Crosswinds Marsh County Park
New Boston, MI
By Matthew Eddy, 6/9/17
Summary
Overall Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Trail Type: Chunky Gravel
Water: None available for horses
Requirements: None, no park pass, coggins or bridal tag
Parking: Very Good
Trail Markings: Good - not needed
Cell Reception: Decent
Technical Obstacles: Bridge or water crossing
Date/Time of Ride: 6/26/16, 11:30am
Weather Conditions: ~80°F/High
Looking for Site Contributors if you are interested click HERE.
Description:
At about the halfway mark is a small bridge over a
little creek that can be challenging to get a horse across. One cool
feature of this obstacle is that there is the option to take your horse
through the creek if you would prefer to do
that instead, and a little ford has been created for that purpose
specifically. The water gets about knee deep and I believe has been
paved to prevent erosion and mud making safer for the horses. There is a
second bridge toward the end of the trail, but it
is much wider and though a few horses might balk at crossing initially,
they usually don’t take much persuasion to get them over it.
Map:
Coming down 275, exit at Will Carlton and head West for about 3.5miles. Take Haggerty Rd. North (it’s a dirt road, usually in decent shape), and the entrance is hard to miss. Heading into the park, keep to the right and the horse trailer parking is in the large field. There are a number of hitching posts available. The trail head for the horse path starts right in that area. HERE is a link to the park on Google Maps.
Here is a screenshot of thet rail map. You can find a pdf copy HERE on the Department of Public Services website. I have indicated where the bridge is with the red circle.
Conclusion:
Though this isn’t the prettiest park, it has a lot of feature that’s make it a good option. It’s free, it’s a decently long path, it’s easy to drive to, it’s easy to park and path is pretty good for first time trail riders. The only down side is there is no way to go around the one bridge and if you aren’t able to get your horse over it you will have to back track. I gave it three stars because it doesn’t have particularly beautiful trails, it’s flat, and there are no beautiful vistas or overlooks.
New Boston, MI
By Matthew Eddy, 6/9/17
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| Riding Storm, Holding Up the Rear |
Summary
Overall Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Trail Type: Chunky Gravel
Water: None available for horses
Requirements: None, no park pass, coggins or bridal tag
Parking: Very Good
Trail Markings: Good - not needed
Cell Reception: Decent
Technical Obstacles: Bridge or water crossing
Date/Time of Ride: 6/26/16, 11:30am
Weather Conditions: ~80°F/High
Looking for Site Contributors if you are interested click HERE.
Description:
Not far from I94 and I275 interchange, and also
conveniently close to Oakwoods Metropark, is Crosswinds Marsh County
Park. It’s a nice park especially in terms of accessibility for both
driving there, trailer parking, and its free! There
is a single horse trail about 4.5miles in length that circumnavigates
the park. Half the trail is shaded, the other half is pretty open so on
real sunny hot days it can be kind of brutal. There are not a lot of
scenic views, and the trails are pretty flat,
but it’s still a nice ride and as I said before, easy to get to and
free. Most of the path is chunky gravel which can be a little hard on
barefoot horses, but there is usually enough room on the shoulder of the
trail to ride in the grass if you are worried
about that. The times I have gone, though the park is largely a wetland, the bugs weren't to bad.
On a side note, the park is pretty nice to go to not on horse back. A number of wooden walk ways take you over and through the marsh. There is a pavilion in the middle of the marsh that is screened in to keep bugs away that is nice spot for a picnic.
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| Some of the Forested Section |
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| Toward the End of the Trail. |
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| Now that the Other Horses are Tired, Storm Can Keep Up. |
Parking for this park is very good. There is plenty of space for multiple trailers and you can usually park in such a manner that you don't have to back up. I have been there a few times and there have always been at least one other horse trailer there though we haven't seen anyone on the trails themselves. There are a few posts to hitch your horse to, but there is no mounting block or water.
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| Parking Area, Our Rig on the Right, Someone Else on the Left |
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| Another Angle, show Plenty of Room for Parking. |
Coming down 275, exit at Will Carlton and head West for about 3.5miles. Take Haggerty Rd. North (it’s a dirt road, usually in decent shape), and the entrance is hard to miss. Heading into the park, keep to the right and the horse trailer parking is in the large field. There are a number of hitching posts available. The trail head for the horse path starts right in that area. HERE is a link to the park on Google Maps.
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| Crosswinds March Circled in Blue. |
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| Shows Where the Trailer Parking is in Red. Trail Head Circled Blue. |
Here is a screenshot of thet rail map. You can find a pdf copy HERE on the Department of Public Services website. I have indicated where the bridge is with the red circle.
 |
| Trail Map. |
Though this isn’t the prettiest park, it has a lot of feature that’s make it a good option. It’s free, it’s a decently long path, it’s easy to drive to, it’s easy to park and path is pretty good for first time trail riders. The only down side is there is no way to go around the one bridge and if you aren’t able to get your horse over it you will have to back track. I gave it three stars because it doesn’t have particularly beautiful trails, it’s flat, and there are no beautiful vistas or overlooks.
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