope they have cleaned it up since I...