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| Name: | Gallup Park |
| Location: | Situated at Fuller Road and Huron Parkway, across from Huron High School. Enter on Fuller and park in any designated lot for skating access. |
| Entry Fee: | None. |
| Hours: | 6:00am to 10:00pm |
| Water: | Skate-accessible fountain at bridge over the Huron River, also at the concession building. Skate-accessible restrooms at the concession building. Portable toilets in picnic area and at the dam at east end of park. |
| Concessions: | Concession building at park entrance, food and beverages available. Skating up to the counter *is* allowed. |
| Mileage: | About 3.0 miles of trails in park. |
| Surface: | Asphalt. Surface varies from very smooth to rough. Some cracks, most under 1" wide, tar-filled, some over 1". Moderate frost heaves on old pavement, fairly well-drained in most areas. Most of trails in park have been newly-paved. One small section of expansion-jointed concrete exists near the picnic area, and a skateable wood-plank bridge crosses the Huron River on the west end of the park, an arched wood beam auto bridge with pedestrian walkways on road within park. Use caution on the wood auto bridge following wet weather as it becomes so slippery it's difficult to skate across. Park is popular with Canadian geese also, so trail becomes slippery with goose poop in some places. |
| Topography: | Open and flat along the Huron River. |
| Traffic: | Low traffic exposure within park, watch for cars near the bridge. Bike/skate/pedestrian traffic can be moderately heavy on weekdays after work, and on weekend afternoons. This is a popular skating place on the north end of town. |
| Off Limits: | None. |
| Other: | Canoe and paddleboat rental available, fishing, picnicking, playground. |
| Review By: | Rich Weinkauf |
| Name: | Lower Huron Metropark |
| Location: | 17845 Savage Road, Belleville, MI 48111. Telephone (313) 697-9181 or (800) 477-3182. Situated south of I-94, between Haggerty Road and I-275. From I-94 take Haggerty Road exit and travel south to park entrance, or from I-275 take Sibley Road exit, travel east to Huron River Drive and travel south to park entrance. Best access to trails is from Pool parking lot near the tennis courts, or east end of Fox Woods Picnic Area parking lot. |
| Entry Fee: | $2 wkdays, $3 wkends/hdays, free on Wednesdays. |
| Hours: | 6:00am to 10:00pm |
| Water: | Skate-accessible water fountain found at the Tot Lot, just off the Pool parking lot. Skate accessible water fountains at the Pool Concession building, but water pressure is so low you won't be able to fill a water bottle. Skate-accessible restrooms at the Pool Concession building. Other water found throughout park, but sometimes 100 meters from trail or drives. |
| Concessions: | Concession building at the pool, food and beverages available |
| Mileage: | 4.0 miles, from north to south end of park. Can also make use of 1.0 mile of excellent road connecting the Pool and Hawthorn Glade, Ellwoods, and Fox Woods picnic areas. Access near the middle of the trail (from pool parking lot) allows a north-south-and-back circuit that is about 8.0 miles long. |
| Surface: | Asphalt, very smooth, newly paved 0.75 mile at south end of trail. Excellent condition, few frost heaves, well-drained. Wood plank bridge crosses Huron River, slightly arched and skateable. |
| Topography: | Flat to gently rolling, one or two moderate hills. Varies from mostly open to moderately wooded, views of Huron River. |
| Traffic: | Moderate to low traffic exposure as trail crosses parking lot access drives. Traffic is two-way on paved trail, yield to pedestrians, watch for bicycles. Trail use is moderate to low, even on weekends. |
| Off Limits: | None. |
| Other: | Pool and waterslide, tennis, par 3 golf. Pick up a map at park office. |
| Review By: | Rich Weinkauf |
| Name: | Hudson Mills Metropark |
| Location: | 8801 North Territorial Rd., Dexter, MI 48130. Telephone (313) 426-8211 or (800) 477-3182. Situated northwest of Ann Arbor, at North Territorial Rd and Dexter-Pinckney Rd. Best access to trails is from Oak Meadows and River Grove Picnic Area parking lots. |
| Entry Fee: | $2 wkdays, $3 wkends/hdays, free on Wednesdays. |
| Hours: | 6:00am to 10:00pm |
| Water: | Skate-accessible water fountain found in River Grove Picnic Area, and at other locations along trail. Skate accessible water fountains at theActivity Center building. Skate-accessible restrooms in the Oak Meadows Picnic Area. |
| Concessions: | Concessions at the Activity Center building, food and beverages available. |
| Mileage: | 3.2 miles, around park. |
| Surface: | Asphalt, very smooth. Excellent condition, few frost heaves, well-drained. Wood plank bridge crosses Huron River, skateable. |
| Topography: | Flat to gently rolling. Varies from mostly open to moderately wooded, views of Huron River. |
| Traffic: | Moderate to low traffic exposure as trail crosses parking lot access drives. Traffic is two-way on paved trail, yield to pedestrians, watch for bicycles. Trail use is moderate. |
| Off Limits: | None. |
| Other: | Bike rental, court games, disc golf. Pick up a map at park office. |
| Review By: | Rich Weinkauf |
| Name: | Willow-Oakwoods Metropark |
| Location: | Although these are two distinct Metroparks, I will treat them together since they are adjacent and access to Oakwoods Metropark for skaters is easy because the trails connect between the two parks. Access to the Metroparks is easiest from the South Huron Road exit from I-275. Willow Metropark is situated just east of I-275, 5.0 miles south of the junction of I-94 and I-275. Take the exit marked 11A if travelling south on I-275. Two parking lots offer popular access to the skating trails. One access point is the Washago Pond Picnic Area lot, and the second is the north end of the Pool parking lot. I prefer the Pool parking lot access. |
| Entry Fee: | $2 wkdays, $3 wkends/hdays, free on Wednesdays. |
| Hours: | 6:00am to 10:00pm |
| Water: | Skate-accessible water fountains at the concession building adjacent to pool. Also skate-accessible restrooms at concession building. Water fountains here and there near trails in Willow, though not skate-accessible, they are only a short hike across grass. No water in Oakwoods along the 3.0 mile trail. Water and restrooms at the Nature Center Building in Oakwoods, but skates not allowed in the building. |
| Concessions: | Concession building at the pool, food and beverages available |
| Mileage: | 4.5 miles of trails in Willow making for loops and combinations of loops through the park. 3.0 miles of trail from entrance of Oakwoods to Nature Center at east end of park. Trail design allows for nice range of trail loops from 2 to 12 miles, or more. |
| Surface: | Asphalt, very smooth. Excellent condition, few frost heaves, no cracks, well-drained. Railroad tracks to cross in Oakwoods, about half-way into park, but approach and departure to rails is well-graded and newly paved, easy to step-skate over. |
| Topography: | Mostly flat and open, to very gently rolling. Some wooded areas with vast meadows in Oakwoods. Views of the Huron River, with a wood deck overlook behind the Nature Center Building in Oakwoods providing a beautiful view of a river/lagoon area. I have seen owls and other wildlife from this deck on early mornings. |
| Traffic: | Traffic exposure is moderate to low within the park as trails cross roads and picnic area drives. These two parks are not crowded, and skating down to Oakwoods and back may be a solitary experience during a weekday morning. On weekends there will be more bicycle and pedestrian traffic, but still qualifies as low traffic volume. Traffic on trails is two-way, yield to pedestrians, watch for bikes. Use caution when crossing between Willow and Oakwoods as the trail intersects a 40mph road there. |
| Off Limits: | No skates allowed inside the concession building. No skates allowed inside the Nature Center building. No skating allowed on the hard-surface nature trail in Oakwoods that is designed for wheelchairs and strollers. Please observe the rule against skating on this nature trail. |
| Other: | Olympic-sized swimming pool, boat/bike rental, Nature Center, horse trails. |
| Review By: | Rich Weinkauf |
| Name: | Council Point Park |
| Location: | On River Drive, between Emmons and Champagne in Lincoln Park. Park in the main lot for trail access. |
| Entry Fee: | None. |
| Hours: | 6:00am to 10:00pm |
| Water: | Water and portable toilet are located in the central park area, near the pavillion. |
| Concessions: | None. |
| Mileage: | Two 0.5 mile segments forming a 1.0m "Figure-8" around two soccer fields. |
| Surface: | Asphalt. Hard and very smooth, no cracks, no heaves, and well-drained. |
| Topography: | Open and flat, trail borders a creek in places. |
| Traffic: | No exposure to vehicles on trail. Bike/skate/pedestrian traffic can be heavy at times, especially during soccer games. |
| Off Limits: | No Rollerhockey in the parking lot, $500 fine if you're caught. |
| Other: | Playground, baseball diamond, soccer. |
| Review By: | Chris Hurley |
| Name: | Kensington Metropark |
| Location: | 2240 West Buno Rd., Milford, MI 48380. Telephone (810) 685-1561 or (800) 477-3178. Situated north of I-96, between Milford Road and Kensington Road exits. Access via Milford Road, Kent Lake Road, or Kensington Road exits. Popular parking lots for skating access are the Boat-Bike Rental, Maple Beach, Martindale Beach, West Boat Launch, and Golf Starter Building. |
| Entry Fee: | $2 wkdays, $3 wkends/hdays, free on Wednesdays. |
| Hours: | 6:00am to 10:00pm |
| Water: | Found frequently throughout park. Skate-accessible at the Bike-Boat rental on north side of lake, also at the two beach areas. Restrooms at beach areas. |
| Concessions: | At beach areas and Bike-Boat Rental. Food and beverages available. |
| Mileage: | 8.0 miles of paved bike/hike/skate trails in loop surrounding lake. |
| Surface: | Asphalt. Surface varies from moderately smooth to very smooth. About 0.25 mile of wood plank bridge on south side of lake, in good condition, fairly level and skateable. |
| Topography: | Moderate to steep hills, some of significant distance throughout park. Open and flat in areas close to shore, gently rolling through most of park. Excellent views along shore and vistas through wooded areas. |
| Traffic: | Traffic exposure is moderate as trail crosses roads and parking lot access drives. Traffic is two-way on paved trail, yield to pedestrians, watch for bicycles. Trail use is moderate to heavy, especially on weekend afternoons. |
| Off Limits: | No skates allowed on walkway at Bike-Boat Rental, watch for signs restricting skates in other areas. |
| Other: | Lots of things to do at this park, pick up a park map at the office. |
| Review By: | Rich Weinkauf |
| Name: | Maybury State Park |
| Location: | Entrance on 8 Mile Road, 1.0 mile west of the intersection of Beck Road. Park in any of the lots on your right near the concession building, or 0.5 mile farther east near the playground access. |
| Entry Fee: | $2/car. |
| Hours: | 8:00am to dusk |
| Water: | Skate-accessible water fountain and skate-accessible restrooms at concession building near first set of parking lots, and in playground area. |
| Concessions: | Drink vending machines only found at concession building. Concession building is not staffed. Drink vending machines also in playground area near restrooms. |
| Mileage: | About 3 miles intersecting to allow loops through the park. Designated as bike trails, but actually paved roads designed for vehicular traffic, with some specific bike paths. |
| Surface: | Macadam/asphalt. Surface varies from moderately smooth to broken. Surface is abrasive and will cause significant wear on soft wheels or kneecaps. Will be mud-covered following wet weather at horse crossings, some gravel in most intersections. Parking lots are mostly open and suitable for practice. |
| Topography: | Open and flat to moderately hilly. |
| Traffic: | Traffic exposure is very low in park (watch for maintenance vehicles on paved trails). Exposed to traffic on road connecting parking lots. Travel is two-way on all park paved trails. |
| Off Limits: | None |
| Other: | Also has mountain biking trails, fishing pond, and horseback riding. |
| Review By: | Rich Weinkauf |
Farmington -- Skating Ordinances
| Ordinance #: | City Ordinance Number unknown |
| Area Covered: | Public property within the city of Farmington. |
| Restrictions: | No skating, skateboarding, or roller skiing on city-owned property. |
| Fines/Penalties: | Unknown |
| Notes: | Doesn't appear to be enforced. The Farmington Inline Skating Club meets every Wednesday evening in the parking lot behind the Post Office on Slocum, and commonly skates all around the city without a problem from police. |
| Info from: | Rich Weinkauf |
Northville -- Skating Ordinances
| Ordinance #: | City Ordinance Number unknown |
| Area Covered: | City of Northville. |
| Restrictions: | "No Rollerskating, Rollerblading or Skateboarding" |
| Fines/Penalties: | Unknown |
| Notes: | Signs reading as above are prominently posted on Main Street and other roads within the city of Northville. |
| Info from: | Rich Weinkauf |