Highland Recreation Area

Absolutely beautiful. I love the hiking opportunities. Walking through the woods was so relaxing because it was incredibly peaceful. I just love how deserted it is there, so no little kids ruining some much needed relaxation with their screaming I wish the beach was bigger though.

To clarify, the only piece of Highland Rec I am actually reviewing is the mountain biking trails it has. These trails can be found at about:
2200 Livingston Road
Highland MI, 48 356
Their website is completely lacking in information, but this is it:

This place is a little off the beaten path, and not exactly where you might expect to find mountain biking trails, however, there they are. There is a small parking lot and one outhouse by the trail head. You will need a permit for your car to park here. You can either pay 3 dollars for a day pass (last I was there) or like 20 dollars for a yearly pass. 95% of the time you can actually not get any pass at all and you won’t get a ticket or anything, but this money for passes is used to help upkeep the trails so it is a nice thing to do if you are riding them.
Highland Rec’s mountain biking trails are split into 4 loops. The loops themselves build off of one another in a sense… The loops are A, B, C and D. You have to do the A loop to do anything… The A loop is about 4 miles long from what I recall. The B loop is an additional 6 miles and can be picked up about 2.5 miles into the A loop. It drops you off about the same location you left, so you get an all around ride of about 10 miles. The C loops breaks off of the B loop somewhere, and adds an additional 2 to 3 miles making an all around ride of about 13 miles if you do that. The D loop can be accessed from the A loop, and thus you do not have to ride the B and C to reach it. This adds about 4 more miles.
The loops are labeled in order of easiest to hardest. A being the easiest, D the hardest. The A loop is a ‘beginner’ trail. That being said, of all the trails in south east Michigan, this beginner trail is harder than most other difficult trails available. This is comparing to Maybury, Pontiac Lake and Island Lake.
There’s nothing insane on the A loop, it’s just more difficult than the average trail in lower Michigan. The B loops has a lot of areas with loose sand and tight turns. As the spring wears on, it does get overgrown with a lot of thorn bushes, so wear long sleeves if you’re going to ride it. The B loop also does have one massive rock garden on a major uphill. It is a tough ride, but a lot of fun once you make it up it. It also has a major downhill linking back into the A loop where I’ve probably been going over 25 on a tight bike path. Fun stuff!
The C loop is my favorite of them all. It’s very rolling and full of tight turns and manages to stay pretty solid even when things are a little wet. In general, you shouldn’t be riding on a wet trail cause it destroys it, but it is very easy to get caught in the B loop and a storm to roll in or something.
The D loop is the toughest of the loops. It’s loaded with rock gardens, small and longer, a lot of them on complicated uphills with tight turns. This loop is for more experienced riders for sure :).
A few notes for everyone. Be careful on this trail, it is VERY easy to get hurt and there is no easy access for medical help. You will have to walk back if your bike breaks or if you hurt yourself… There is no way an ambulance can come get you. A guy broke his leg on the C loop a few years ago and they had to carry him back almost 6 or 7 miles.
That being said, wear a helmet or you’re just an idiot :). Careful of runners. Some of the runners from local high schools etc like to run on this trail. Also beware of horse crossing areas. Horses don’t like mountain bikes, they freak them out. If you see horses, go slow or stop and let them pass. Do not blow past them.
Also, if you know nothing of biking, ensure you’re going the right direction on the path… Turn left when the trail splits at the very beginning.
To keep in mind, this is NOT a trail to take kids to. It’s also not a trail for a BMX bike.
One final note. Be nice to this trail. In recent years more and more people have been riding it and it has been getting destroyed by new riders who have no respect for it. STAY ON THE TRAIL. Don’t ride around obstacles you can’t go over by going through the woods. This destroys plants and wild life etc. Dismount your bike and walk over them.